7 tons and whaddya get? A quarter of a million for a Frank Gehry desk
<p>The 7-ton glass desk designed by the late architect Frank Gehry for the lobby of the Inland Steel Building sold at auction Wednesday for $243,200.</p><p>The 16-piece ensemble, made of emerald-colored glass and named Icehenge, had been anticipated to fetch <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/architecture-design/2026/07/07/loop-glass-desk-designed-frank-gehry-7-tons-auction-inland-steel-building" >between $100,000 and $200,000</a>. </p><p>Freeman's, who handled the online auction of the desk, listed the winning bid on its <a class="Link" href="https://freemansauction.com/auction/6517-art-design/lot/108" target="_blank" >website</a>.</p><p>While Freeman's made known the successful bid for the one-of-kind item, the auction house was mum on the identity of the lucky paddle-raiser.
Reported by 1 outlet — Chicago Sun-Times. See all sources ↓
<p>The 7-ton glass desk designed by the late architect Frank Gehry for the lobby of the Inland Steel Building sold at auction Wednesday for $243,200.</p><p>The 16-piece ensemble, made of emerald-colored glass and named Icehenge, had been anticipated to fetch <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/architecture-design/2026/07/07/loop-glass-desk-designed-frank-gehry-7-tons-auction-inland-steel-building" >between $100,000 and $200,000</a>. </p><p>Freeman's, who handled the online auction of the desk, listed the winning bid on its <a class="Link" href="https://freemansauction.com/auction/6517-art-design/lot/108" target="_blank" >website</a>.</p><p>While Freeman's made known the successful bid for the one-of-kind item, the auction house was mum on the identity of the lucky paddle-raiser. The company didn't respond to requests for comment.</p><p>The auction result means the likely end to a small but noteworthy chapter in Chicago's storied history of architecture and design.</p><p>Gehry — whose portfolio includes internationally renowned structures such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion and BP Pedestrian Bridge — held a nearly life-long admiration for Chicago's sleek Inland Steel Building, 30 W. Monroe St.</p><p>From 2005 to 2007, the architect had a small ownership piece of the Inland Steel Building, a 19-story skyscraper designed by SOM and built in 1958.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center> <div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop=""> <figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-c40000" name="image-c40000"></a> <picture data-crop="medium"> <source type="image/webp" width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fbb72e1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7384x4144+0+390/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F87%2F7e%2F18377e5d46638574b17545e13ce8%2Fgehry-260707-07.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/813d510/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7384x4144+0+390/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F87%2F7e%2F18377e5d46638574b17545e13ce8%2Fgehry-260707-07.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <source width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b73206a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7384x4144+0+390/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F87%2F7e%2F18377e5d46638574b17545e13ce8%2Fgehry-260707-07.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <img class="Image" alt="Exterior of the Inland Steel Building at 30 W.
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- <p>The 7-ton glass desk designed by the late architect Frank Gehry for the lobby of the Inland Steel Building sold at auction Wednesday for $243,200.</p><p>The 16-piece ensemble, made of emerald-colored glass and named Icehenge, had been anticipated to fetch <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/architecture-design/2026/07/07/loop-glass-desk-designed-frank-gehry-7-tons-auction-inland-steel-building" >between $100,000 and $200,000</a>. </p><p>Freeman's, who handled the online auction of the desk, listed the winning bid on its <a class="Link" href="https://freemansauction.com/auction/6517-art-design/lot/108" target="_blank" >website</a>.</p><p>While Freeman's made known the successful bid for the one-of-kind item, the auction house was mum on the identity of the lucky paddle-raiser.
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7 tons and whaddya get? A quarter of a million for a Frank Gehry desk
Sources1TypeCoverageChicago Sun-Times