Bilbao and the Gift of Gehry

Speaking of museums and architecture, but heading in a much, much different direction, comes this story from the weekend edition of the Financial Times: “The Museum That Saved a City.” It’s about Frank Gehry‘s waterfront batch of twisted metal, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain and how it has saved a dying town. And not just saved, but with the additional building that went on after Gehry’s went up, has completely revived a city that was about five feet from stepping off the cliff. It’s sort of like if something like this went up in Flint, Michigan. It’s a pretty touching/impressive story. Here’s some:

Mr. Vidarte says the economic impact of the museum, known as “the Guggenheim effect,” is little short of a miracle. It turned a scrap-heap town into a destination for one million visitors a year. Over the past decade, people coming to see the museum have spent $1.6bn in the city and brought $260m of additional tax revenues for the council, according to the Bilbao Guggenheim’s latest economic report. The museum estimates that it helps sustain 4,232 jobs.

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.