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Gehry Museum Puts Spotlight on Amador Causeway Property

The Frank Gehry-designed Biomuseum is set to open on Amador Causeway on Oct. 2, bringing a glamorous new international attraction to Panama City.

The museum is Mr. Gehry’s first project in Latin America and will surely rank among his most recognizable. The façade is a splash of bright colors, featuring his distinctive wave patterns visible in his designs for the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

“This might be Frank Gehry’s craziest building yet,” proclaimed a recent headline on a review in Fast Company.

“Frank Gehry’s first foray into Latin American architecture basically looks like a box of crayons exploded on the shore of the Panama Bay. In a good way,” the writer concluded.

But the importance of the museum goes beyond its flashy exterior. The museum is partnering with the world-renowned Smithsonian and pays tribute to the culture and biodiversity of Panama. It brings a badly needed educational and science element to Panama City’s offerings.

The project is a collaboration between the Amador Foundation, a group of private citizens, and the government of Panama. While the project was delayed several times, museum’s opening re-enforces Panama City’s image as a place where projects get done, often despite adversity.

The Biomuseo also signals an important new chapter in the development of Amador Causeway, which is sure to be Panama City’s next hot real estate market. Positioned with spectacular views of the entrance of the Canal and the Bay of Panama, Amador is removed from the hectic pace of the city, yet only a 10-minute drive from the action.

The museum is only the first step in a redevelopment effort coming to fruition on Amador. Not far from the museum, work is moving forward on the $193 million Amador Convention Center, which will be the largest meeting center in the area. The 570,000 square-foot-facility is scheduled to open in 2015, introducing the picturesque causeway with its views of the bay and canal to a new audience.

Amador is already benefitting from the extension of the Cinta Costera highway, which provides a route over the water connecting the center of the city to the causeway, bypassing the city’s traffic.

For the next few weeks, the spotlight will be on the Biomuseo and its star designer. But the museum is part of larger plan. And soon property investors will start to focus more on Amador and its unique attributes, which are already attracting major international projects.

Duncan McGowan is president of Punta Pacifica Realty, a Panama real estate agency focused on Punta Pacifica, the exclusive neighborhood of 18 towers perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

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