Minoru Yamasaki
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Minoru Yamasaki (December 1 1912–February 6 1986) was a Japanese American architect, born in Seattle, Washington, a second-generation Japanese-American. A prolific architect, he is best known for his design of the World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks
Biography
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Despite a poor background, he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington; he earned money to pay for his tuition by working at an Alaskan salmon cannery when not attending classes. After moving to New York City in the 1930s, he enrolled at New York University for a master's degree in architecture and got a job with the architecture firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, designers of the Empire State Building.
His first significant project was the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis, Missouri, 1955. Despite his love of Japanese traditional design, this was a stark, modernist concrete structure. It was so unpopular that it was demolished in 1972. Its destruction is considered by some to be the beginning of postmodern architecture.
He also designed several "sleek" international airport buildings and was responsible for the innovative design of the 1,360 foot (415 metre) towers of the World Trade Center, for which design began in 1965, and construction in 1972.
He was first married in 1941 and had two other wives before marrying his first wife again in 1969. Yamasaki died of cancer in 1986, fifteen years before Al-Qaeda members destroyed the towers on September 11 2001.
Works
- Pruitt-Igoe Housing Project, St. Louis, Missouri (1955, demolished 1972)
- U.S. Consulate General, Kobe, Japan (1955)
- Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport main terminal, St. Louis, Missouri (1956)
- McGregor Center at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan (1958)
- Reynolds Metals Regional Sales Office, Southfield, Michigan (1959)
- King Fahd Dhahran Air Terminal, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (1961)
- U.S. Science Pavilion for the Seattle World Exposition (since renovated to house the Pacific Science Center) (1962)
- American Natural Resources Building, Detroit, Michigan (1962)
- Irwin Library at Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana (1963)
- William James Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1963)
- Northwestern National Life Insurance headquarters [1] (http://www.lileks.com/mpls/gateway/washingtonav/wash28.html), Minneapolis, Minnesota (1964)
- Reliastar II [2] (http://www.tholt.com/reli2.html), Minneapolis (1964)
- Queen Emma Gardens, Honolulu, Hawaii (1964)
- North Shore Congregation Israel, Glenco, Illinois (1964)
- Conservatory of Music, Warner Concert Hall and King Building at Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio (1966)
- Cowling Gymnasium (1965), West Gymnasium (1964), Olin Hall (1961), Goodhue Dormitory (1962), and Watson Hall (1966), Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota
- World Trade Center, New York, New York (1966-73, destroyed 2001)
- Plan for University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada (1967)
- Congregation Beth El Temple, Bloomington Hills, Michigan (1968)
- Colorado National Bank, Denver, Colorado (1974)
- One Wiliams Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma (1975)
- Century Plaza Towers, Los Angeles, California (1975)
- Steinman College Center, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania (1976)
- Rainier Tower, Seattle, Washington (1977)
- Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency Head Office, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (1981)
- Founder's Hall, Shinji Shumeikai, Shiga Prefecture, Japan (1982)
- Picasso Tower, Madrid, Spain (1989)
- Civil Engineering Building [3] (http://www.tholt.com/civil.html), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
External links
- GreatBuildings.com listing (http://www.GreatBuildings.com/architects/Minoru_Yamasaki.html)de:Minoru Yamasaki
es:Minoru Yamasaki fr:Minoru Yamasaki fi:Minoru Yamasaki ja:ミノル・ヤマサキ sv:Minoru Yamasaki