Minoru Yamasaki
| Minoru Yamasaki | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 1, 1912 Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Died | February 7, 1986 (aged 73) Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Washington, New York University |
| Awards | American Institute of Architects' First Honor Award |
| Work | |
| Buildings | The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center |
| Projects | World Trade Center |
| Design | Inspiration by Gothic architecture and usage of narrow vertical windows |
Minoru Yamasaki (山崎 實 Yamasaki Minoru, December 1, 1912 – February 7, 1986) was a Japanese-American architect, best known for his design of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, buildings 1 and 2.[1] Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century. He and fellow architect Edward Durell Stone are generally considered to be the two master practitioners of "New Formalism."[2]
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[edit] Biography
Yamasaki was born in Seattle, Washington, a second-generation Japanese American, son of John Tsunejiro Yamasaki and Hana Yamasaki.[3] He grew up in Auburn, Washington and attended Auburn Senior High School.[4] He enrolled in the University of Washington program in architecture in 1929, and graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) in 1934.[5] During his college years, he was strongly encouraged by faculty member Lionel Pries. He earned money to pay for his tuition by working at an Alaskan salmon cannery.[6]
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. In 1945, Yamasaki moved to Detroit, where he was hired by Smith, Hinchman, and Grylls.[7] The firm helped Yamasaki avoid internment as a Japanese-American during World War II, and he himself sheltered his parents in New York City.[8] Yamasaki left the firm in 1949, and started his own partnership.[7] One of the first projects he designed at his own firm was Ruhl's Bakery at 7 Mile Rd. and Monica St.[9] In 1964 Yamasaki received a D.F.A. from Bates College.
Yamasaki was first married in 1941 and had two other wives before marrying his first wife again in 1969. He died of stomach cancer[citation needed] in 1986. His firm, Yamasaki & Associates, closed on December 31, 2009.[10]
[edit] Works
His first internationally recognized design, was the Pacific Science Center and its iconic arches, constructed by the City of Seattle for the 1962 World's Fair.[3] 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. The housing project experienced so many problems that it was demolished in 1972, less than twenty years after its completion. Its destruction is considered by some to be the beginning of postmodern architecture.[1]
He also designed several "sleek" international airport buildings and was responsible for the innovative design of the 1,360 foot (415 m) towers of the World Trade Center, for which design began in 1965, and construction in 1972. Many of his buildings feature superficial details inspired by the pointed arches of Gothic architecture, and make use of extremely narrow vertical windows. This narrow-windowed style arose from his own personal fear of heights.[11]
Yamasaki was an original member of the Pennsylvania Avenue Commission, which was tasked with restoring the grand avenue in Washington, D.C., but resigned after disagreements and disillusionment with the design by committee approach.[12]
After teaming up with Emery Roth and Sons on the design of the World Trade Center, they teamed up again on other projects including new defense buildings at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.[13]
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The former World Trade Center
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Torre Picasso, in Madrid.
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Reynolds Metal Regional Sales Building in Southfield, Michigan
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Education Building at Wayne State University
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The Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College, designed by Yamasaki in 1963. The distinctive style is similar to Yamasaki's design of the World Trade Center.
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[edit] Honors
- Yamasaki was elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1960.
- Yamasaki won the American Institute of Architects' First Honor Award three times.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
Notes
- ^ a b Justin Davidson (August 27, 2011). "The Encyclopedia of 9/11: Yamasaki, Minoru: An architect whose legacy didn’t work out as he’d planned". New York. http://nymag.com/news/9-11/10th-anniversary/minoru-yamasaki/.
- ^ "New Formalism". Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County. http://www.musiccenter.org/about/formalism.html. Retrieved March 2011.; excerpting from HABS documentation: "Los Angeles Music Center". Historic American Building Survey. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?hh:1:./temp/~ammem_BvpF::.
- ^ a b Crowley, Walt (March 3, 2003). Yamasaki, Minoru (1912-1986), Seattle-born architect of New York's World Trade Center. HistoryLink.org - The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
- ^ Casey J. Olson (Sep 8, 2011), World Trade Center architect Minoru Yamasaki wanted 'living symbol' for humanity, Federal Way Mirror, http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/fwm/news/129488198.html, retrieved 2011-09-09
- ^ a b Esterow, Milton (September 21, 1962). "Architect Named for Trade Center". The New York Times.
- ^ "Center Will Reflect Architectural Collaboration". The New York Times. January 19, 1964.
- ^ a b Huxtable, Ada Louise (November 25, 1962). "Pools, Domes, Yamasaki - Debate". The New York Times.
- ^ encyclopedia.com
- ^ Interview with owner's daughter. Original architectural drawings donated to the University of Michigan.
- ^ Gallagher, John. "A Once Eminent Firm Meets a Bitter End", Architectural Record, 28 January 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
- ^ Lipton, Eric (2003). City in the sky: the rise and fall of the World Trade Center. Macmillan. p. 109. ISBN 978-0805074284. http://books.google.com/books?id=yE1Pyui4GpkC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage.
- ^ Huxtable, Ada Louise (February 2, 1964). "N.Y.C. Architectural Ups and Downs". The New York Times.
- ^ Robbins, William (March 26, 1967). "2 Firms Are Welding Abilities to Plan World Trade Center". The New York Times.
Other references
- Yamasaki, Minoru, A Life in Architecture, Weatherhill, NY 1979 ISBN 0834801361
- Nobel, Philip, Sixteen Acres: The rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Granta, London 2005 ISBN 1-86207-713-4
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Minoru Yamasaki |
- GreatBuildings.com listing
- Minoru Yamasaki interview, [ca. 1959 Aug.] - Archives of American Art
- Hadley, Jane (September 13, 2001), "Seattle architect created trade center as peace symbol", The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, http://www.seattlepi.com/local/38737_architect13.shtml
- 18 Images of Minoru Yamasaki from Virtual Motor City Collection at Wayne State University Library
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- 1912 births
- 1986 deaths
- American architects
- 20th-century architects
- Bates College alumni
- Harvard University people
- Modernist architects
- Fellows of the American Institute of Architects
- World Trade Center
- University of Washington alumni
- American people of Japanese descent
- New York University alumni
- People from Seattle, Washington
- Cancer deaths in Michigan
- People from Auburn, Washington
