Skip to main contentBiographyMinoru Yamasaki was born in Seattle in 1912. Inspired by an uncle's drawings of buildings, he entered the University of Washington to become an architect. The experience of working his way through school during summers in harsh Alaskan salmon canneries inspired in him a concern for the comfort and dignity of individuals that would later characterize his building designs.
After graduating in 1933, Minoru moved to New York City and worked in large architectural firms. He married Teruko Hirashiki there two days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After passing Navy and FBI loyalty investigations with the strong support of his employer, he helped to supervise the construction of New York's Sampson Naval Training Station and other militarily sensitive projects. Following the war, Yamasaki founded his own firm in Detroit, Minoru Yamasaki Associates, which designed projects built across the nation as well as in the Middle East and Asia.
Yamasaki's most prominent work was the World Trade Center in New York City, completed in 1976. Despite the project's size, his emphasis was on the comfort of its occupants. He designed the towers to rise 110 stories to save space for a broad outdoor plaza in which workers could relax, like a park. Windows were narrow to prevent feelings of acrophobia.
(Daniel Lee, 5/2/04. See exhibition fiel E.3.2004 for more information.)
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Yamasaki, Minoru
1912 - 1986
After graduating in 1933, Minoru moved to New York City and worked in large architectural firms. He married Teruko Hirashiki there two days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After passing Navy and FBI loyalty investigations with the strong support of his employer, he helped to supervise the construction of New York's Sampson Naval Training Station and other militarily sensitive projects. Following the war, Yamasaki founded his own firm in Detroit, Minoru Yamasaki Associates, which designed projects built across the nation as well as in the Middle East and Asia.
Yamasaki's most prominent work was the World Trade Center in New York City, completed in 1976. Despite the project's size, his emphasis was on the comfort of its occupants. He designed the towers to rise 110 stories to save space for a broad outdoor plaza in which workers could relax, like a park. Windows were narrow to prevent feelings of acrophobia.
(Daniel Lee, 5/2/04. See exhibition fiel E.3.2004 for more information.)
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