Résumé

Draftsman, Githens and Keally, New York, NY, 1935-1937.

Designer, Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, Architects, New York, NY, c. 1938.

Architect, Metropolitan Life Company, Board of Design, New York, NY, 1940. At this time, he worked in the Metroplitan Life Insurance Tower at 1 Madison Avenue, New York, NY. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for New York City, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, accessed 02/13/2023.)

Designer, Harrison and Fouilhoux, Architects, New York, NY, 1943-1944.

Designer, Raymond Loewy Associates, New York, NY, 1944-1945.

Chief Architectural Designer, Smith, Hinchman and Grylls, Detroit, MI, 1945-1949.

Principal, Minoru Yamasaki and Associates, Troy, MI, 1949-1986. A later office address was likely at 350 West Big Beaver Road, Troy, MI.

Partner, Yamasaki, [Joseph] Leinweber and Associates, Detroit, MI, 1949-1955.

Partner, Leinweber, Yamasaki and Helmmuth, Saint Louis, MO, 1949-1955.

Teaching

Instructor of Water Color, New York University, New York, NY, 1935-1936.

Instructor of Architectural Design, Columbia University, New York, NY, 1943-1945.

Professional Activities

Member, American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Yamasaki delivered a keynote speech during the festivities held for the 50th anniversary of the University of Washington's College of Architecture and Urban Planning on 05/15/1964. An article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer described the planned 50th anniversary event: "The 5oth anniversary of the University of Washington's College of Architecture and Urban Planning will be celebrated Friday with the theme, Environment and Education: 1914, 1964, 2014. Minoru Yamasaki, Detroit architect and 1934 graduate of the University who was the University's most Distinguished Alumnus in 1960, will deliver the annual Student Awards Address at a 6:30 p.m. banquet in the Student Union Bldg ballroom. Other alumni will speak from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Student Union auditorium. A noon luncheon in the ballroom will be followed by a series of talks by teachers from other schools of architecture and the University at 2 p.m. in the Architecture auditorium. An open house will be held in Architecture Hall from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. featuring exhibits by practising professional architects. An Art and Architecture Pavilion has been built in front of the Student Union Bldg, as a cooperative venture of Atelier, architectural honorary and Parnassus, art honorary, and will be open day and evening for two weeks beginning tomorrow." (See "UW Architect School Will Mark 50th Year," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 05/10/1964, p. 14.)

Professional Awards

Recipient, American Insitute of Architects, First Honor Award, 1951. Yamasaki and his colleagues won the award for the Lambert-Saint Louis Municipal Air Terminal, in Saint Louis, MO.

Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus Award, University of Washington, Seattle (UW), Seattle, WA, 1960.

Archives

The Syracuse University Library, Special Collections Research Center, has maintained a small collection of Minoru Yamasaki's papers (.5 linear feet), covering the years 1961-1965; they are described as: "Papers of the artist, architect. Includes project files with photographs and working papers, undated manuscripts, and other material. Projects include Dhahran Air Terminal in Saudi Arabia, the United States Pavilion at the World's Fair in Seattle, Washington, and the World Trade Center in New York City."

The University of Washington Libraries Special Collection Division holds five student drawings by Yamasaki. They include: 1.) Gateway to an artillery school (Sophomore, 1931); 2.) Planetarium and aquarium (Senior, 1932-1933); 3.) American Embassy in Soviet Russia (5^thyear, 1933-1934); 4.) Architecture Building for the University of Washington (5^thyear, 1934); 5.) County Courthouse (5^thyear, 1933).

College

Coursework, Auburn school district, Auburn, WA, c. 1925.

Graduate, Garfield High School, Seattle, WA, 09/1929. In 1929, Yamasaki was named to the Garfield High School Honor Society and played basketball for one year. His 1929 Garfield High School Yearbook indicated that Yamasaki entered from "Pacific." This may have been the Pacific School in Seattle (serving grades 1-8) or perhaps another school in Auburn by the same name. (See Garfield High School The Arrow Yearbook, 1929, p. 63.)

B.Arch., University of Washington, Seattle, 1929-1934. As per a UW News and New York Times story published on the day the Twin Towers were destroyed: "According to a New York Times obituary, he put himself through college by spending five summers working in Alaskan fish canneries for $50 a month — plus 25 cents an hour overtime." (See UW News.edu, "World Trade Center architect was Seattle native, UW graduate," published 09/11/2001, accessed 02/23/2023.)

Coursework, New York University (NYU), New York, NY, c. 1935. A newspaper story in the Seattle Star indicated that Yamasaki won a preliminary stage of a European travel scholarship for architects: "Minoru Yamasaki, architecture major who was graduated in 1934 from the University of Washington, has won the first preliminary competition for the Paris prize, an architectural scholarship in Europe. Yamasaki has been studying for his master’s degree at New York university and is the first graduate of the university to be accorded such an honor.” (See “Wins Competition for Architects,” Seattle Star, 01/29/1936, p. 7.)

Relocation

Architect Minoru Yamasaki was born in Seattle, WA, on 01/12/1912. In 1920, when Minoru was almost eight, his family lived in a duplex 510 Terrace Street in what was then known as "Profanity Hill" and would become renamed "Yesler Terrace" when a public housing development was erected there in the late 1930s (See Megan Asaka, “40-Acre Smudge” Pacific Historical Review, Spring 2018, vol. 87, no. 2, pp. 231-263.) In 1920, the area was populated by recent immigrants from around the world, but had a large concentration of Japanese-American families. The four members of the Kurokawa Family lived in the adjoining part of the duplex. The Kurkokawas had migrated from Japan between 1908 and 1910, while Hana Yamasaki, Minoru's mother, had come in 1912, according to the 1920 Census form. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Roll: T625_1929; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 243, accessed 02/13/2023.) The 1930s US Census listed John as coming from Japan in 1909 and Hana in 1911.

Author Paul Kidder in his 2022 book on Minoru Yamasaki said of this Profanity Hill neighborhood: "During his early years Yamasaki's family was part of a Japanese community establishing a foothold in the Seattle neighborhood surrounding the original 'skid road,' where logs were hauled from forested lands to the sawmills on the shores of Elliott Bay. Yamasaki's parents were immigrants from Japan. His father, John Tsunejiro Yamasaki, worked as a purchasing agent (also taking on other jobs on the side), and his mother, Hana, as a pianist. The tenement where the family lived was perched on a steep hillside, and although life in the house was primitive and literally precarious, Yamasaki recalled the neighborhood as a fun place to play. Eventually, as their income improved, the family moved to Auburn, a suburb south of Seattle, where Yamasaki enjoyed many bicycle rides through the stunning natural beauty of the region." (See Paul Kidder, Minoru Yamasaki and The Fragility of Architecture, Chapter 2, "The Fragility of Dreams," (Abingdon, England: Routledge, 2022], np.)

Apparently, the Yamasakis did not live in Auburn long, perhaps a year or two, before returning to live in Seattle, where Minoru graduated from the city's Garfield High School. In 1930, the Yamasakis lived in a rented house at 1102 27th Avenue South. They paid $29 per month in rent, slightly more than immediate neighbors. The neighborhood had a lot of renters and a some owners living in modest houses. The immediate vicinity was populated by a great many Italian immigrant families. Italian-American families likely faced its own level housing discrimination in the Seattle area, and their neighborhood may have been slightly more accepting of others who faced similar bars to free settement. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0178; FHL microfilm: 2342235, accessed 02/13/2023.)

After Garfield, Minoru went on to matriculate at the University of Washington, studying architecture with Lionel Pries (1897-1968), Lance Gowen (1894-1958) and Harlan Thomas (1870-1953). During the summer of 1933, he spent time in Japan likely with relatives.

On 04/16/1940, the US Census located a "Minoru Yamasawa" living in an apartment at 507 West 124th Street in New York, NY. He worked as an architectural designer in Manhattan and lived in this building that housed a variety of workers, most of whom had not completed high school. In contrast, Minoru had finished five years at the UW. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: New York, New York, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02651; Page: 64A; Enumeration District: 31-1160, accessed 02/13/2023.)

By 10/16/1940, he had moved to 504 East 88th Street in New York City. He shared this apartment with his brother Kenneth, whom he added as his next-of-kin on his World War II draft registration card. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for New York City, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, accessed 02/13/2023.)

When he married Agnes Watty Boyle in 1961, they both listed their place of residence as Troy, MI, on their marriage license. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services; Helena, Montana; Montana State Marriage Records, 1943-1986, accessed 02/13/2023.)

In later years, Yamasaki lived in a Modern house of his own design at 3717 Lakecrest Drive, Bloomfield Hills, MI.

Yamasaki died at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, on 02/06/1986, of cancer. He entered the hospital about a week before his death. He was buried in Lakeville Cemetery in Lakeville, MI. His tombstone mistakenly listed his birthdate as 12/01/1913.

Parents

His father was also named Minoru "John" Tsunejiro Yamasaki (born 09/02/1886 in Nakano-mura, Wakayama-ken, Japan-d. 05/15/1962 in Detroit, MI). His mother was Hana Ito (born 02/01/1893 in Moji-mura, Kuromata-ken, Japan-d. 10/26/1967 in MI).

In 10/12/1918, John had a permanent residence in Seattle, WA, but worked as a laborer in Port Angeles, WA. As per his father's World War I draft registration card, John's nearest relative at the time was Yasaburo Yamasaki, who resided at that time in New York, NY. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: Washington; Registration County: King Source Information U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, accessed 02/22/2023.) Yamasaki's family had its American roots in both Seatte and New York, NY. By the mid-1930s Minoru would also live in New York City and he and his younger brother lived there together in 1940.

In 1920, John Yamasaki worked as a salesman in a shoe store. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Roll: T625_1929; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 243, accessed 02/13/2023.) By 1930, his occupation was given on a US Census form as a shoe maker for a shoe repair store. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 0178; FHL microfilm: 2342235, accessed 02/13/2023.)

According to a 1928 Canadian Immigration Service document, the Yamasaki Family listed its religion as Buddhist. At this time, John and Hana had not yet been naturalized, because Japanese-American immigrants were not allowed to become full citizens until the McCarran–Walter Act went into force on 06/27/1952. This border crossing listing also indicated that John worked as a store clerk at the time, likely in a shoe store. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Library and Archives Canada; 1908-1935 Border Entries; Roll: T-15359 Source Information Ancestry.com. Canada, Border Crossings from U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008, accessed 02/13/2023.)

Hana Yamasaki earned money as a pianist during the 1920s. It is possible that her skills as a musician may have had some impact on Minoru's interest in the arts. (See Paul Kidder, Minoru Yamasaki and The Fragility of Architecture, Chapter 2, "The Fragility of Dreams," (Abingdon, England: Routledge, 2022], np.)

Minoru had a younger brother, Kenneth Yamasaki (born 09/09/1918 in Seattle, WA- d. 08/29/1992 in MI). Ken became a general practice physician in MI, and wed Marie Josephine Kubo (born 09/05/1923 in Babylon, NY- d. 01/21/2009 in Ann Arbor, MI). Together, they had six children, five daughters and a son.

Spouse

Minoru married three times, twice to the same woman.

He first wed Teruko Hirashiki (born 04/21/1919 in CA-d. 11/10/1997) of Los Angeles, CA, on either 12/04/1941 or 12/05/1941 in Manhattan. (The New York Marriage License Index listed their wedding as occurring on both 12/04/1941 and 12/05/1941. See Ancestry.com, Source Citation New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Manhattan; Volume Number: 9, accessed 02/13/2023. ) Witnesses at his wedding were his brother Kenneth and Mariko Mukai, a friend possibly of Teruko's. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation New York City Department of Records & Information Services; New York City, New York; New York City Marriage Licenses, accessed 02/22/2023.)

Like his mother Hana, Teruko was a talented pianist who studied at the Julliard School in New York.

Their union ended in divorce in 1961, but they remarried in 1969. Teruko was buried with Minoru at the Lakeville Cemetery in Lakeville, MI.

He wed Agnes Margaret Watty Boyle (born 09/15/1918 in Alameda, CA-d. 03/22/1971 in Chicago, IL) on 06/20/1961 in MT, likely Yellowstone County. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services; Helena, Montana; Montana State Marriage Records, 1943-1986, accessed 02/13/2023.) They were married for about eight years, when they divorced.

Agnes Watty graduated from Alameda High School, Alameda, CA, in 1936. (See Alameda High School Acorn Yearbook, 1936, n.p.) She was previously married to Donald Augustus Patrick Boyle (1911-1981), and had at least one child with him, Susan Nancy Watty (born 09/23/1954 in Berkeley, CA-d. 09/25/1954 in Berkeley, CA), who died in infancy.

Agnes's parents were Ludwig Henrich "Louis" Watty (born 08/20/1885-d. 01/17/1975 in Hayward, CA) and Josefa "Sophie" Schemitsch (born 07/30/1891-d. 02/20/1979 in Hayward, CA).

Children

Teruko and Minoru Yamasaki had three children: Carol Yamasaki, Taro Yamasaki, and KIm Yamasaki.

Biographical Notes

Yamasaki, his parents and brother took an excursion to Victoria, BC, Canada, on 06/30/1928. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Library and Archives Canada; 1908-1935 Border Entries; Roll: T-15359 Source Information Ancestry.com. Canada, Border Crossings from U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008, accessed 11/10/2021.)

As a student, Minoru traveled aboard the Nippon Yūsen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) Liner, Mikawa Maru that set sail from Yokohama, Japan, to Seattle, WA, on 09/07/1933. His passport had been issue on 04/03/1933, meaning he could have visited Japan for an extended period. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving At Seattle, Washington; NAI Number: 4449160; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85, accessed 02/13/2023.)

In 1940, his World War II draft registration card described Yamasaki as "orienta,l" with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. He stood 5-feet, 5-inches tall and weighed 128 pounds. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for New York City, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147, accessed 02/13/2023.)

On 12/05/1956 Minoru Yamasaki returned to Seattle, WA, from Tokyo, Japan, on Northwest Airlines Flight 174V.

SSN: 064-01-0803.

• Detroit, MI (Architect's Death)
  Detroit, MI 48202

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• Seattle, WA (Architect's Birth)
  Seattle, WA

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