Читать книгу Designing a World-Class Architecture Firm - Patrick MacLeamy - Страница 25

In 1949, the three partners opened Leinweber, Hellmuth & Yamasaki (LHY) in Detroit. In accordance with his depression-proof strategy, Hellmuth became a full-time marketer with the responsibility to bring in new work, allowing Yamasaki to concentrate on design and Leinweber on production.

Remember, Hellmuth was convinced the new firm needed geographic diversity. He retained many contacts from his work for the City of St. Louis and believed he could win more new work there. Deep connections like this can make a big difference. If work was slow in Detroit, maybe St. Louis could keep the firm's talented people busy. Hellmuth persuaded his new partners to open a second office in St. Louis—but with his name first, a savvy move. Hellmuth, Yamasaki & Leinweber, or HYL, opened in St. Louis not long after LHY opened in Detroit. Hellmuth divided his time between Detroit and St. Louis in pursuit of new projects, while Yamasaki and Leinweber spent most of their time in the Detroit office.

The young St. Louis office began to grow, requiring more talent. Hellmuth's St. Louis contacts eventually led to the largest commission for the young firm, a new terminal for Lambert Airport. While Detroit-based Yamasaki would be the designer, the St. Louis HYL office needed to expand to handle production for such a large project. In 1951, HYL hired George Kassabaum, a member of the Washington University faculty, as Leinweber's St. Louis assistant for production.

Yamasaki soon needed an assistant too, to help with the growing design workload. His architect friend John Dinkeloo recommended Gyo Obata, a bright young designer working for rival SOM in Chicago. When Yamasaki and Obata met, they discovered a special connection. Both were nisei, born in the United States to Japanese immigrants. Yamasaki had found the perfect design assistant.

FIGURE 2.2 Minoru Yamasaki talking to Gyo Obata, c. 1952.

Source: Photo courtesy of HOK.