American Amnesia
December 29, 2005
Without much fanfare, a Michigan retirement board last week began to put the finishing touches on the sale and likely demolition of a landmark significant to all Americans –– the former workshop of Minoru Yamasaki, architect of the twin towers at the World Trade Center.
In an apparent move to augment its investment returns, this retirement board is selling a cradle of contemporary American innovation and architectural history, for a mere $3.5 to 4 million.
Is this what has become of American society? Where for a quick buck we readily dismiss and forsake birthplaces and institutions, which have contributed so much to modern society?
The American amnesia of architect Yamasaki started in the year after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Author Helen Zia noted, “[The pundits’] failure to name the architect of the World Trade Center was glaring.”
Yamasaki’s soaring WTC twin towers, over 110 stories and 1,360 feet high, were icons of a robust and peaceful America. Over 2,800 Sept. 11 obituaries from this edifice symbolized this globe, representing many tributaries of nations feeding into the diversity of this country.
In a country where the attacks on the World Trade Center have focused even more sharply the preserving of the American way of life, it is ironic that the birthplace of the World Trade Center is now on the verge of destruction by American greed.
And what of our community? Clearly, the outcry, awareness and outrage have not been up to the standards as those shown in the Vincent Chin case (which happened only a few miles away), and the racist characterizations of Hot 97 or Abercrombie and Fitch.
Yamasaki was the architect of two towers whose destruction have tangible threads to AsianWeek’s ten top stories of 2005, including military service of APAs, the investigation surrounding White House aide Susan Ralston and the passing of Fred Korematsu, whose name has been invoked in civil liberty cases arising out of the war on terrorism.
This stunning development of the sale and possible demolition of such an international landmark should not slip past us, like the terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Center.
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