Minoru Yamasaki's architectural legacy takes another hit - this time from Mother Nature

The Yamasaki Associates designed Lambert-St. Louis International Airport took a direct hit from the tornado last Friday. Remarkably, both the terminal and the architect's legacy remains intact! Yamasaki (1912-1986), a self-made nisei born in Seattle, was one of America's top architects at mid-century and was also the designer of the ill-fated World Trade Center in New York City. He was shunned by critics as an architectural "decorator" and remains nearly forgotten today.  However, the resilience of his Lambert Airport design proves otherwise. Yama's Michigan Medical Group Building in Lansing, MI (b. 1961) is pictured below. What do you think?

Also see yesterday's Times story in which Gyo Obata of HOK reminds us of the significance of Lambert Airport: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/25/us/25stlouis.html