Celebrating the Life of Gyo Obata

In early 1942, as America’s involvement in World War II was gearing up, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an Executive Order to detain U.S. citizens of Japanese descent in internment camps on the west coast. As his family prepared to move into one of the camps, 19-year-old California native Gyo Obata received a letter of acceptance to study architecture at Washington University that proved to be his ticket to freedom and opportunity. He made the most of it.

Gyo Obata went on to become one of the most influential architects of the 20th century and the author of iconic building designs throughout the world. The firm he co-founded, Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum (now, HOK), eventually became the largest architecture-engineering firm in the United States, with Obata’s innovative designs driving the growth. Among his most notable local projects are the Priory Chapel and the Planetarium.  BSI had the opportunity to collaborate with Mr. Obata on several occasions including B’nai Amoona Synagogue in 1985 and the Missouri History Museum Emerson Center in 2000. 

“Although he was an international design celebrity, Gyo Obata was one of the most humble and decent people I’ve met,” said BSI President Paul Shaughnessy.  “My dad considered him a friend, and I feel very privileged to have worked with him on the Emerson Center project—a building he designed when he was 75 years old.  He was a true giant of the building world, and we at BSI are grateful for his contributions to our industry and community.”