World Trade Center designer's firm faces mounting debt
The firm once headed by celebrated architect Minoru Yamasaki, who designed the World Trade Center, owes $537,128 in state and federal taxes, records show.
Public records show tax troubles started to mount for Troy-based Minoru Yamasaki Associates seven years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks destroyed his most high-profile design.
The firm has designed many critically acclaimed office and government building, airport terminals and other structures around the world, from Southfield to Saudi Arabia. Among the firm's works are the Dhahran Air Terminal in Saudi Arabia and DeRoy Hall on the campus of Wayne State University.
For the World Trade Center project, Yamasaki spent 16 years and went through 105 sets of plans beginning in the early 1960s.
He worked in Detroit from 1945 until his death in 1986.
What's owed:
- The state of Michigan filed a $136,560 lien against the firm on Oct. 5 in the Oakland County Register of Deeds office.
- The IRS filed a $314,883 lien on Aug. 18 in Oakland County.
- The state filed a $4,290 lien on Aug. 6 in Oakland County.
- The state filed an $11,237 lien on May 29 in Oakland County.
- The state filed a $6,397 lien on Dec. 15, 2008, in Oakland County.
- The state filed a $30,132 lien on Dec. 1, 2008, in Oakland County.
- The state filed a $12,975 lien on Sept. 23, 2008, in Oakland County.
- The state filed a $20,654 lien on July 23, 2008, in Oakland County.
Their side:
The firm's tax attorney, Steven Nofar of Bloomfield Hills, said he expects the tax issues will be resolved soon but did not explain what led to the liens.
"All I can tell you is we're resolving the tax issues to clear up the errors and to pay off whatever's due," he said.
