Yasuo Matsui

Yasuo Matsui (1877 – 1962) was a prominent 20th-century Japanese-American architect.

Early years Immigrating to the United States from Japan in 1902, Matsui attended the University of California and afterward worked for Ernest Flagg. He was one of the architects who worked on the Empire State Building. He eventually rose to the position of President at F.H. Dewey & Company, an architectural firm, which was involved with many prominent skyscraper projects on the East Coast. Their most prominent project was the 71-story 40 Wall Street building. He also designed the Japanese Pavilion at the 1939 World's Fair.

World War II Along with other prominent Japanese living throughout the United States, Matsui was arrested by the FBI after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He was taken to Ellis Island on December 8, 1941, and interned for two months until he was paroled in February 1942. For the rest of the war his freedom to travel was curtailed, he had to report his activities to the federal government every month, and he was barred from owning a camera. He was released from parole in October 1945.