WILLIAM M. SCHOENFELD, RENOWNED LA AIRPORT ARCHITECT, DIES

William M. Schoenfeld

Charged with overseeing the many capital projects at LAWA's airports, Schoenfeld supervised the transformation of the Los Angeles International Airport in the late 1970s and early 1980s into what was called "The New LAX." That reconstruction program included the building of the Tom Bradley International Terminal, domestic Terminal 1, the second level for the central terminal roadway, four new parking structures and several air cargo terminals. The complex design earned him the Distinguished Community Service Achievement Award from the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering in 1989.

"The LAX of today is still very much a reflection of the vision and dedication of Bill Schoenfeld," said Lydia H. Kennard, LAWA's executive director. For more than three decades he devoted his professional life to ensuring Los Angeles had the optimum infrastructure to handle an unprecedented increase in air passenger demand."

A registered architect in California, Arizona and Illinois, Schoenfeld served three years on the faculty of the University of Southern California School of Architecture after his graduation from there in 1950. He joined the Southern California architectural and engineering firm Charles Luckman Associates in 1953, where he was assigned director of planning for 12 major U.S. Air Force and Navy facilities in Spain.

During the ensuring years in private practice, he directed the planning and construction of many airline terminal facilities at LAX in the late 1950s and 1960s as well as a number of urban development projects across the nation including sports arenas, hotels, shopping centers and a convention center. He advanced to vice-president/general manager of Luckman prior to joining the Los Angeles World Airports in July 1970, then called the Los Angeles Department of Airports.

Schoenfeld, a resident of Huntington Beach, came to Los Angeles as a youngster. He was born in Lathrop, Mo., in 1924. He served as a pilot with the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects. During his tenure at LAX he served on the NASA Research and Technology Advisory Committee on Aeronautical Operating Systems, as well as on committees of the National Transportation Research Board and the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science and Engineering.

He is survived by his wife, Sylvia, and a daughter, Allison Shock, of Phoenix, AZ.