W. Schoenfeld, 78; Architect Helped Create the ‘New LAX’
William M. Schoenfeld, 78, who helped prepare Los Angeles International Airport for the 21st century as head of its architecture, planning and engineering from 1970 until 1994, died Saturday in Huntington Beach of unspecified causes.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Schoenfeld helped create what was billed as the “New LAX.”
Among the construction projects he oversaw were the Tom Bradley International Terminal, domestic Terminal 1, the airport’s upper level of the roadway loop to passenger terminals, four new parking structures, and several cargo terminals.
His work earned him the Distinguished Community Service Achievement Award from the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering in 1989.
Born in Lathrop, Mo., Schoenfeld grew up in Los Angeles, served as an Army Air Forces pilot during World War II, and earned his architecture degree at USC.
After teaching at USC for a few years, he joined the architectural and engineering firm Charles Luckman Associates.
At Luckman, Schoenfeld directed planning for 12 major U.S. Air Force and Navy facilities in Spain, several airline terminals at LAX, and sports arenas, hotels and shopping centers across the country.
By the time he joined what is now Los Angeles World Airports in 1970, Schoenfeld had become a vice president and general manager at Luckman.
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