Britannica –
“Russian–born [Jewish] American architect (n. Nov. 25, 1902, Odessa, Russia [now Ukraine]—d. Jan. 18, 2001, Miami Beach, Fla.), designed some 1,200 buildings, including 250 hotels; his flamboyant style was long scorned by critics but gained a measure of respect late in his career. Lapidus, who graduated from Columbia University, New York City, with a degree in architecture in 1927, designed retail spaces for 20 years before turning his attention to buildings… His designs were always popular with the general public, but it was not until the 1980s and ‘90s that critics began to appreciate his work. In 2000 Lapidus received a National Design Award from the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum. His autobiography, Too Much Is Never Enough, appeared in 1996.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/761427/Morris–Lapidus (accessed March 16, 2009)