In PART I we discussed the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus (especially the stunning Jefferson Hall), presentations on traditional architecture to mid-century modernism and Asian influences on the built environment in Hawaii, and the Residences of Wimberly and Cook. For Part II we are hopping back into the Aloha Spirit by discussing the regal Hawaii State Capitol Building, presentations on historic preservation and how Hawaii was influential and integral to international tropical resort design.
HAWAII STATE CAPITOL BUILDING
I have only been to about ten state capitols across the U.S., but the Hawaii State Capitol building is unlike any I have experience. It is a truly welcoming structure, which is something unique among monumental civic structures (looking at you Boston City Hall). The Hawaii State Capitol was designed by Belt, Lemmon & Lo in association with John Carl Warnecke. While design of the building began in 1961, construction didn’t break ground until 1965, and the building was formerly dedicated on March 15, 1969. The Hawaii State Capitol celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019.
An excerpt from Democracy by Design. The Planning and Development of the Hawaii State Capitol, with text by Don J. Hibbard states it best:
“Monumentally presiding over an eight acre site mostly carpeted by lawn, the Capitol is surrounded by a pool of water, evoking Hawaii’s island situation. The truncated cones of the legislative chambers, clad in cast stone made of crushed lava rock, rise from the reflecting pool, reminiscent of the volcanic origins of the islands. Also rising from the water are forty columns, bereft of capitals, instead flaring out of their crown like coconut palms. Standing almost sixty feet in height, the columns form a peristyle and support the extra-large fourth story, which cantilevers out beyond the columns. Serving as a cornice, the fourth story is distinguished by its open work frieze of pre-cast fins set in groups of eight, recalling the eight major islands of Hawaii. Placed free of the windows, the fins serve as decorative elements as well as sun screens. The recessed second and third floors are suspended from the fourth story, which also serves as the roof of the capital, with the governor and lieutenant governor’s offices in penthouses on top of the roof. Rising above the penthouses, the blue crown of the central rotunda echoes a volcanic crater, a graceful interpretation of the traditional statehouse dome.” (1)
PARADISE PARADIGMS
DeSoto Brown
Kiersten Faulkner
These two presentations were an interesting pair. DeSoto Brown presented in a style reminiscent of informational videos produced in the 1950’s and 1960’s that were designed to encourage travel to the islands of Hawaii by showing the Aloha Spirit and all Hawaii has to offer. All the photos presented were from the archives. It wasn’t until after his presentation that he mentioned a majority of the structures pictured have since been demolished or severely altered. Remember, Hawaii was aggressively built up only since post-World War II!
This made for a great transition into Kiersten Faulkner’s presentation on the threats and challenges of preservation and tropical modernist design – how to preserve architecture from so recent in the past. Turns out the issues (for the most part) mainland preservationist have are the same Hawaii preservationists experience. Similar to Oregon and elsewhere, that 50 year historic threshold causes a lot of havoc at times. What happens when a resource is 46 years of age in integral to our built heritage, but threatened with demolition because, sorry it’s not 5-0 historic! Kiersten also described how there is anger and hurt around some mid-century resources (mainly spiritual structures) because they replaced older structures on the same site. Interestingly enough, Hawaii doesn’t have a leg-up on mainland solutions for the intersection of preservation, sustainability, and climate change. I was a bit surprised when I asked a colleague that worked in the preservation community in Hawaii if they did anything specific to mitigating resources going directly to the landfill from demolition since they were on an island. The full answer was “No.”
DESIGNING PARADISE
Don J. Hibbard
Ron Lindgren
Designing Paradise focused on resort design in post-war Hawaii, specifically how it influenced tropical resort design throughout the world. The design and development of the Mauna Kea Resort and Ed Killingsworth Hawaii resort designs: Halekulani, Kapalua Bay Hotel, Mauna Lani Resort, Ihilani Hotel, and renovation of the Kahala Hilton Hotel were discussed. Don and Ron explained how the distinctive and elegant approaches to resort design seen at Mauna Kea Resort and the others would ultimately set the standards for tropical resort design throughout Hawaii and the world.
The Ed Killingsworth designs discussed were divine. The attention to detail Killingsworth incorporated into his creations was phenomenal to see and learn about. Those concrete spider legs that became a staple of his residential, commercial and resort designs are stunning architectural geometries for the eyes. Killingsworth was a planner for the City and County of Honolulu pre and post-World War II. While his resorts were interesting to learn about, Ron Lindgren discussed at length his residential designs in California.
Killingsworth personal residence was breathtaking. If only every house was designed with the level of attention, detail, and space planning that brings the indoors out and vice versa that Killingsworth executed. What caught my attention was how Killingsworth designed the kitchen at his personal residence in California. He had floating wood lower cabinets, which looked more like beautiful pieces of furniture than storage for kitchen-wares. Also, he did not use a backsplash – genius! Behind the floating cabinets with the kitchen sink, a full ceiling-to-floor window was used, including underneath the floating cabinets. This played a trick on the eye, with the abundance of natural light flooding from above and below the cabinets the space looked larger and lighter. Also, why are we SO obsessed with back-splashes and kitchen islands? His designs make the case for neither. His interpretations of lanai living was on full display in his California residence.
The Mauna Kea Resort. Laurance Rockefeller was the developer that brought the world to Kauna’oa beach, and ushered in a new era of tourism to Hawaii. The Mauna Kea Resort opened in the summer of 1965, and was designed by SOM in the most sophisticated mid-century style. Concrete has never looked as elegant as it disappears into the surrounding natural landscapes. It was the first resort along the coastline of Hawaii’s Big Island. Mauna Kea Resort also features a prominent art and artifacts collection. The contributions to the Big Island that Rockefeller enabled in the mid-century are still thriving today.
Tropical Modernism in a Multicultural Context at the Docomomo US National Symposium was a delight to experience. The closing reception was at the Ossipoff designed IBM building (1962). Talk about an iconic Honolulu mid-century building. The exterior façade grille is retro yet timeless architectural elegance. And, it was fitting to have the opening and closing receptions at two distinct mid-century buildings in Honolulu designed by one of the most prolific architect’s in Hawaii.
I wouldn’t be able to end this two part blog without mentioning the hotel that hosted several social events, part of the symposium programming: the Surfjack. From the beautiful lanai, delicious restaurant with fantastic mai tai’s, to the quaint yet stylish rooms, the POOL, and welcoming staff. The Surfjack felt like a home away from home in the heart of downtown Waikiki.
For designers, architects, planners, preservationists, and those generally interested in mid-century design, Docomomo US National Symposium is a MUST on your list of mid-century focused events.
Written by Kate Kearney, Associate.
1. The Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts in accordance with the recommendation of The Task Force to Plan and Coordinate the Celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Hawaii State Capitol. Democracy by Design. The Planning and Development of the Hawaii State Capitol, by Don. J. Hibbard. Honolulu, 2019.
Buildings constructed before 1965 have reached the age of eligibility for being considered historic by the standards of the National Register. That means that much of Modern Architecture, the general period ranging from 1950 through 1970, is historic, or soon will be considered historic as the 50-year mark is crossed. As historians assess and study Modern Architecture, we provide ever more precise descriptions and terms to describe the sub-styles and variations within the large umbrella term, “Modern.” As in taxonomy, which classifies and categorizes living organisms, we can recognize and assign groups of similar resources together for study. 
The Olympia survey classified the first grouping of styles as those that are transitional. Transitional Modern styles have some elements of Modern and some elements of more traditional architecture. Windows might be vertically-oriented, double-hung wood windows (traditional) rather than having horizontal proportions (Modern). A roof might be a moderate pitch, with minimal overhangs (traditional), rather than a shallow pitch with outwardly-extending gables (Modern). In Olympia, 37% of the houses surveyed were Modern Minimal Traditional, by far the most prevalent Transitional Modern style. 
Ranch style architecture is the style that architecture critics have generally spurned, since houses were often constructed by contractors without architect’s involvement. Ranch buildings are broad, one-story, and horizontal in overall proportion. They have an attached garage which faces the street and is part of the overall form of the house, and almost always a large picture window facing the street as well. Cladding is used to accentuate the horizontal lines of the house, so there is often a change in material at the lower part of the front façade- brick veneer was a popular choice. Many of the sub-styles of Ranch architecture are “styled” Ranch houses, meaning that elements from another style of architecture were placed on a Ranch form building. One example is Storybook Ranch, which uses “gingerbread” trim, dormers or a cross-gable, and sometimes diamond-pane windows. Are these decorated sub-styles still part of the canon of Modern Architecture? In many ways, they are more Post-Modern than Modern, but that distinction is worthy of an involved discussion of its own. 
The Olympia Mid-Century Residential survey found over half the resources surveyed to be Ranch or variants of Ranch style. 31% of the surveyed homes were identified as simply Ranch, with another 11% Early Ranch, 9% Contemporary Ranch, 4% Split-Level or Split-Entry, and 4% one of the “Styled” Ranch variations. Sheer numbers alone remind us that the Ranch is deserving of study and shows us how the majority of middle-class Americans lived. As Alan Hess writes in his book Ranch House, 
Presently, the City of Portland awarded a contract for Spectator Facilities Construction Project Management Services for a yet unnamed Veterans Memorial Coliseum project. The city is preparing for potential renovation scenarios. The uncertain future of the Coliseum feels like déjà vu.
Washington Park Reservoirs is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was developed to store and distribute clean drinking water, but it had another important function which drove its design: it was a recreational destination for a growing urban population. At the end of the 19th Century, the City Beautiful movement across American cities inspired planners and politicians to create parks as refuges from urban life. Parks were seen as restorative, where citizens could breathe fresh air, stroll along paths or promenades, and view natural plants, lakes, and garden vistas. Many of our most famous American parks were developed during the City Beautiful era, including Central Park in New York City. 
The Washington Park Reservoir area shows the most profound shift in use over time. The need to cover and further protect drinking water in underground storage contains in lieu of open Reservoirs reflects a growing national divide between government and the public made visible by current limited access to a once prominent bucolic public destination. Perhaps a certain level of distrust is to be expected from decisions affecting public safety, but the potential loss of the Reservoirs as a contemplative, experiential destination is in stark contrast to the one of original design intent. Part of the current limited access results from the explosion in liability, where government agencies can and will be found at fault for any harm that might befall a park user or a water consumer. Federal regulations requiring municipal drinking water to be covered also feed our collective sense that there are malicious people among us. 
Amazingly, the Halprin Open Space Sequence continues to survive the “age of liability” with its wonderful interactive fountains, plazas, and pools intact. Nothing this fun- and potentially hazardous- will likely be constructed again as a public project. The design reminds us that we must be responsible for protecting this level of freedom, and that this very public- and yes, democratic- open space, is uniquely valuable as a symbol of public trust.
Space programming respected the historic floor plan and scale of the original structure and recreated Yeon’s original design intent of integrating indoor space with outdoor space. Extraneous equipment and unsympathetic additions were removed from both the interior and exterior. Interior design elements, furniture, and fixtures maintain the open gallery spacial quality while integrating new furniture and fixtures meeting the needs of the tenant. Major preservation focused on the exterior restoring original paint colors through serration studies, restoring building signage in original type style and design, preserving original wood windows, when present, and restoring the intimate courtyard with a restored operating water feature.
Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull & Whitaker’s 1965 Pavilion at Lawrence Halprin’s Lovejoy Fountain is a whimsical all wood structure with a copper shingle roof. Although a small structure, the pavilion represents a major mid-transitional work for Charles Moore as his design style moved from mid-century modern to Post-modern design. In keeping with the naturalistic design aesthetic established by Halprin, northwest wood species comprise the major structural system including the roof trusses, vertical post supports, and vertical cribs built from 2 x 4 members laid on their side and stacked.
The restoration approach is intended to correct the structural deficiencies and replace the failed members with no changes to the historic appearance of the structure. The crib design allows for insertion of new steel elements, invisible from the exterior, capable of providing additional support for vertical loads. The difficulty arises because standard wood products available today have different visible and strength attributes from standard components available in 1965. Sourcing appropriate lumber is dependent upon clear and quantifiable specification, high quality inspection, and visual qualities. There are no structural standards for reclaimed or recycled lumber compounding the incorporation of “old growth” lumber as part of a new structural system. When original source material is no longer available, best practices for narrowing the selection of new materials will of necessity be combined with subjective visual qualities and a best-guess scenario as to how the new material will age in place similarly to the historic material. There are no single solutions so experience is key.
Case Study 3