Photos: Honolulu’s 10 most iconic buildings

PHOTOS: Honolulu’s 10 most iconic buildings

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Honolulu’s architecture shows how many cultures and ideas have shaped Hawaiʻi the last several decades.

Dr. William Chapman, professor of architecture at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has spent more than 30 years studying and teaching the history of these places.

Dr. Chapman chose ten most iconic buildings for people who want to understand Honolulu better. As he put it, “this is a good beginning for people that are trying to get a sense of what some of our buildings are.”

Dr. Chapman said he loves far more than ten sites but believes these particular 10 buildings show Honolulu’s diverse and wide mix of styles.

“I’m excluding another 100 to 150 that I also love,” he said. His list ranges from the time of the Hawaiian Kingdom to modern design, and each building also reflects changing materials, tastes and people who shaped Honolulu’s landscape.

Let’s take a look at Dr. Chapman’s top 10 choices.

ʻIolani Palace

Dr. Chapman said ʻIolani Palace must come first on the list. He described it as “a building that speaks to the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.”

It stands beside the Hawaiʻi State Capitol on a large park site. He explained that King Kalākaua wanted a grand replacement for an older structure.

“It was built between 1879 and 1882,” he said. Three architects took part, with Thomas Baker leading much of the design.

Dr. Chapman noted features linked to European styles and explained that the palace fits the “Second Empire” tradition, and he pointed to its materials that included brick with stucco and Douglas fir.

He also discussed its extensive innovations that provide a glimpse into Honolulu’s pioneering royal family. For example, ʻIolani Palace introduced electricity even before the United States White House did.

“It also introduced a telephone service to the legislature,” he said. After the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, the palace hosted Queen Liliʻuokalani during her imprisonment. Later, it became the legislature and then was restored through work that began in the late 1960s.

Honolulu Museum of Art

Dr. Chapman chose this museum as one of the most important examples of design in Honolulu. He said it was built in 1927 and explained that both architect Bertram Goodhue and founder Anna Rice Cook shaped the final plans.

Mrs. Cook wanted features that connected to the islands.

“She suggested that there should be a break in the roof,” which influenced the museum’s distinctive look, Dr. Chapman explained.

He said the building combines Asian, Middle Eastern and European ideas and explained that Goodhue’s career included major work in New York and on the Panama California Exposition.

Later additions by architect John Hara in 1998 updated the museum while keeping its original presence.

Royal Hawaiian Hotel

To Dr. Chapman, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel remains one of the most recognizable sites in Waikīkī. Construction began in the 1920s through the Matson Navigation Company and opened in 1927 with great celebration.

He said the final form follows the Spanish Colonial Revival style, and he noted the well-known color choice.

“The color pink probably came because the then manager of Matson and a man named William Roth had been to Lima, Portugal; and he had seen buildings painted in pink with the kind of blue green trim,” he explained.

In the early days, may famous guests stayed here, including Shirley Temple, Amelia Earhart, Bing Crosby, Duke & Duchess of Windsor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bob Hope, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Frank Sinatra, Natalie Wood, Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart, Joan Crawford, Henry Fonda, Yul Brynner, George Harrison of the Beatles and Tom Selleck, to name a few.

And the Navy used it during World War II as a rest location for submariners. Later repairs kept the building close to its original look. Dr. Chapman said he always encourages visitors to see it because it stands as a major work of its period.

Halekulani

Dr. Chapman said he could not complete the list without including the Halekulani because it shows two historic periods.

Charles W. Dickey expanded the property during the early 20th century. Dr. Chapman explained that Dickey created the distinctive double pitched roof that appears in many territorial era buildings.

He also described the story behind Earl Derr Biggers who visited the hotel. Biggers wrote his now famous novel, The House Without a Key, after staying there.

He explained how the hotel changed in the 1980s when architect Ed Killingsworth and his team created new towers and reworked older sections. Dr. Chapman called the result “one of the most elegant pieces of what I could only call postmodern architecture in Hawaiʻi.”

For him, the building holds personal meaning because “I was married on the land of the Halekulani.”

Alexander and Baldwin Building

Dr. Chapman highlighted this building as a strong example of territorial era design. He said many architects choose it as a favorite.

It was created by C. W. Dickey and Hart Wood. The four-story structure uses a steel frame covered with architectural terracotta. He noted the detailed exterior elements that point to the company’s past in agriculture and shipping.

“Clad in architectural terracotta… they’re also able to cast a lot of motifs of different kinds that are suggestive of the business,” he explained. “Instead of normal columns, there’s sugar cane bound together as the pilasters or sort of flat columns on the buildings.”

He also explained the planting strip around the building and the double pitched roof that became common in the region.

Liljestrand House

Dr. Chapman described the Liljestrand House as one of the most important modern homes on Oʻahu. It was designed in 1952 by Vladimir Ossipoff for Betty and Howard Liljestrand. He said the house became widely known after being featured in magazine House Beautiful in 1958.

“This house is featured, and it’s featured in three different articles,” he highlighted. “And so, it’s kind of a coup for Ossipoff to get this kind of coverage.”

He highlighted how Betty Liljestrand shaped the kitchen and added many practical features. Dr. Chapman also described the entrance sequence.

When you walk in, “your view is actually blocked by the fireplace,” he said. Then the house opens to sweeping views as you move through the living room.

“You come in through a very curved driveway… the motor court… and then you get out and you walk to the front door, and you step inside and you’re looking directly at the fireplace,” he explained. “You don’t see the view immediately. You have to move through the room.”

He also noted the multiple lanai, the recreation area under the house and the family’s choice to live on the mountain for cooler weather.

Board of Water Supply Building

Dr. Chapman described this building as an example of how traditional architects adapted to modern design. He noted that Hart Wood was responding to the postwar moment, saying the project shows “how someone trained in a more traditional world could move into modernism.”

He said Wood used modern forms during the 1956 project while keeping strong cultural references to Hawaiʻi past.

According to Dr. Chapman, Wood “simplifies the forms but doesn’t abandon the cultural vocabulary” to create a design that feels both contemporary and rooted in place.

The grille work echoes patterns from kabuki and other artistic traditions.

Dr. Chapman pointed out that “the grille is based on kabuki stage patterns which are very geometric, very bold,” and its emerald green color creates a clear visual identity in the downtown area that makes the building “instantly recognizable.”

IBM Building

Dr. Chapman included the IBM Building because it has become a landmark in Kakaʻako. He described it as “one of those buildings everyone recognizes immediately when they drive into the district” as he also noted how its presence has grown as the neighborhood has developed.

Vladimir Ossipoff designed it with an exterior screen that protects the glass walls and keeps heat down.

Dr. Chapman explained that the brise-soleil is “doing real environmental work by cutting glare and cutting heat, all before air-conditioning was common in Hawaiʻi.”

The design also prevents birds from roosting. He pointed out that “the pattern looks delicate, but it’s incredibly functional” as it helps keep the building clean and reduces maintenance.

A major renovation in 2014 respected the original design. Dr. Chapman connected these details to its growing attention in the community

“The restoration reminded people just how elegant the original concept was,” he explained that the building has since come to represent “a kind of modernist heritage for Kakaʻako.”

East West Center

Dr. Chapman grouped these buildings together because they form one major project. As he put it, “I couldn’t limit it to one building… this is a series of buildings designed by I. M. Pei in the early 1960s.”

He explained that the center was “the brainchild of Lyndon Johnson when he was a senator,” completed just before John F. Kennedy’s election.

The East–West Center was intended to strengthen ties across the Pacific. Dr. Chapman noted it “was meant to be the center for cultural and technical exchange between East and West,” positioned partly in response to Cold War pressures. Students attended classes at the University of Hawaiʻi but lived within the complex, with “their scholarships within the complex.”

Local architect Clifford Young played a key role in its realization. Dr. Chapman emphasized that Young “actually did the bulk of the on-site supervision,” since Pei’s team could not always be present.

The principal buildings include Lincoln Hall, Jefferson Hall (now the Inman Center), Kennedy Theatre and Hale Mānoa. Kennedy Theatre gained distinction as “the first public building to be named after President John F. Kennedy.”

Hale Mānoa’s design supports community life through shared spaces. He described “every third floor” as an open common area inspired by Le Corbusier’s housing projects, with kitchens and gathering spaces that encourage interaction amongst residents.

Hawaiʻi State Capitol

Dr. Chapman finished his list with the Hawaiʻi State Capitol which was designed by John Carl Warnecke. It sits beside ʻIolani Palace and creates a symbolic pair.

He said the building’s design represents the vision of Gov. John Burns and that it is one of the few Capitol buildings in the U.S. without a dome.

“It has what I often call the unknown, the opposite of the dome,” he said. He explained that this open design was intentional: “That fact that this was, open to the public, it suggests the idea of sunshine and openness and the ways that Hawaiʻi society should be.”

Open-air spaces create a sense of transparency, while the columns represent the eight principal Hawaiian Islands, and variations on four columns evoke the principal Hawaiian gods.

The two chambers are shaped to resemble volcanoes, and the central mosaic was designed to represent sunshine. The surrounding water feature originally symbolized the Pacific Ocean before it was tiled over.

Dr. Chapman noted that recent renovations focused on protecting the building.

Our picks

Our picks are the Bank of Hawaiʻi building and the Pan Am building.

The Pan Am building across from Don Quijote on Kapiolani Boulevard is what sparked this entire piece. One day, we realized that the building is emblematic of a bygone era. Pan Am doesn’t even exist anymore, but the building that symbolizes the dramatic impact that Pan Am had on Hawaiʻi tourism sits in the heart of the city.

It was built in 1969 on land developed for new businesses on the edges of Waikiki and first held the American Savings company, but Pan American Airways also rented space and added large signs with their name.

When Pan Am closed in 1991, the building became a reminder of the airline and unexpectedly turned into a silent tribute to a world-famous company.

The Bank of Hawaiʻi building has nine office floors and a special concrete design on the outside called a skin. People thought it looked like pineapple tops, but it was actually inspired by early Hawaiian decorations.

While the upper floors were still being built, the bank opened on the ground floor in 1965. The lobby featured a huge 15-foot metal sculpture that drew everyone’s attention.

Inside, the mezzanine featured a huge metal sculpture called Legend by Edward Brownlee, visible to people outside. The building also included family-friendly condos with pools, parking and Diamond Head views.

It was designed by Allen Johnson and Thomas Perkins but is no longer used as a bank building.

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