Hawaii Architecture October 2022
Last week, we were back in the islands for a family birthday celebration. Since we stayed at the Kahala Resort, most of our time was spent there and in the surrounding neighborhood. Exploration was mainly by foot. Our art and architecture highlights were at the resort itself which opened in 1964 and was designed by Edward Killingsworth.
His projects are known for their tall doors, glass walls, exterior plantings, and the integration of his buildings with the environment. This can be seen in the gallery images above.
The hotel has a wonderfully grand lobby, with multiple seating areas and glass chandeliers by artist Irene McGowan. Above, my photo of the grand lobby alongside the sepia one taken by Julius Shulman more than 50 years ago. Shulman photographed the work of many California modernist architects, including that of Killingsworth, Brady and Smith. Many of their other projects are in Long Beach, CA (future post). It must have been a treat for Shulman to travel to Hawaii to take photos of the firm’s island resorts.
The art glass deserves a separate photo gallery (above). Many guests have commented on the chandeliers as being a favorite resort memory. I read that the magical chandeliers were created with 26,580 pieces of fused glass suspended from oxidized bronze. Originally from Seattle, the artist Irene McGowan also cast bronze for lighting sconces and massive door handles for the Seattle and Honolulu Canlis Restaurants. She mentored another famous artist, the world-renowned Dale Chihuly.
The condos adjacent to the Kahala Resort were also designed by Killingsworth. Note the signature post and beam entryway architectural feaure.
An evening photo op presented itself the night before our departure at another famous and historic resort - the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki. The hotel was remodeled by Killingsworth in the 1980s. Julius Shulman took some photos at the resort so I wanted to stand where he did so many years ago. We found the spot, but due to the time of day, the pavilion rooftop was not visible. The color photo in the gallery is the image taken by Shulman.
Related posts: Hawaii Architecture March 2022, Artist Corner - George Tsutakawa, Return to Hawaii 2021
Additional resources:
ThinkTech Hawaii interviews with Killingsworth’s Ron Lindgren, the project architect for the Kahala Resort can be found HERE (vol 1-4) and the Halekulani Hotel remodel can be found HERE.