The original Halekulani opened in 1907 as a residential hotel called Hau Tree, owned by Robert Lewers. In 1917, Juliet and Clifford Kimball purchased the hotel, gradually expanding and establishing the property as a stylish resort for vacationers. The hotel was named Halekulani, which translates to “House Befitting Heaven.”
In the 1930s, they replaced the old Lewers home with a mansion-styled Main Building with a high-pitched hip roof to catch the cooling trade winds. The roof, known as the “Dickey” roof, is a trademark of legendary Hawaiian architect, C.W. Dickey. The Norton Clapp family of Seattle bought Halekulani in 1962 following the Kimball’s passing, with its Main Building and 37 one-and two-story bungalows.
In 1981, the hotel was sold to Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc., which formed the Honolulu-based Halekulani Corporation. Halekulani reopened in 1984 with the historic Main Building restored by the architecture firm Killingsworth, Stricker, Lindgren, Wilson & Associates, Inc. of Long Beach, CA.
A gracious social setting, in many ways more a covered open space than a solid building, The Pacific Club answers the question of what is an appropriate regional architecture for Hawaiʻi. Guests easily transition from the parking lot's shady setting through the inviting porte-cochere and up the stairs to the entrance lounge with its D. Howard Hitchcock mural of Waimea Canyon. The lounge flows into a lanai area open to courtyards on two sides. Around a corner awaits the dining room with its open, wraparound lanai, which on the far side overlooks a terraced pool area and the landscaped grounds.
Vladimir Ossipoff (1907–1998) was the design architect for The Pacific Club. Ossipoff was born in Russia, raised in Japan, and moved to Berkeley, California, in 1923. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley's department of architecture in 1931, and shortly thereafter moved to Hawaii. During the 1950s and 1960s, he established himself as the premier architect in the Islands by blending modern and regional sensibilities in high-quality designs.
The Liljestrand Foundation was created by the Liljestrand family in 2007 to preserve Liljestrand House, the tropical modern masterpiece designed by Vladimir Ossipoff, and to make that preservation beneficial to the community.
Built on the slopes of Pu‘u Ohia (Mount Tantalus), overlooking Honolulu, the Liljestrand House is recognized as an outstanding example of Ossipoff’s work and of mid-twentieth century modern architecture.
Ossipoff’s designs are known for seamless integration of building and site, elegant orchestration of circulation, clever management of views, and creative mix of modern and natural materials.
Few schools can claim a sense of place as strong as Punahou. Sheltered by Mānoa Valley and nourished by the waters of Ka Punahou, the lands of the New Spring have nurtured and sustained children and adults for nearly two centuries.
While the campus continues to evolve, it sustains a timeless connection to Hawaiʻi and its own history. Punahou is preparing for the future with thoughtful campus planning that enhances the landscape of learning that is so central to the school experience. Punahou is a national leader in sustainable educational building design, with each new building achieving LEED Gold or Platinum designation, and its Kosasa Community for grades 2-5 being the first net-zero building for energy consumption on campus.
Thurston Memorial Chapel serves as the spiritual heart of Punahou. Designed by Honolulu architect Vladimir Ossipoff, Thurston Memorial Chapel was built in 1966 and appears to rise up out of Punahou’s famed Lily Pond.
Designed by famed architect Vladimir Ossipoff and dedicated in 1962, the IBM Building quickly became a community landmark, acclaimed by the American Institute of Architects. Its honeycomb façade was designed to keep the building cool, and this made it an early example of sustainable architecture.
Scheduled for demolition in 2008, the building’s preservation was assured when Howard Hughes made a commitment to restoring the iconic structure. Today’s IBM Building plays an important part in the life of Ward Village and mirrors the creative energy and vision of Victoria Ward herself.
The East-West Center promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue.
I.M. Pei designed a number of the East-West Center’s original buildings, cited by the prominent arts publisher Phaidon as one of Pei’s top designs worldwide, alongside the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong and the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, among others.
“Although today it seems so natural, at that time it was rather a novel idea to try to bring East and West closer together,” Pei himself said in a 2010 interview. “So the East-West Center was something that was very much needed, and I was happy to be able to play a small role in that. Much of my work up until then had been in the (continental) U.S. and Europe, so working on the East-West Center gave me sort of a chance to go back home again, so to speak.”
Fête is rooted in the local farm-to-table movement — a place where seasonality and culinary tradition are celebrated in tandem. Crafted with brick & reclaimed wood, their urban Hawaiian farmhouse features an open kitchen, lush plant wall, brick walls, and lots of natural light in a historic Chinatown building.
In 2022, Chef Robynne Maii was named the James Beard Award Foundation Best Chef for the Northwest and Pacific Region on her first nomination. Robynne is the first Hawai‘i-born recipient to win this award in 19 years and is the first Native Hawaiian woman to win a James Beard Foundation award.
Hawaii’s only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five-Star restaurant, La Mer is regarded as one of the most prestigious fine dining restaurants on Oʻahu, with ocean views capturing the romance and elegance of Halekulani.
La Mer blends exceptional service with exquisite cuisine, all with spectacular views of the Pacific. Tranquil, graceful and refined, La Mer epitomizes superlative fine dining, and is Honolulu’s most sought-after restaurant. For the past 30 years, La Mer has been celebrated as Hawaiʻi’s longest, consecutively ranked AAA Five-Diamond Restaurant. The award-winning extensive wine selection complements the cuisine for an unforgettable dining experience.
Senia invites everyone entering their doors to gather around a table and share a meal in friendship. Their name is a play on the word “xenia”, the ancient Greek ideology of hospitality where strangers and friends alike were treated with the same regard. They welcome you into a comfortable, convivial environment to join in some well-crafted drinks and delicious food.
Senia’s regional American cuisine celebrates Hawaiʻi’s abundance of beautiful ingredients and showcases the gastronomic possibilities that result when diverse cultures and multidisciplinary culinary training intersect. The kitchen team is led by Senia’s founding Chef/Owner, Anthony Rush.
From its humble beginnings as a pop-up restaurant, to a farmer’s market stand and now a successful brick-and-mortar eatery, The Pig and the Lady, led by twice-nominated James Beard semifinalist Chef Andrew Le (with help from his family including his mother, Mama Le), cook up what is essentially the family meal in the truest sense -- Exposing Honolulu diners a cross-section of cuisine that has Vietnamese origins but is eclectic and daring.
Chef Le and his team have developed a modern, fresh take on traditional Southeast Asian food, utilizing local products -- serving their famous banh mi and pho, along with new favorites. Le is one of the few chefs cooking contemporary food built on Southeast Asian flavors that has garnered rave reviews.
