View source for Hawaiian architecture

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{{More citations needed|date=September 2024}}
[[Image:Moanahotel hawaii.jpg|alt=Starwood Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel, with a front side made of white stone decorated with arches and round pillars, with palm trees in front of the building.|thumb|right|260px|Opened in 1901, the [[Moana Hotel]] is a model for contemporary Hawaiian architectural design]]
'''Hawaiian architecture''' is a distinctive [[architectural style]] developed and employed primarily in the [[Hawaiian Islands]]. Though based on imported Western styles, unique Hawaiian traits make Hawaiian architecture stand alone against other styles.  Hawaiian architecture reflects the [[history]] of the islands from [[ancient Hawaii|antiquity]] through the [[Kingdom of Hawaii|kingdom era]], from its [[Territory of Hawaii|territorial years]] to [[Hawaii|statehood]] and beyond.

The various styles through the history of Hawai{{okina}}i are telling of the attitudes and the spirit of its people.  Hawaiian architecture is said to tell the story of how [[Indigenous peoples of Oceania|indigenous]] [[native Hawaiians]] and their complex society in ancient times slowly evolved with the infusion of new styles from beyond its borders, from the early European traders, the visiting [[Whaling|whalers]] and [[Fur trade|fur trappers]] from [[Canada]], the missions of the [[New England]]ers and [[France|French Catholics]], the communes of the [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Latter-day Saints]] from [[Utah]], the [[plantation]] labourer cultures from [[Asia]] to the modern international metropolis that [[Honolulu]] is today.

==History==
[[Image:Hale o keawe heiau 2.JPG|[[Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park#Hale O Keawe heiau|Hale O Keawe]]|thumb|left]]
Within the body of Hawaiian architecture are various subsets of styles; each are considered typical of particular historical periods.  The earliest form of Hawaiian architecture originates from what is called [[Ancient Hawaii|ancient Hawai{{okina}}i]]&mdash;designs employed in the construction of village shelters from the simple shacks of outcasts and slaves, huts for the fishermen and canoe builders along the beachfronts, the shelters of the working class ''maka{{okina}}ainana'', the elaborate and sacred ''[[heiau]]'' of ''[[kahuna]]'' and the palatial thatched homes on raised [[basalt]] foundation of the ''[[Ali'i|ali{{okina}}i]]''.  The way a simple grass shack was constructed in ancient Hawai{{okina}}i was telling of who lived in a particular home.  The patterns in which dried plants and [[lumber]] were fashioned together could identify [[caste]], skill and trade, profession and wealth.  Hawaiian architecture previous to the arrival of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] explorer [[Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain]] [[James Cook]] used symbolism to identify religious value of the inhabitants of certain structures.  Feather standards called ''kahili'' and ''[[Acacia koa|koa]]'' adorned with ''[[kapa]]'' cloth and crossed at the entrance of certain homes called ''pulo{{okina}}ulo{{okina}}u'' indicated places of ''ali{{okina}}i'' ([[nobility]] caste). ''[[Tiki|Ki{{okina}}i]]'' enclosed within basalt walls indicated the homes of ''kahuna'' (priestly caste).

==Hale==
[[File:Hale_'Āina.JPG|thumb|right|200px]]
[[File:Hale in Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park.jpg|thumb|right|200px|More recent larger hale in [[Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park]], the Big Island of Hawaii]]
A hale (pronounced HAH-lay)<ref>{{cite news |last= Broder |first= John M. |date= October 22, 2002 |title= A Dream House, in Pure Hawaiian Style |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/22/us/a-dream-house-in-pure-hawaiian-style.html |work= The New York Times |access-date= April 2, 2021}}</ref> is a structure built using natural Hawaiian materials and designs that were prevalent during the 19th century in Hawaii.<ref name="halebuildingcode">{{cite web |url= https://www.honolulu.gov/rep/site/ocs/roh/ROHChapter16a12.pdf |title= Chapter 16 BUILDING CODE, Article 12. Indigenous Hawaiian Architecture |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website= honolulu.gov |publisher= City and County of Honolulu |access-date= April 2, 2021}}</ref> Hales are constructed using rock or wood for the lower frame and grass/leaves for roof thatching.<ref name="halebuildingcode" /> Building codes prohibit plumbing and electrical wiring. Fire sprinklers are required if the hale is near another structure.<ref name="halebuildingcode" />

There are 4 classic hale styles:<ref name="halebuildingcode" />
* Hale Halawai - open walls
* Hale Ku`ai - [[lean-to]]
* Hale Noa - fully enclosed
* Hale Wa`a - [[A-frame building|A frame]]

==Mission==
Traditional Hawaiian architecture experienced its first revolution with the arrival of [[Congregational church|Congregational]] [[missionary]] [[Hiram Bingham I|Hiram Bingham]].  [[Presbyterian]] [[religious]] families followed suit and settled in the major port towns of [[Honolulu County, Hawaii|Honolulu]] and [[Lahaina, Hawaii|Lāhainā]].  Upon their arrival, they erected the first frame houses in Hawai{{okina}}i, employing a style derived from the simple [[Congregational church|Congregational meeting-houses]] and farmhouse vernacular buildings of [[New England]].  [[Image:One of three houses (the easternmost) in the mission houses museum, Honolulu.jpg|thumb|right|One of the houses in the mission houses museum, Honolulu.]]
They were simple homes with high-pitched roofs and overlapping [[Weatherboarding|weatherboards]] called [[Clapboard (architecture)|clapboards]].  The simplicity and unassuming character of these structures were derived from the [[Puritan work ethic|puritan ideals]]&mdash;that plainness was a virtue of true [[Christianity|Christians]].  As the years passed, the New England style morphed into a distinctive style called Hawaiian mission architecture. New England methods and materials were replaced by methods and materials readily available to Hawaiians.<!--specific examples are needed: imported nails replaced by pegging? etc-->

[[Image:Kawaiahao.jpg|thumb|left|Kawaiaha{{okina}}o church.]]Hawaiian mission architecture moved away from construction solely using wood and experimented with the use of [[coral|coral blocks]] hewn from the [[reef]]s of the Hawaiian Islands.  Coral seemed plentiful and were comparable to bricks used for construction in New England.  When [[Kaahumanu|Queen Ka{{okina}}ahumanu]] converted to the Congregational denomination of Christianity, she commissioned the construction of a major church in what is now [[downtown Honolulu]].  [[Kawaiahao Church|Kawaiaha{{okina}}o Church]] is one of the longest-lasting relics of Hawaiian mission architecture using coral blocks.  Today, Kawaiaha{{okina}}o Church stands adjacent to the Mission Houses Museum, surviving examples of Hawaiian mission architecture using wood.

[[Image:Honolulu cathedral screen.jpeg|thumb|right|Interior of the cathedral of Our Lady of Peace]]At the same time that Congregational missionaries went about the construction of Kawaiaha{{okina}}o Church, French Catholic missionaries of the [[Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary]] under the leadership of Bishop [[Louis Désiré Maigret|Louis Maigret]] introduced their own version of Hawaiian mission architecture.  The difference was that their [[Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace]] project was based on simple French church architecture in the [[basilica]] form.  The regional twist, like the adaptation that Congregational missionaries embraced, was the use of coral blocks from the reefs of [[Ala Moana]] and [[Kakaako|Kaka{{okina}}ako]].  What the Picpus religious order succeeded in doing was creating the first instance of Hawaiian architecture based on continental European styles as opposed to the American puritan styles imported by the [[Protestants]].  The Picpus Fathers opened the doors to European architectural styles&mdash;[[classical architecture|classical]], [[baroque architecture|baroque]], [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]], [[Rococo]] and [[neoclassicism|neoclassical]] &mdash; that would become uniquely Hawaiian in the hands of local builders.

==Gothic==<!-- This section is linked from [[Gothic architecture]] -->

The first experiment of [[Neo-Gothic architecture|Gothic architecture]] in Hawai{{okina}}i was undertaken by the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu|Hawai{{okina}}i Catholic Church]].  Discontent with the earliest designs of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in 1910, [[Libert H. Boeynaems|Bishop Libert H. Boeynaems]] began an ambitious project to transform the Hawaiian mission cathedral into a unique cathedral in what was to be called Hawaiian Gothic architecture.  The first phase of Boeynaemes' project was the construction of an elaborate porch over the cathedral entrance.  By the time it was completed, he had exhausted his financing.  Such an elaborate architectural style proved too costly.  His successor, [[Stephen Alencastre|Bishop Stephen Alencastre]], stripped the cathedral facade of its Gothic style and financed his own renovation project.  The addition of Doric columns transformed the cathedral into a simple but elegant classical building.

[[Image:Honolulu's St. Andrew's Cathedral, from the Ewa side.jpg|thumb|St. Andrew's Cathedral.]]A more successful rendering of the Hawaiian Gothic style came as [[Kamehameha IV]] assumed the throne and established the [[Anglican Communion|Anglican]] [[Church of Hawaii|Church of Hawai{{okina}}i]] &mdash; the present-day [[Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii|Episcopal Diocese of Hawai{{okina}}i]].  With the advice and consent of his bishop [[Thomas Nettleship Staley|Lord Thomas Nettleship Staley]], Kamehameha IV oversaw the drafting of plans for the [[Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, Honolulu|Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew]].  Unfortunately, the king died and his brother [[Kamehameha V]] was left to lay the cornerstone.  Completed in 1867, the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew was the first instance of the use of [[Vault (architecture)|vaulting]] in Hawai{{okina}}i.  Also, while the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace was the first to employ [[stained glass]], the royal cathedral installed larger panes as allowed by vaulting.

Other notable buildings constructed in the Hawaiian Gothic style are the [[Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii|Royal Mausoleum]] and the [[Aloha Tower]].  Hawaiian Gothic architecture was not as widespread for the reasons Bishop Boeynaems and Bishop Alencastre found in their experiments with the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace.  The elaborate treatments were too expensive and were deemed unsuitable against the backdrop of the Hawaiian environment.  People believed that any Gothic building in Hawai{{okina}}i would look out of place.

==Renaissance==
[[Image:Iolani Palace (1328).JPG|thumb|left|{{okina}}Iolani Palace.]]
While Kamehameha IV succeeded in developing the Hawaiian Gothic style, Kamehameha V fathered Hawaiian Renaissance architecture.  Commissioned in 1850, the last king of the [[House of Kamehameha]] originally planned [[Aliiolani Hale|Ali{{okina}}iōlani Hale]] to be his royal palace inspired by the sleek beauty of historic [[Italy|Italian]] structures.  In the middle of its construction, the building was changed to become the kingdom's government center.  Renaissance comes from the French word for rebirth.  Hawaiian renaissance was therefore a rebirth of traditional [[Roman architecture|Roman]] architectural principles of aesthetics but also included concepts derived from [[Hawaiiana]].  Elegant facades had petite columns and wide verandas and walls that seemed to crinkle.  Curves and ornamentation were important.

When [[Kalākaua]] became king, he shared in his predecessor's delight with Hawaiian renaissance architecture.  He also shared in Kamehameha V's dream of building a world-class royal palace befitting of a modern monarchy such as that of Hawai{{okina}}i to rival the famed palaces of Europe.  {{okina}}Iolani Palace was finished in 1882 and did fulfill Kalākaua's expectations.  Considered the finest example of Hawaiian renaissance architecture, {{okina}}Iolani Palace became a world-famous royal landmark. This building has been categorized as the only example of American Florentine architecture anywhere in the world.{{cn|date=September 2022}}<ref group="note">The term "Florentine architecture" has been applied elsewhere, whether or not describing exactly the same style as here.  The term [[Renaissance Revival architecture|Renaissance Revival]] is a general term which includes "Florentine" influence; some works termed that might qualify as "Florentine", depending on how that is defined.  The [[Woodbury Branch Library]], built in 1913 in [[Denver, Colorado]], was described at the time of its construction "as Florentine in style", per a [https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/GetAsset?assetID=ab28bdc4-d33c-47ce-ac37-ca4a6a7b5498 1986 National Register of Historic Places study of the Denver parks and parkways system].</ref>

In addition to his contributions to the development of Hawaiian renaissance architecture, Kalākaua experimented with various other styles.  One of his other famous building projects is the completion of [[Iolani Barracks|{{okina}}Iolani Barracks]].  Constructed adjacent to {{okina}}Iolani Palace and across the street from Ali{{okina}}iōlani Hale, {{okina}}Iolani Barracks housed the royal guards.  It resembles a [[Middle Ages|medieval]] [[castle]] with [[Crenellation|crenelated]] [[parapet]]s and towers.

==Romanesque==
[[Image:Bishop Museum front-600px.jpg|thumb|right|Bishop Museum entrance.]]In the last years of the Hawaiian monarchy and early years of the territorial period, Hawaiian Romanesque architecture came into popular use.  The style hearkened back to the European designs of the 11th and 12th centuries.  Hawaiian Romanesque employed principles and forms used by Romans in later periods of the ancient empire.  The difference was that Hawaiian builders used dark basalt boulders giving the appearance of a uniquely Hawaiian style.  Such buildings typically used rounded arches, [[barrel vault]]s and [[groin vault]]s and cruciform piers for support.  The various buildings of the [[Bernice P. Bishop Museum]] are in the Hawaiian Romanesque style.

==Beaux-Arts and Art Deco==
In the 1920s and 1930s, [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] and [[Art Deco]] came to be known in Hawai{{okina}}i.  Developed in [[France]] in the late 19th century, Beaux-Arts is a form of [[neoclassicism]] that combines ancient Greek and Roman architectural styles and principles into a modern form.  Likewise, Art Deco is considered to be a blanket modernization of all architectural styles.  Hawaiian builders created Hawaiian Beaux-Arts and Art Deco architecture by incorporating Hawaiian motifs and tropical treatments to the various parts of their projects.  An example of Hawaiian Beaux-Arts is the [[Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial]] in [[Waikiki|Waikīkī]].  The most famous examples of Hawaiian Art Deco are the [[Hawaii Theatre|Hawai{{okina}}i Theatre]] and the [[Schofield Barracks, Hawai'i|Schofield Barracks Historic District]].

==International==
[[Image:Hawaii State Capitol.jpg|thumb|right|The Hawai{{okina}}i State Capitol. Photo taken from [[Punchbowl Crater|Punchbowl]].]] 
The [[Hawaii State Capitol|Hawai{{okina}}i State Capitol]] is the centerpiece of Honolulu's collection of buildings in the Hawaiian international style of architecture. Developed in the 1920s and popularized in the 1960s, [[Bauhaus|Bauhaus architecture]] became a widespread trend throughout the world.  An American form of Bauhaus architecture called the [[international style (architecture)|international style]] was accepted in Hawai{{okina}}i and became a trend especially for downtown Honolulu office buildings.  Bauhaus employed classical principles in their most simplified forms without the use of heavy ornamentation.  Characteristic of Bauhaus were dull colors like white, gray, beige and black and embraced open floor plans.

Bauhaus became an inspiration for [[Governor of Hawaii|Hawai{{okina}}i Governor]] [[John A. Burns]] in his plans to construct a new capitol building for his state.  The Hawai{{okina}}i State Capitol was true to the traditions of Bauhaus in its use of clean lines, simple geometric shapes, pervasive use of black and the gray of concrete and the openness of the entire structure.  But like all other architectural imports to Hawai{{okina}}i, Bauhaus was transformed into a uniquely Hawaiian style with the addition of several treatments.

Hawaiian international architecture used precious indigenous koa wood for doors and furnishings and designs employed symbolism of natural Hawaiian phenomena.  The capitol dome, for example, is designed to reflect the volcanic origins of the Hawaiian Islands.  Beneath the dome is a mosaic by [[Tadashi Sato]] representing the frequently changing colors of the Hawaiian coastal waters.  Tied into the ocean theme, the capitol is surrounded by water just as the Hawaiian Islands are surrounded.  The main space of the capitol building is open to the environment with entrances facing the sea and the mountain, respectively.
Architects: Belt, Lemmon & Low (Architects Hawaii Ltd.) and John Carl Warnecke

==Plantation==
At the same time that the monarchy and various corporations developed [[Downtown Honolulu]] with their renditions of Hawaiian Renaissance styles, residential homes were being built in the outskirts of the city and elsewhere in the state.  The style became known as Hawaiian plantation architecture featuring low profile wood frames, vertical plank siding and large porticos.  Roofs were the most distinguishable parts of Hawaiian plantation structures as they were wide-hipped or bellcast and had eaves that were deep bracketed.  When viewed against the natural Hawaiian environment, Hawaiian plantation structures look as though they blend easily with their surroundings. The style gets its name from the [[sugarcane]] and [[pineapple]] [[plantation]]s, which employed the design for labourer homesteads.

By the 1970s and 1980s, the Hawaiian plantation style was headed toward extinction with the importation of popular trends from California and other western states.  But a movement began in the late 1990s that revived the Hawaiian plantation style in a contemporary manner.  The wide-hipped or bell-cast roofs were adapted for use in large-scale construction projects like the renovation of [[Ala Moana Center]], [[Victoria Ward Centers]] and the building of new towers at the [[Hilton Hawaiian Village|Hawaiian Village Hotel]].  The style gained new popularity and were employed in new commercial and residential developments in [[Oahu|West Oahu]] especially in the new city of [[Kapolei, Hawaii|Kapolei]].  Hawaiian plantation architecture became a signature style for Hawai{{okina}}i and is the most recognizable Hawaiian style being exported to other parts of the globe.

==Skyscrapers==
{{tone|section|date=February 2025}}
[[Image:First Hawaiian Center Tower in Honolulu, Hawaii USA.jpg|thumb|First Hawaiian Center]] Only recently did Hawai{{okina}}i develop a skyscraper skyline with such projects as the [[Hawaii Pacific University|First Hawaiian Tower]] at 1132 Bishop Street and the [[First Hawaiian Center]] at 999 Bishop Street, both in downtown Honolulu.  Even skyscrapers in Hawai{{okina}}i could not be constructed without the addition of metaphors and symbolism tied to Hawai{{okina}}i's natural phenomena.  For example, the First Hawaiian Center completed in 1996 employed horizontally [[louver]]ed windows that framed views of the sea while vertically proportioned windows faced the mountains.  A great deal of effort was made to incorporate as much natural light into the building interiors.

Perhaps Norman Lacayo was the most influential architect of the late-20th century in downtown Honolulu.  He was the architect for the iconic building, Harbor Court, the anchor of the redevelopment of the downtown waterfront.  Harbor Court is a [[Mixed-use development|multi-use building]] with restaurants in the lower floors and a split residential/office tower.  No other building in Honolulu captures the romantic spirit of Hawai{{okina}}i.  The stepping of the residential tower and the articulation of the office wing create a dynamic similar to the steep volcanic mountain range that borders the city.  Although many of his residential towers are distributed throughout Honolulu, most are located along the Nu{{okina}}uanu corridor.

==Evolving residential architecture==

[[Charles William Dickey]] from as early as 1899 expressed the concern that an architecture suitable for Hawai{{okina}}i's environment be developed and it is this sensitivity for which his architecture is best remembered. He strove in his turn-of-the-20th-century residential work to design houses in which "the culture of the people has asserted itself." He stressed the need for broad [[Lānai (Hawaiian language)|lānai]]s, interior courtyards and fountains, and felt that the "[[Mission Revival Style architecture|California Mission]]" style of architecture "is certainly most appropriate for Hawai{{okina}}i."

Continuing in the evolution of modern Hawaiian Architecture, a great number of contemporary architects have interpreted a "modern" version of Hawaiian Architecture Styles and Sensibilities.

==See also==
*[[Indigenous architecture]]
*[[Architecture of Samoa]]
*[[Wharenui]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* Geoffrey W. Fairfax, ''The Architecture of Honolulu'', Island Heritage, c. 1972. (out of print)
* Robert Jay, ''The Architecture of Charles W. Dickey: Hawaii and California'', University of Hawai{{okina}}i Press, 1994. (out of print)
* {{cite book |last= Judd |first= Walter F. |title= Palaces and Forts of the Hawaiian Kingdom: From Thatch to American Florentine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=HXYgAQAAIAAJ |location= Palo Alto, CA |publisher= Pacific Books |year= 1975 |isbn= 0870152165}}
* Jan Rensel and Margaret Rodman, ''Home in the Islands: Housing and Social Change in the Pacific'', [[University of Hawaii Press|University of Hawai{{okina}}i Press]], 1997.
* Penkiunas, Daina Julia. ''American Regional Architecture in Hawaii: Honolulu, 1915&ndash;1935''. Ph.D. dissertation, [[University of Virginia]], 1990. (Published by [[ProQuest|UMI]], Ann Arbor, 1993.)
* Rob Sandler, Julie Mehta, and Frank S. Haines. ''Architecture in Hawai{{okina}}i: A Chronological Survey,'' new edition, Mutual Publishing, 2008.


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