Midcentury Waikiki Architecture

The Waikiki Post Office on Saratoga Road is a standalone building situated between Kalakaua Avenue and Kalia Road, near Fort DeRussy Beach Park. It is the only post office in the Waikiki neighborhood that features its own dedicated parking…

The Breakers Hotel is a collection of six low-rise, ranch-style buildings arranged around a central pool and sundeck. Located on Beach Walk in Waikiki, this property stands out among the surrounding high-rise resorts for its modest scale…

The Surfjack Hotel and Swim Club is set apart by the mosaic tiles at the bottom of its swimming pool, which spell out the phrase, "Wish You Were Here." Opened in two thousand sixteen, this boutique hotel occupies a renovated structure that…

The Laylow Waikiki stands out for its graphic, terracotta-colored breezeblock walls, which are designed to catch the trade winds and filter light into its second-floor open-air lobby. Originally constructed in nineteen sixty-nine as the…

The White Sands Hotel is a three-story, walk-up property defined by its low-rise design and a central courtyard pool that separates it from the high-rise concrete towers surrounding it in Waikiki. Built in nineteen fifty-seven, the hotel…

The Outrigger Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel sits on Kalakaua Avenue, distinguishable by its vibrant, modern facade and the lush green wall that frames its street-level entrance. Originally constructed in nineteen seventy, the property gained…

The Waikiki Circle Hotel is instantly recognizable by its fourteen-story cylindrical tower, a concrete silhouette that stands in defiance of the surrounding rectangular high-rises. Completed in nineteen sixty-three, the building occupies a…

The Queen Kapiʻolani Hotel is distinguished by its neoclassical facade featuring stylized palm tree columns and a recurring cutout leaf motif. Opened in nineteen sixty-nine, the nineteen-story building occupies land that once served as a…