Liljestrand House, Modernist residential architecture on Mount Tantalus, Honolulu, United States.
The Liljestrand House is a modernist residential home on Mount Tantalus in Honolulu featuring extensive glass walls, wooden louvers, and concrete block construction arranged across multiple levels. The structure offers views of downtown Honolulu and the Pacific Ocean while displaying key features of mid-century residential design.
Vladimir Ossipoff designed this house in 1952 for Betty and Howard Liljestrand after they returned from China and settled on this hillside location. The building later became a museum of modernist residential design and was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The home gained recognition in 1958 as a Pace Setter Home by House Beautiful magazine for showing how modern design could work with Hawaii's natural environment. Visitors can observe how the extensive windows and wooden louvers were chosen to suit the tropical climate and views.
The home is located at 3300 Tantalus Drive and is accessible through guided tours managed by the Liljestrand Foundation. The hillside location requires careful attention to road conditions and parking when planning a visit.
All of the interior woodwork, including staircases, cabinets, and furniture, was crafted from a single monkeypod tree. This remarkable achievement reveals how carefully planned every detail of the design was.
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