Don Graham (developer)
Encyclopedia
Donald Houston Graham Jr. (June 14, 1914 – August 17, 2010) was an American
real estate developer
and businessman credited with transforming the urban landscape of Hawaii
, by building condos, resorts, hotel
, residences and shopping centers. Graham is best known for developing and constructing the Ala Moana Center
in Ala Moana
, which opened in 1959. The Ala Moana Center remains the largest outdoor shopping mall
in the United States
.
. He received a bachelor's degree
from the University of California, Berkeley
and began his career as a bond
trader
.
He enlisted in the United States Army
during World War II
, serving in an amphibious unit
. Graham received two Bronze Star Medal
s for service at two major battles in the Philippines, the Battle of Leyte
and the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
. He in Tokyo
at the time of the Surrender of Japan
.
Graham settled permanently in Hawaii after World War II. He was hired in late 1945 by Dillingham Corp, which had been founded by Walter F. Dillingham
. Graham soon became the president of Dillingham Corp's subsidiary
, Hawaiian Land Corp.
Graham developed and completed a series of major projects throughout Honolulu for Dilligham, including the Ala Moana Hotel
and the Ala Moana office building. However, he was best known as the developer and contractor
of the Ala Moana Center, which opened in 1959.
The Ala Moana center was constructed on land that had once been swamp
. The land had been filled by coral
rock from a dredging project initiated by Walter F. Dillingham. Dillingham's son, Lowell Dillingham, announced the project in 1948 and broke ground on the mall in 1957. Critics at the time regarded the Ala Moana Center as a potential failure due to its layout and design which oriented the mall away the Pacific Ocean
. Graham, the Ala Moana Center's chief designer, also designed the building with two levels for retail stores and parking
, an unusual layout during the 1950s. Graham became the Ala Moana Center's first general manager
following the mall's completion.
Graham's project proved to be a huge success which had major implications for shoppers in Honolulu and beyond. The Ala Moana Center shifted the focus of retail in Oahu
from downtown
Honolulu to the new mall. It has been expanded since its opening to become the largest mall
in the United States for decades. Today, the Ala Moana Center is one of the three highest grossing malls in the United States and is the largest outdoor shopping mall in the country.
Graham remained at the Dillingham Corp for more than 27 years. He left Dillingham and formed new development firms with new business partner
s. Graham's firms included
Mainline Associates, Graham Wong Hastings and Graham Murata Russell, which is now known as GMR LLC. Graham designed and developed numerous other projects throughout Hawaii during his career, including the Coconut Beach Hotel in Kauai
, the Maui Marriott Resort in Kaanapali, the Wailupe Peninsula subdivision in East Honolulu and the Discovery Bay condominium
in Waikiki. Graham also partnered to develop the Liliha Square Shopping Center, which he sold in the late 1990s to Finance Factors.
He also focused on the creation of affordable housing projects and developments during his later career.
Graham remained active in the GMR LLC firm until two weeks before his death in 2010. He was admitted to Straub Medical Center on August 15, 2010, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia
and leukemia
. Don Graham died on August 17, 2010, in Honolulu at the age of 96. He was survived by his wife, Kathryn Graham; son, D.H. “Mac” III; daughter, Pattiann Smith; stepdaughter, Sara P. Hewitt; stepson, Breck Perkins; five grandchildren, one great-grandchild, a brother and a sister.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
real estate developer
Real estate development
Real estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...
and businessman credited with transforming the urban landscape of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, by building condos, resorts, hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
, residences and shopping centers. Graham is best known for developing and constructing the Ala Moana Center
Ala Moana Center
Ala Moana Center in Honolulu is the largest shopping mall in Hawaii, the fifteenth largest shopping mall in the United States, and the largest open-air shopping center in the world....
in Ala Moana
Ala Moana
Ala Moana is the name of a commercial, retail and residential district of Honolulu, Hawaii nestled between Waikīkī to the east and Kakaako and Honolulu Harbor to the west...
, which opened in 1959. The Ala Moana Center remains the largest outdoor shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Early life
Graham was born on June 14, 1914, in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. He received a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and began his career as a bond
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
trader
Trader (finance)
A trader is someone in finance who buys and sells financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, commodities and derivatives. A broker who simply fills buy or sell orders is not a trader, as they are merely executing instructions given to them. According to the Wall Street Journal in 2004, a managing...
.
He enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, serving in an amphibious unit
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
. Graham received two Bronze Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
s for service at two major battles in the Philippines, the Battle of Leyte
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...
and the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...
. He in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
at the time of the Surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
.
Career
Walter F. Dillingham
Walter Francis Dillingham , called the Baron of Hawaii Industry, was an industrialist and businessman from Honolulu, Hawaii.He gained favors from Hawaii politicians to develop urban Honolulu.-Life:...
. Graham soon became the president of Dillingham Corp's subsidiary
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
, Hawaiian Land Corp.
Graham developed and completed a series of major projects throughout Honolulu for Dilligham, including the Ala Moana Hotel
Ala Moana Hotel
The Ala Moana Hotel is a hotel located at 410 Atkinson Drive in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu.-Description:The Hotel adjoins the Ala Moana Shopping Center and is across the street from the Hawaii Convention Center as well as the Ala Moana Beach Park. it was managed by Outrigger Hotels &...
and the Ala Moana office building. However, he was best known as the developer and contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
of the Ala Moana Center, which opened in 1959.
The Ala Moana center was constructed on land that had once been swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
. The land had been filled by coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
rock from a dredging project initiated by Walter F. Dillingham. Dillingham's son, Lowell Dillingham, announced the project in 1948 and broke ground on the mall in 1957. Critics at the time regarded the Ala Moana Center as a potential failure due to its layout and design which oriented the mall away the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. Graham, the Ala Moana Center's chief designer, also designed the building with two levels for retail stores and parking
Parking
Parking is the act of stopping a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied for more than a brief time. Parking on one or both sides of a road is commonly permitted, though often with restrictions...
, an unusual layout during the 1950s. Graham became the Ala Moana Center's first general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
following the mall's completion.
Graham's project proved to be a huge success which had major implications for shoppers in Honolulu and beyond. The Ala Moana Center shifted the focus of retail in Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
from downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Honolulu to the new mall. It has been expanded since its opening to become the largest mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in the United States for decades. Today, the Ala Moana Center is one of the three highest grossing malls in the United States and is the largest outdoor shopping mall in the country.
Graham remained at the Dillingham Corp for more than 27 years. He left Dillingham and formed new development firms with new business partner
Business partner
Business partner is a term used to denote a commercial entity with which another commercial entity has some form of alliance. This relationship may be a highly contractual, exclusive bond in which both entities commit not to ally with third parties...
s. Graham's firms included
Mainline Associates, Graham Wong Hastings and Graham Murata Russell, which is now known as GMR LLC. Graham designed and developed numerous other projects throughout Hawaii during his career, including the Coconut Beach Hotel in Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, the Maui Marriott Resort in Kaanapali, the Wailupe Peninsula subdivision in East Honolulu and the Discovery Bay condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
in Waikiki. Graham also partnered to develop the Liliha Square Shopping Center, which he sold in the late 1990s to Finance Factors.
He also focused on the creation of affordable housing projects and developments during his later career.
Graham remained active in the GMR LLC firm until two weeks before his death in 2010. He was admitted to Straub Medical Center on August 15, 2010, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
. Don Graham died on August 17, 2010, in Honolulu at the age of 96. He was survived by his wife, Kathryn Graham; son, D.H. “Mac” III; daughter, Pattiann Smith; stepdaughter, Sara P. Hewitt; stepson, Breck Perkins; five grandchildren, one great-grandchild, a brother and a sister.