Liljestrand House
Encyclopedia
The Liljestrand House at 3300 Tantalus Drive
in Honolulu, Hawaii
, was designed by Vladimir Ossipoff
for Betty and Howard Liljestrand, a doctor and nurse who had bought the hillside site overlooking leeward Oahu
in 1948. Completed in 1952, the house "was perhaps Ossipoff's most intricate as well as his most widely publicized domestic commission." After it was featured in House Beautiful
magazine as a Pace Setter House in 1958, it attracted hundreds of visitors in organized weekly tours. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2008.
earlier that year convinced them to pause in Honolulu, where both found employment at The Queen’s Medical Center. Eventually they decided to settle in the Islands, build a home, and raise a family.
It took the Liljestrands until 1946 to find the perfect spot: on a secluded hillside, but within easy reach of work, school, and town. Howard had enjoyed youthful summers in China at a mountain retreat, and he and Betty often roamed the wooded ridge christened Tantalus
by Punahou School
students. Other prime hillside communities near town were already crowded, but Tantalus was still sparsely settled forest reserve land, lacking city water lines, and the few lots available were not very expensive. During one of their hikes in 1946, Howard and Betty found the perfect spot—along with its elderly owner enjoying the view. After they became better acquainted, Mr. Coulter offered to sell them the parcel of land for $2000, even though they offered him twice the price. Then the couple went looking for the perfect architect to build a home for them on that site, and found him in Vladimir Ossipoff
.
. The upper side of the house is well sheltered from frequent mountain showers, while low-lying wooden louver
s draw cooling breezes toward the larger openings on the side facing downhill. A long, open-sided recreation room
extends beneath the bedrooms and faces onto a wide lawn. The large master bedroom at one end is angled to preserve an old stand of eucalyptus trees, and a sharp, wraparound deck juts out from the living room end of the house, overlooking the pool, the treetops, and a wide expanse of the city and the leeward side of the island stretching into the distance. Every room has a view.
The house is made of wood frame with retaining wall
s of concrete block in support. Large glass windows under overhanging eaves combine with carefully placed partitions to provide both shade and filtered daylight. Interior walls of redwood are bleach
-stained to mute the color and highlight the grain
. The staircase, built-in cabinet
s, countertop
s, and several pieces of furniture
were fashioned from the fine wood of a single, large monkeypod tree. The open-beamed ceiling
adds to the spaciousness of the living room
s, while a sandstone fireplace
with copper
hood lends a simultaneous feel of coziness.
The exterior landscaping was designed by the noted landscape architect
s, Robert and Catherine Thompson, who were friends of the family, and the house has been carefully maintained by the architect, Bob Liljestrand, the eldest son of the original owners.
Tantalus-Round Top Road
The winding, hillside road from Tantalus to Round Top in Honolulu, Hawaii, dates back to 1892. Tantalus Drive and Round Top Drive were gravel roads when they were completed in 1917, but were paved in 1937...
in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, was designed by Vladimir Ossipoff
Vladimir Ossipoff
Vladimir ‘Val’ Ossipoff was an American architect best known for his works in Hawaii.Vladimir Ossipoff was born November 25, 1907 in Vladivostok, Russia, but grew up in Tokyo, Japan, where his father was a military attaché of the Russian embassy, and emigrated to the United States in 1923...
for Betty and Howard Liljestrand, a doctor and nurse who had bought the hillside site overlooking leeward 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...
in 1948. Completed in 1952, the house "was perhaps Ossipoff's most intricate as well as his most widely publicized domestic commission." After it was featured in House Beautiful
House Beautiful
House Beautiful is an interior decorating magazine that focuses on decorating and the domestic arts. First published in 1896, it is currently published by the Hearst Corporation, who purchased it in 1934...
magazine as a Pace Setter House in 1958, it attracted hundreds of visitors in organized weekly tours. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2008.
The Owners
Howard Liljestrand was the son of missionaries to Sichuan, China, where he had been raised. After completing medical degrees in the United States, he and Betty arrived in Hawaii in 1937 en route to China. However, the chaos that followed the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese WarSecond Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
earlier that year convinced them to pause in Honolulu, where both found employment at The Queen’s Medical Center. Eventually they decided to settle in the Islands, build a home, and raise a family.
It took the Liljestrands until 1946 to find the perfect spot: on a secluded hillside, but within easy reach of work, school, and town. Howard had enjoyed youthful summers in China at a mountain retreat, and he and Betty often roamed the wooded ridge christened Tantalus
Tantalus (Oahu)
Tantalus is an extinct cinder cone in the southern Koolau Range on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. It also has a summit crater, Tantalus Crater. The cinder cone formed after the demise of Koolau Volcano, during a time of rejuvenated stage volcanism in southeastern Oahu that also formed Punchbowl...
by Punahou School
Punahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
students. Other prime hillside communities near town were already crowded, but Tantalus was still sparsely settled forest reserve land, lacking city water lines, and the few lots available were not very expensive. During one of their hikes in 1946, Howard and Betty found the perfect spot—along with its elderly owner enjoying the view. After they became better acquainted, Mr. Coulter offered to sell them the parcel of land for $2000, even though they offered him twice the price. Then the couple went looking for the perfect architect to build a home for them on that site, and found him in Vladimir Ossipoff
Vladimir Ossipoff
Vladimir ‘Val’ Ossipoff was an American architect best known for his works in Hawaii.Vladimir Ossipoff was born November 25, 1907 in Vladivostok, Russia, but grew up in Tokyo, Japan, where his father was a military attaché of the Russian embassy, and emigrated to the United States in 1923...
.
The House
The Liljestrands presented Ossipoff with demanding requirements, while the topography and highly variable daily weather conditions—sun, wind, and rain—imposed further constraints. The house is on two terraces, with the carport, entrance, and main part of the long, narrow house on the uphill terrace, and a lower story opening onto the downhill terrace. On a third, lower tier is a swimming poolSwimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
. The upper side of the house is well sheltered from frequent mountain showers, while low-lying wooden louver
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
s draw cooling breezes toward the larger openings on the side facing downhill. A long, open-sided recreation room
Recreation room
A recreation room is a room used for a variety of purposes, such as parties, games and other everyday or casual use. The term is common in the United States and Canada, but is less common in the United Kingdom where the preferred term is games room...
extends beneath the bedrooms and faces onto a wide lawn. The large master bedroom at one end is angled to preserve an old stand of eucalyptus trees, and a sharp, wraparound deck juts out from the living room end of the house, overlooking the pool, the treetops, and a wide expanse of the city and the leeward side of the island stretching into the distance. Every room has a view.
The house is made of wood frame with retaining wall
Retaining wall
Retaining walls are built in order to hold back earth which would otherwise move downwards. Their purpose is to stabilize slopes and provide useful areas at different elevations, e.g...
s of concrete block in support. Large glass windows under overhanging eaves combine with carefully placed partitions to provide both shade and filtered daylight. Interior walls of redwood are bleach
Bleach
Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...
-stained to mute the color and highlight the grain
Wood grain
In speaking of wood the term grain refers to the alternating regions of relatively darker and lighter wood resulting from the differing growth parameters occurring in different seasons . The term is used in several ways. Perhaps most important is that in woodworking techniques...
. The staircase, built-in cabinet
Cabinet (furniture)
A cabinet is usually a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors or drawers for storing miscellaneous items. Some cabinets stand alone while others are built into a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood or, now increasingly, of synthetic...
s, countertop
Countertop
Countertop usually refers to a horizontal worksurface in kitchens or other food preparation areas, bathrooms or lavatories, and workrooms in general. It is frequently installed upon and supported by cabinets...
s, and several pieces of furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
were fashioned from the fine wood of a single, large monkeypod tree. The open-beamed ceiling
Ceiling
A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limit of a room. It is generally not a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the floor or roof structure above....
adds to the spaciousness of the living room
Living room
A living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge , is a room for entertaining adult guests, reading, or other activities...
s, while a sandstone fireplace
Fireplace
A fireplace is an architectural structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape...
with copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
hood lends a simultaneous feel of coziness.
The exterior landscaping was designed by the noted landscape architect
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
s, Robert and Catherine Thompson, who were friends of the family, and the house has been carefully maintained by the architect, Bob Liljestrand, the eldest son of the original owners.