HO’OMAIKA’I ‘ANA at 61 Real estate investor Charlie Pietsch obtained a lease in 1959 from the Bishop Estate, including the golf course with an extension of 15 acres on the opposite end. Flying to Los Angeles, he put together a 50/50 deal with friend Conrad Hilton - and the Kahala Hotel & Resort was born in 1964. Architects Killingsworth, Brady, and Smith of Long Beach, California origi- nally designed the property. Their practice was largely influenced by Kill- ingsworth’s style: horizontal structures that elegantly incorporated post- and-beam construction, open floor plans, glass, concrete, flat roofs, and soaring entrances. The legendary resort has been Oahu’s haven of amenance and ‘informal elegance’ for 61 years - situated at a secluded and pristine oceanfront locale just minutes from Waikiki and in close proximity to Black Point. Clas- sic, yet uniquely contemporary, it contains 338 rooms with incomparable views of the Pacific Ocean and Ko’olau Mountain Range; exceptional cu- linary experiences at its five restaurants; and bespoke treatments that in- corporate elements of native Hawaiian healing methods at its award-win- ning Kahala Spa. Since its opening, The Kahala Hotel & Resort has hosted for accommo- dations or held events for every American President from Lyndon Baines Johnson to Barack Obama, legions of foreign royalty and dignitaries, a plethora of cinema and rock stars, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
PHOTOS (TOP): Kahala Hotel circa 1964, Oahu, Hawaii © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10) Julius Shulman, 1910-2009, was an active architectural photographer from 1936 until 1986. Representing his career, the ar- chive documents the modern movement in architecture spanning several decades and serves as a historical record of the Southern California landscape. Shulman’s prolific career has helped to pro- mote and broaden the knowledge of modern architecture by the thoughtful manner which he conveyed architectural design. (INSET): Kahala Hotel Lobby present day, © Kahala Resort; Ladies in the Sand at the Empire Steak House atop the Ilikai, Waikiki. ACROSS TOWN Our ladies in the sand , Marge Becker and Mimi Thies, find refuge in The Ilikai at Empire Steak House, a concept built on the nearly 40 year journey of the Sinanaj brothers - Russ, Jack, and Jeff. With their favorite bartender Pho, they’ve explored a plethora of mixology delights including the beloved Empire Martini from their 30th floor perch of the old “Top of the I.”
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