Honolulu Zoo Entrance

Tropical modernism structures

This one’s for you, Tikiphiles!

In 1962 the designer of the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Alfred Preis, was enlisted to create an eye-catching entry building for the flourishing Honolulu Zoo, resulting in an awesome Polynesian-inspired Hawaiian modern undulating A-Frame, with design elements not dissimilar to that of his USS Arizona Memorial.

This island-style structure served as a first impression to visitors of the Zoo for nearly 50 years but in 2011 it was shuttered and replaced with a new entry building.

The Preis structure was to have been demolished but fortunately it was designated historically significant and is still a fixture at the Zoo, albeit a seemingly neglected one for now. In time it’s to be restored and repurposed as a Visitors Center.

You can still enjoy it though if you stroll through Queen Kapi’olani Park.