Mid-century modern buildings Founded in 1907 and relocated from Thomas Square to its current Manoa Valley location in 1912, The University of Hawaii campus at Manoa expanded dramatically during the post war boom… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Part Theater, part Convention Center, part Arena; the Neal S. Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Representing the only Statewide system of libraries in the United States, the Hawaii State Public Library System  has twenty-three branches on Oahu and fifty locations in total,… Read more…

Modernist comfort stations Located at dozens of beaches and parks throughout Oahu, the majority of Hawaii’s “comfort stations” – aka restrooms, changing rooms, toilets etc. Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings The 1400 block of Liliha Street – between N. Vineyard Blvd. Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings When called upon to design a new downtown office building in the early 1960s, rather than go full-on high-rise, architect Gerald Hamilton designed a more intimate 8-story… Read more…

Mid-century residential buildings The waterfront block of Argyle Ave. and its surrounding area – especially Bellevue Avenue – between 21st and 22nd Streets in the Dundarave/Ambleside area of West Vancouver was rezoned… Read more…

Brutalist buildings Located at the University of British Columbia, the Museum of Anthropology is world renowned for its collection of Northwest Coast First Nations art and artifacts and is definitely… Read more…

Mid-century churches A good chunk of Honolulu’s modern infrastructure was built after the Second World War resulting in what seems to be more modernist churches per capita than most American… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Like the rest of America during the post-war boom years, Honolulu banks and their building headquarters were all about inspiring consumer confidence and optimism. Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Designed by noted modernist architect Vladimir Ossipoff for computer giant IBM in the early 1960s, this iconic building exudes tropical modernism primarily because of its unique precast… Read more…

Tiki Culture/Polynesian Pop If you’re a Tikiphile and looking to get your Polynesian Pop on, Vancouver has a couple of options… The Shameful Tiki Room (4362 Main Street ) – Situated in… Read more…

Mid-century churches A good chunk of Honolulu’s modern infrastructure was built during the 1950s and 60s resulting in more modernist churches per capita than most American cities. Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Located on the windward (eastern) side of Oahu near Kaneohe, the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, best known for its 1960s replica of the 11th Century… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Located northeast of downtown Honolulu, the residential area of Makiki (not to be confused with Makiki Heights) surrounding the Makiki District Park was mostly built up during… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Oahu’s modernist architecture was not limited to commercial and residential developments in the 1950s and 60s, in fact, some of the island’s most inspired mid-century designs could… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings The Pawa’a neighborhood was one of Honolulu’s most modernized districts back in the 1960s and although one could easily spend hours taking in the entire area’s Tropical… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings If you’re a fan of circular buildings – and what self respecting modernist isn’t? – then you’ll want to check out the Varsity Building on University Avenue.… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings The International [Island] Style is on display at the Shinshu Kyokai Mission Dormitory on S. Beretania Street in Honolulu’s old Pawa’a neighborhood. Read more…

Mid-century brutalist buildings/plaza Comprised of three stunning Brutalist buildings and an inspired outdoor space, the Financial Plaza of the Pacific was originally conceived by Victor Gruen Associates in the mid 1960s… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings As demand for office space increased in Honolulu during the booming 1950s, low-rise buildings gave way to mid-rise construction before the high-rise boom of the 1960s. Read more…

Mid-century/brutalist buildings Built in 1967 on the grounds of Exhibition Park – home to Hastings Racetrack, Playland and the Pacific National Exhibition – the Pacific Coliseum is an exercise in… Read more…

Hawaiiana & mid-century collectibles The Hawaii All-Collectors One Day Show and Wiki Wiki One Day Vintage Shows take place throughout the year at the Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall and if… Read more…

Hawaiiana & vintage mid-century Off the beaten track, Then & Now is more of a warehouse than a storefront but worth seeking out for vintage mid-century collectibles and Hawaiiana. Read more…

West coast modernist houses Following the completion of the Lions Gate Bridge by Monsarrat & Pratley in 1937 – which linked Vancouver to the North Shore – residential construction in the… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Located in downtown Vancouver just blocks from Coal Harbour hangs – yes, hangs! – one of the city’s most iconic late-1960s structures, the West Coast Transmission Building.… Read more…

Mid-century/brutalist buildings A series of low lying, linear, Brutalist structures so well integrated into their surroundings atop Burnaby Mountain that one might think they were placed there centuries ago by… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Vancouver Fire & Rescue currently has twenty-two Fire Halls serving the city, a handful of which were built (or, rebuilt) during the 1950s and 60s. Here’s a quick… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings/plaza The best thing about this downtown mid-1970s Miesian office building’s namesake is its plaza. Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings The North Vancouver City Hall is a great example of how to save a vintage building through restoration, renovation and repurposing while also using recycled and natural… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings & art Currently home to the Vancouver Opera and Ballet BC, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre (1959) was the result of an international architectural competition held by the… Read more…

Mid-century heritage Not only is the Museum of Vancouver a great place to learn about the city’s heritage, but it’s also located inside one of Vancouver’s most jaw-droppingly awesome mid-century… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings & art Distinctive for its ocean green rectangular enamel panels that alternate with its glass facade, the Guinness Tower was designed by Charles Paine, circa 1967-69, and… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Wanting to create a functional space that would house a downtown electrical substation as well as double as public art, BC Electric’s chief in the early 1950s,… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Located at Vanier Park – a few minutes walk from the modernist H.R. Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings The Canadian Pacific Telecommunications Centre (currently occupied by Allstream) was the first mid-century modern structure to go up in Vancouver’s Historic Gastown, a district better known for… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Designed by CBK Van Norman in 1955, the Burrard Building was the first office high rise to go up in downtown Vancouver using new post-war modernist design… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Designed by Percy Underwood and completed in 1961, the Vancouver Parks Board offices are comprised of three low lying linked buildings finished with natural stone, Douglas fir… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings/art Located at Queen Elizabeth Park, the Bloedel Conservatory’s triodetic dome consists of over 1400 acrylic bubbles and an aluminum frame supported by a Brutalist concrete perimeter; the… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings & art Located along Vancouver’s downtown Burrard Street corridor, the Bentall Centre holds a bank pavilion and four towers (housing established businesses and law offices) which were… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings Within a few blocks of each other in downtown Vancouver are a handful of nice mid-century structures originally built to house the Western headquarters for some of… Read more…

Vintage diners & restaurants Restaurants come and go, in foodie-centric Vancouver especially, which is why it’s nice to see a handful of mid-century joints still doing what they do best.… Read more…

Mid-century residential buildings Located southwest of downtown and bordered by the waterfront, Georgia Street, Burrard Street and Denman Street – although historically, everything “West of Denman” is also considered the West End… Read more…

Mid-century modern buildings 750 17th St, West Vancouver, BC, V7V 3T3 The District Municipality of West Vancouver‘s Municipal Hall has been an iconic landmark since its design and construction by… Read more…

Mid-century vintage fashion Don’t let the small entrance fool you, for inside this former hardware store lies over 3,000 square feet of vintage mid-century attire that might just blow your… Read more…