Liliha Street

Mid-century modern buildings

The 1400 block of Liliha Street – between N. Vineyard Blvd. and Kiapu Place – is a delight of  mixed-use and smaller low rise commercial buildings, some dating back to the 1950s. Most have seen better days but the area is definitely worth a look, especially for the modernist library. Listed from  SW to NE … click on addresses below for Google Map locations.

1408 Liliha Street – This modest 3-story mixed use building was designed by Takashi Nakamura in 1960; its distinctive curved frontage hugging the corner of Liliha and Vineyard.

American Security Bank (1420  Liliha Street) – Designed by Edwin Bauer in 1960, this moderne-style commercial building is currently occupied by First Hawaiian Bank. For more modernist banks, click here!

Liliha Square (1425 Liliha Street) – This site features a retro residential concrete tower and some retail at its base.

Lung Kong Kung Shaw Society Hall (1428 Liliha Street) – Built in 1952 and designed by George Sui for the Chinese cultural society of the same name, this delightfully askew-looking concrete structure has been their Hawaiian home for nearly 65 years.

Liliha Sunrise building (1436 Liliha Street) – This 3-story building was designed by Walter Wong in 1963 and is distinctive for its metal-screened frontage. Commercial use functions street side while low-rise apartments fill the rear of the property.

Liliha Public Library (1515 Liliha Street) – Built in the early 1960s and designed by Stephen Oyakawa (who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright), this concrete structure boasts a distinctive bubble lattice facade, face brickwork and a streamline moderne look. For more modernist libraries, click here.