Spencer Leineweber and her husband, Michael, were charter members and stalwart supporters of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and heritage protection efforts for over 40 years.
Spencer received HHF’s Haines Award for lifetime achievement in historic preservation in 2013. Her preservation projects included restoration of notable sites such as Hawai‘i Mission Houses; Lyman Museum; Hawai‘i Plantation Village; and ‘Ewa Village.
She was a Professor and Director of Graduate Programs at the School of Architecture at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and oversaw the Heritage Center at the university. She authored the Campus Heritage Report for UH-Mānoa, and oversaw the preservation work at the Charlot House. She also served as one of the Hawai‘i Advisors to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and on the Committee for Historic Resources for the American Institute of Architects.
Less than a week before her death, Spencer attended a meeting of historic homeowners about a bill being considered by the Honolulu City Council that would reduce preservation incentives, lending her expertise and authority to the advocacy effort.
We will miss her deeply, and our sympathies go to her family.