Community Support Integral to the Project’s Success
Project description and photos courtesy of Kristi Cardoso, executive director, the Liljestrand Foundation.
The Liljestrand Foundation recently completed its biggest preservation project to-date, a two-year restoration of the iconic deck of Liljestrand House.
One of the signature design elements of the Liljestrand House is its elegant, triangular, wrap-around deck that was an integral part of Vladimir Ossipoff’s original design for the house, completed in 1952. Over the ensuing 69 years thousands of visitors to the house have stood on the deck, enjoying the panoramic views of Diamond Head, Honolulu, and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.
Liljestrand House circa 1952/53. Photo courtesy the Lijestrand Foundation.
In 2021, the years of weather and a deteriorating gutter system made preservation of the deck an urgent priority. Extensive gutter repairs, completed in 2020, resolved the dripping and pooling water that had slowly degraded significant parts of the decking to the point where it was no longer safe to stand on. In order to once again be able to safely host visitors on the deck, the Foundation launched an “All Hands on Deck” campaign at the end of 2021.
Completed in early 2023, the new deck is stunning. The project was only made possible thanks to the generous support of many “deckhands”. Over $50,000 was raised from individuals in Hawai`i and across the United States. Jim Keller and Armstrong Builders LLC made an incredible donation of project coordination and incomparable carpentry services. Dean Sakamoto Architects drafted the as-built plans and together with structural engineer Ken Hayashida of KAI Hawaii and architect Joe Ferraro, developed the plans for the steel work and framing based on the original drawings, all on a volunteer basis. Richard Malmgren of RCM Construction Corporation donated the materials and labor for the masonry wall under the deck. Joe Uno of J. Uno & Associates volunteered his services as project manager. And of course, the Liljestrand Foundation is grateful to the many donors who so generously heeded the call for help back in 2021.
View the photo gallery below for a peak inside the project. Featured are photos of the damaged areas, in-progress work and completed deck which can be viewed at the bottom of the gallery and the top image of this post.
Liljestrand Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2007 with the mission of preserving Liljestrand House and making that preservation beneficial to the community. The house is open to the public for tours and programs.