Ward Centre

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COMThe IBM building as it looks today. Iconic design The IBM Building has been saved from demolition to play a critical role in Ward Village By Nina Wu January 26, 2014 - Honolulu Star Advertiser Compared with the sleeker, newer high-rise condos next door, the IBM Building, designed by famed architect Vladi­mir Ossipoff in 1962, is compact and rectangular. Over the decades, some have called the building, with its distinct honeycomb grille, a work of beauty, while others see it as an outdated period piece. Just a little over five years ago, the IBM Building, off Ala Moana Boulevard near Ward Centre, was slated for demolition, perhaps for another high-rise. On Saturday the Howard Hughes Corp. celebrated completion of its $24 million renovation of the structure. The IBM Building will not only remain, but will serve as a gateway to the developer's master plan for the surrounding 60 acres of Ward Village, housing an information center and sales offices. Nick Vanderboom, senior vice president of development for Howard Hughes, says the building has grown on him. "It's a distinctive, iconic building," he said. "It stands out as unique. It's one of the buildings where the more time you spend in it, the more you appreciate it." Preservationists who opposed the demolition of the building are breathing a sigh of relief. "Ossipoff is one of the most well-known and celebrated of the tropical, regional architects of the 20th century," said Kiersten Faulkner, executive director of the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. "It's almost unthinkable to demolish one of his masterpieces." Famed architect Vladi­mir Ossipoff designed the IBM Building in 1962. "We were, of course, quite pleased when (Howard Hughes Corp.) decided to preserve, invest [...]