Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

I remember when the Mauna Kea first opened in 1965. I was an architecture student at Cal, and I deeply admired the S.O.M. (Edward Charles Bassett) design. Based on a "haole" affection for Hawaii, it offered pristine views, marvelous sequences on "interior" spaces, lots of Asian art works, and a signature lack of air conditioning. It was an instant star in the architectural firmament.

A south wing, and a lot more air conditioning, was added later. You see, it takes a human body about 7-10 days to become comfortable in Hawaii's climate, and most tourists spend only 1 or 2 weeks on the island.

I, as well as several family folks, have stayed at this hotel. We enjoyed it tremendously, especially the friendly hotel security folks who reminded us frequently that we weren't the only guests in the hotel.

Anyway, in October 2006 a 6.9 temblor hit a few hundred feet offshore, and the southern (new) wing of the hotel collapsed, and the remainder was deemed unsuited for human occupancy. The place shut down.

There is hope, and some faith, that the newly remodeled hotel will reopen later this year.

Time will tell.