Diamond Head Architectural Classics On The Market
Among the architects who have enriched the built landscape of Hawaii are Charles William Dickey and Claude Albon Stiehl. Although they designed numerous residences, both architects are best known for their public buildings, such as the Stangenwald Building, Hawaii’s first “highrise” office building, the U. S. Immigration Station, and the Toyo Theatre, all designed by Dickey, and the Church of the Crossroads, Stiehl’s masterpiece, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Recently, homes designed by Dickey and Stiehl have been placed on the market…both preserved and upgraded by their owners over the approximately eighty year period since they were built.
Dickey’s own home on Makalei Place is one of two houses he built for his family. He is said to have chosen the lot on the slopes of Diamond Head “to have a framed view of the ocean through the coconut trees and a coastal perspective” and noted that his home would be “a Hawaiian house designed to be in keeping with the local climate…Hawaiian houses need large openings and comparatively small wall spaces to allow tradewinds to enter and freely circulate.”
Dickey also advocated porches and wide, projecting eaves to shut out frequent showers “without the necessity of closing open windows.” The “wide, projecting eave” added at a separate, more shallow angle, or pitch, from the main body of a high roof became a Dickey trademark. Although Dickey did not claim to have originated this structural detail, called a double-pitched hip roof, he incorporated it into so many of the homes and buildings he designed that it became known as the “Dickey roof.”
The Dickey residence currently being offered for sale features many Dickey trademarks including high ceilings and the double pitched roof with a flair out/overhang to block both rain and direct sunlight.
“The property was meticulously restored in 1998 by Dorothy “Tita” Thacker Johnson and her husband Paul as a true labor of love,” said listing Realtor Anne Hogan Perry. “Dorothy is Dickey’s granddaughter, and she and her brother grew up at Makalei with her parents and grandparents. The current owners are the first who are not family members, but they have carried on the passion and love for the property. Along with interior designer Shirley Wagner ASID of Fine Design Interiors, they upgraded the property with design elements sensitive to and in keeping with the history and tradition of the home, which has recently won numerous design awards.”
Situated on a 10,327 square foot lot, the home overlooks the south shore of Oahu, with views of the ocean, Diamond Head, mountains, and city. With 3,761 interior square feet plus lanais, five bedrooms and five baths, the historic and architecturally significant home was extensively and meticulously restored and modernized in 1998 and 2009.
Architect Claude Albon Stiehl designed residences for many of Hawaii’s kamaaina families during the 1930s, including the Castles, the Kays, and the Dillinghams. In 1932, he completed a home on Puu Panini Loop for the Albert Hoogs family; it was purchased in 1960 by the family of the current owners who have lived in it since that time.
Due to its elevation and orientation on the nearly half acre site between Kahala and Diamond Head, the multi-level home enjoys cooling breezes and mountain views. The exterior reflects Stiehl’s architectural artistry with its variety of window and door treatments and use of complementary structural materials such as glass, wood paneling, and sandstone that was quarried on the site.
The current owners have remodeled and upgraded the home at various times over the years. The main living area, which has 14 foot high ceilings and floor to ceiling plate glass windows for views and glass louvers for natural ventilation, was previously an outdoor lanai. Interior hard-wood trim and white oak hardwood floors have been refinished.
A swimming pool and hot tub were added to the surrounding garden with its mature trees and flowering plants.
The main residence includes four bedrooms and four baths; a separate studio apartment is located on the 20,662 square foot property which includes an 8,000 square foot CPRd lot.
The Charles W. Dickey house is being offered for sale by Realtor Anne Hogan Perry and the Claude Albon Stiehl house by Realtors Frankie Anderson and Maggie Walker of Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties.
