ILWU union hall considered classic example of '50s modern architecture

• History-filled mural, union hall to be restored to original glory

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Pablo O'Higgins mural and ILWU hall in which it sits go together hand in glove.

They are two parts of the same package. Hawai'i architect Alfred Preis conceived and designed the ILWU building with the centrally located mural in mind.

Although the building looks a little worn today, it's a classic piece of 1950s modern architecture, said Nora Jaso, a Seattle architect working on the renovation. "It's very quiet, but very elegant," Jaso said. "And the fact that it still functions as it was originally intended, as a union hall, adds to its beauty. Its very ordinariness suits the work of a union perfectly. "

Preis' best known work is the Arizona Memorial. Some say its graceful lines and the way it functions perfectly as a memorial make it one of the most beautiful structures in Hawai'i.

By contrast, the ILWU building seems a bit boxy at first glance. Take a closer look, though, and you'll find much of Preis' trademark use of soft lines and Hawai'i details, Jaso said.

"The whole place has a lovely bend to it, and it's beautifully proportioned," she said.

Preis' sympathy for organized labor can be seen in the ILWU's building blocks. Instead of smoothing out the mortar between each concrete block, Preis allowed it to ooze out and harden randomly. The symbolism is that each brick represented an ILWU member, and the union was the glue that held them together, said Leonard Hoshijo, a member of the Hawai'i Labor Heritage Council.

Preis' original plans called for the winding staircase in the building's entry to dominate the public space. That, in turn, was supposed to create great curving offices and amoeba-form hallways throughout the rest of the building.

Over the years though, many of the open areas were sectioned off and squared up to meet needs for office space. A rooftop lanai was enclosed, natural lighting was cut off, a downstairs bar was shuttered and the surrounding open space was filled in by a hotel and convention center.

By the 1980s, the building already suffered from a lack of maintenance; some union officials were thinking about tearing it down and moving elsewhere. One group of concerned union members successfully protested the idea, saying monumental art works like the O'Higgins mural and the building itself "belong to the people as a whole and to future generations."

In the early 1990s, union officials began planning to save the mural and update the building. Among the improvements planned in the next two years are a new elevator system, central air conditioning (which will cut down on noise and air pollution inside), new plumbing and lighting, and a return to Preis' original curving floor plans.