Architect Corner - Pete Wimberly
This post is a sampling of projects by architect George J. “Pete” Wimberly (January 16, 1914 – December 30, 1995), an American architect known for his work in Honolulu, Hawaii and for his firm's designs of resorts all over the world.
The following short bio is from Wikipedia:
Wimberly came to Hawaii in 1940 as a "journeyman architect doing naval work at Pearl Harbor. After the war he worked with Howard Cook in the architectural firm of Wimberly and Cook.
The rehabilitation of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel was one of his first jobs and many more followed. His work is typified by the use of local materials such as coral stone, lava rock, wood beams, thatch, bamboo, and glass; local "forms" such as flowing indoor/outdoor open spaces sheltered by big dramatic roofs with big eaves; and "liberal use of figurations, patterns and motifs derived from the cultures of the Pacific".
In 1971, George Whisenand, Jerry Allison, Greg Tong and Don Goo joined Pete Wimberly; in 1988 the firm became Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo, also known as WATG.
3288 Huelani, Honolulu
This home in Manoa was designed by George (Pete) Wimberly for his family. The house is on the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places.
The house was constructed in 1945 with additions made in 1951 and 1953.
4335 Kaiko’o Place. Wimberly and Cook, 1956
Above, a stunning mid-century A-frame residence in the Kahala area. This one can be experienced as a vacation rental!
Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery 45-425 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, HI
Wimberly and Cook, 1958
Dad and I stopped by the memorial park to pay our respects to family members buried here.
Resource modttaveler.net:
The modernist structures at the Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery were designed by George ‘Pete’ Wimberly (along with then partner Howard Cook.
Opened in 1958, you’ll discover sublime folded plate roof lines supported by strong yet graceful pillars, tropical island-style breezeblocks and floor to ceiling glass revealing breathtaking views of the Ko’olau mountains at this peaceful and contemplative one-of-a-kind location.
Alawai Apartments, 1953 2319 Ala Wai Blvd
Wimberly and Cook, 1953
From SAH Archipedia:
This four-story, flat-roofed, modernist apartment building centers on a painted-brick body; its round-arched entrance is the only concession to ornamentation. A dozen apartments, with steel-awning windows, cantilever out from both sides of the main body, with a central lateral-running hallway providing access to the four units on each floor. Straightforward, functional fire escapes demarcate the termini of the halls. Elevation of the apartments gives the ground floor some breathing room, even if only for parking.
Princess Victoria Kaminaka Building, 1957
I took this photo of the Princess Victoria Kaminaka Building in downtown Honolulu on Mother’s Day 2025 but only now associated the architect and build year to the photo.
Built originally for a bank, it is now state-owned. I like the color details (pink fins!) and lava rock cladding on the lower level walls.
3019 Kalakaua Ave
Wimberly and Cook, 1960
This 14-story building located the Gold Coast neighborhood at the end of Waikiki houses only 12 apartments, each over 2500 square feet.
Bank of Hawaii Tower ( now Waikiki Galleria Tower), 1966
It’s always a treat to look up at this one in Waikiki. read somewhere that the interlacing arches of this 16-story building’s facade evokes the contours of a sweet pineapple 🍍
Sheraton Waikiki 2255 Kalakaua Ave. Wimberky, Whisenand, Allison, Tong and Goo, 1971
It’s quite possible that my family visited the Sheraton Waikiki to check out the grand opening way back when. Growing up on the island, that’s something we would do as a family for a free outing - visit new hotels in Waikiki.
Yesterday, I caught this view from on a concrete pier accessed from a beachwalk near Saratoga Road.
From SAH Archipedia:
The largest resort hotel and the fifth-largest hotel in the world at the time of its opening, the thirty-one-story, triple winged, 1,904-room Sheraton Waikiki was described by Honolulu Star Bulletin reporter Lois Taylor as “a beautiful, kind and obedient girl who somehow is 6 feet 3 inches and 185 pounds. Everything's there, but there's just too much of it.” Despite a remodeling in 1996, the hotel's exuberance remains. The hotel functions well, with its curvilinear wings that give ocean views to 80 percent of the rooms. Its open terraces provide outdoor beachfront dining and drinking opportunities, and its glass elevator offers exhilarating mauka views.