2011-02 an Evening with Vladimir Ossipoff
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On November 29, a sell-out crowd gath ered on the Koa Lanai for an interesting and informative evening featuring Mary Philpotts McGrath, former Club President and noted Hawaii Interior Designer, who led a panel of experts in a discussion of design elements and details of our Club's exemplary architecture. Designed by Hawaii's most celebrated ar chitect, Vladimir Ossipoff, the unique and in novative features of the Clubhouse blend naturally into its tropical surroundings, mak ing it seem as though it had always been there ... yet maintaining a totally fresh and contemporary feeling. Nearly half a century old, the timeless architecture of the Outrig ger Canoe Club might well be fresh off the drawing board. Another in its series of Outrigger Histori cal Committee presentations, now complet ing its 17th year, the even ing consisted of a Architect Vladimir Ossipoff shows architectural plans for the new OCC at Diamond Head to lively discussion and interpretation of the ar Paul (Fragie) Banks, Dillingham Corp; and OCC's Bob Fischer. chitect's theory and philosophy of design. The panel consisted of former partners Sid Snyder, tal elements. Jeffrey Fairfax, one of the nation's most Alan Rowland, Barclay McCieod, Hank Reese and Franklin prominent restoration architects, aptly described the Out Gray. Also present was Owen Chock, of Wimberly and rigger in his book, The Architecture of Honolulu as " .. .not Cook, who handled technical details of the Club's con a building as such, but a series of congenial spaces flow struction, and architectural historian and author Don Hib ing indoors and outdoors ... as it moves towarEl the 0ceam it bard. becomes part of the beach itself .. .sti ll pleasantly resis:tiing Their contributions to the evening's informative pres confinement." entation, in addition to relating practical aspects of the The Outrigger is a perfect example of Ossipoff's inte Club's design and construction, included many humorous gration of natural surroundings, landscaping am__d architec and personal anecdotes about Ossipoff himself and their ture into one complete and harmonious wlil0le. blis personal experiences working with him. A guest of honor attention to ~ ~e-tails such as location, sunliglmli, wlnd direc was Ossipoff's daughter, Valarie. tion, and typicahm.eE)ther patt erns wefie all taken into con One of the exemf)lary elements of the Ou1migger's de siderraillj<!wl irrn1Jirte 0,verra ll design of. h)is projects. sign, pointed out by Sid Snyder, is that although mo mat lilile P,>veserilit! s:tlrrwctme i,s m~'ll ®ssip0ff's only associa1li0n ter how many times a person may walk through the wi1ll1l ©ruillrr i§! ~err. 1111 19:4:9 lile \lilas €0mtm issioned to give th'e Clubhouse, he or she is not consciously aware that it is ac old Clubhouse on the beach at Waikiki a "new look." The tually a combination of six separate buildings: Garage, outcome was widely acclaimed as a vast improvement. Lobby, Locker Rooms, Kitchen, Bar and Dining Room. Among the many changes he made was eliminating the As each segment is joined to another, light, air and distinct separation of the first and second floors. By locat landscaping become an integral part of the design as it ing the cocktail lounge at a level between the two, he in flows from room to room ... space to space. tegrated the two areas, creating a casual flow from one Although the focus was certainly on Ossipoff, the to the other. panel gave special recognition to Outrigger member Cline Ossipoff was known for incorporating native materials Mann, who as the chairman of the New Site Building into his designs, yet utilizing the latest technology in Committee, did a great job facilitating the move from the building materials. The former is exemplified by Outrig old location and making sure the construction job ran ger's columns embedded with coral from the ocean di smoothly. rectly off-shore. Th e latter, by his design for the Diamond As exemplified by the Outrigger Clubhouse, Oss ipoff's Head Apartments built in 1958. Located just a few doors designs took full advantage of surrounding environmen- from the Club, this attractive condominium was the first Page 2 February 2011 Groundbreaking was held on January 23, 1963. Shown are Two days after the groundbreaking this is what the Club sit e looked li ke. Walter Co llins, OCC President Ward Russell, Tom Wells, Vladimir Ossipoff, and Tom Whisenand. fully pre-st ressed concrete structure more than six stories Tokyo. high in the entire world. After the Russian revolution, his family remained in Over the years, many repairs, renovations, and mod ifi Tokyo, relocating to California after t he great earthquake cations have taken place at the Outrigger. Th e pipes have of 1923. Ossipoff graduat ed from the University of Ca lifor rusted, t he roof has leaked, and areas such as t he Ko a nia at Berkeley w ith a degree in Architecture in 1931. That Lanai and Locker Rooms have needed refurbishing. This same year he moved to Hawaii to begin an il lustri ous ca work has been performed, keeping the Clubhouse in top reer that spanned nearly 70 years. physica l and structural condition. But with each renova During a brief stint at Theo. H. Davies, where he pro tion, the integrity of the Club has been meticulously main duced primarily tradit ional residential designs, Ossipoff tained. absorbed the essence of t he Islan ds and their innate In the late 1990s, an Architectural Review Committee beauty. Recognizing t he potential for incorporating the was tasked with making recommendations for changes at many desirable and unique tropical qualities into his archi the Outrigger t o incorporate new demands of a greatly tecture, he created a distinctive and environmentally sen expanding membership. Although the suggested changes sitive style that became his trademark and which became were favorably viewed, the membership vehemently known as "Hawaiian Modern ". voted down the plan that would alter t he concept and Ossipoff was crit ical of the post-World Wa r II years of compromise the integ rity of Ossipoff's ori ginal design. rampant growth in Hawai i, fueled by statehood and the Coincidentally, the Historical Committee's presentation rise of the t ourist industry. Disda ining t he over-develop took place not long after the Club, through the auspices ment engendered by social changes t hat took place in of Sid Snyder, acquired ownership of the exquisitely Hawaii after t he war, Ossipoff was way ahead of his t ime crafted scal e model of the Outrigger Clubhouse made by in vigorously promoting environmentally se nsitive designs Yale University architectural students under the supervi t hat took advantage of the Islands' culture and tropical sion of Dean Sakamoto, architect and professor at Yale climate. University School of Architecture. (See page 4.) Supported by t he Hawaii Chapter of the Ameri ca n In It was shipped to Hawaii for a major exhibit of Os stitute of Architects, of w hich he served as president for sipoff's work held at the Honolulu Academy of Arts in t wo terms, Ossipoff waged a "War on Ugliness " in an at 2007. Made of bass wood, the intricacy of the model is t empt to make t he people of Hawaii aware of t he beauty truly a work of art. The model was on disp lay for the of their surroundings and t he importance of preserving evening and elicited many "oohs" and "aahs" from the the unique native qualities that make Hawaii the Paradise spectators. of the Pacific. Ossipoff joined the Outrigger in 1950 and was elected Other notable Ossipoff designs include the Administra to Life Membership in 1988. Born in Vladivostok, Siberia, tion Building at t he University of Hawaii, with its out in 1907, the future architect spent his early years in Japan sta nding Jean Chariot mura ls, and the Kalihi-Palama where his father, a Colone l in Tzar Nicholas ll's army, Library both built in 1949. Hawaiian Life Insurance Build served as a military attache in the Russ ian Embassy in ing on Ala Moan a was constructed in 195 1, the Pacific continued on page 4 Outrigger Page 3 The Hau had yet to grow over the Hau Terrace in this 1964 photo. The signature columns imbedded with cora l welcome members into the Clu b. continued from page 3 Club in 1959, the IBM Building in 1962, Thurston Chapel at although he remained a consultant until his deat h. He de Punahou School in 1967, and Honolulu Airport in the signed his last residence just t he year before. Today, the 1970s. firm of Ossipoff Snyder and Rowland Architects Inc. is the In the 1980s he designed the National Tropical Botani oldest architectural firm in Hawaii. Ossipoff died in 1998 cal Garden Resea rch Campus in Kalaheo, Kauai. Many of at the age of 91 . t he residences he created on Oahu and other islands, more Often called "the Frank Lloyd Wright of Hawaii," than a thousand during his long career, are now more Vladimir Ossipoff made an indelible impression on than 50 years old and are considered timeless masterpieces Hawaii's architectural landscape. His genius and foresight to this day. Each one was meticulously designed to suit its in creating models of beauty and practicality, while insur location, immediate surroundings and climatic conditions. ing harmony with nature and sensitivity to environment Ten yea rs before his death, Ossipoff turned over the ar are major parts of his enduring legacy. chitectural firm he had led for so long, to younger part As Mary Philpotts McGrath reminded the audience in ners including Sidney Snyder Jr.