Liljestrand House

Rooted in the belief that a house is the product of the time, the place, and the people, Liljestrand House takes us through the lives of Betty Liljestrand, Howard Liljestrand, and Vladimir Ossipoff. Told through narrative prose and enriched with personal, primary source materials from the family’s archive, the book reveals how the combined lived experiences of everyone involved, and the unique climate of Hawai’i, informed the decisions that shaped the design of the home. Diving deep into the history of the land, people, and the politics of the time, it features original photographs from Betty and Howard; sketches and early designs by Vladimir Ossipoff; and a collection of personal and professional photographs taken of the house, then and now.

The Liljestrand House in Honolulu, Hawaii, was designed by Vladimir Ossipoff for Dr. Howard and Betty Liljestrand, who had bought the hillside site overlooking downtown Oahu in 1948. Completed in 1952, the house “was perhaps Ossipoff’s most intricate as well as his most widely publicised domestic commission.” After it was featured in House Beautiful magazine as a Pace Setter House in 1958, it attracted hundreds of visitors in organised weekly tours. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.