First Hawaiian Center
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First Hawaiian Center is the second tallest building in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...
and the city of
Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
, the largest city in the state. It is the world corporate headquarters of First Hawaiian Bank, the oldest and largest bank based in Hawaii. The tower is one of the most well-known buildings in Honolulu, with a striking presence at the center of
downtown Honolulu Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of Honolulu, the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the nor ...
's skyline.


Description

Located at 999 Bishop Street in
downtown Honolulu Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of Honolulu, the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the nor ...
near Bishop Park, the First Hawaiian Center is the world corporate headquarters of First Hawaiian Bank, Hawaii's oldest bank and multibillion-dollar company established by
Charles Reed Bishop Charles Reed Bishop (January 25, 1822 – June 7, 1915) was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist in Hawaii. Born in Glens Falls, New York, he sailed to Hawaii in 1846 at the age of 24, and made his home there, marrying into the ...
, consort of Princess
Bernice Pauahi Bishop Bernice Pauahi Bishop KGCOK RoK (December 19, 1831 – October 16, 1884), born Bernice Pauahi Pākī, was an '' alii'' (noble) of the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Hawaii and a well known philanthropist. At her death, her estate was the la ...
. First Hawaiian Center features the 24,000 square feet (2,200 m2) of open plaza, park space and waterways in the middle of downtown Honolulu's financial district cityscape of towering commercial buildings and congested streets. It is within walking distance of the Aliiōlani Hale,
Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (French: ''Cathédrale de Notre Dame de la Paix''; Portuguese: ''Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Paz''; Hawaiian: ''Malia o ka Malu Hale Pule Nui''; Latin: ''Basilicæ cathedralis Sanctæ Mariæ de Pac ...
,
Hawaii State Capitol The Hawaii State Capitol is the official statehouse or capitol building of the U.S. state of Hawaii. From its chambers, the executive and legislative branches perform the duties involved in governing the state. The Hawaii State Legislature—com ...
and
Iolani Palace Iolani is a masculine Hawaiian name meaning "royal ''hawk''." It comes from the Hawaiian words ''ʻio'', meaning "Hawaiian hawk," and ''lani'', meaning "royal." It may refer to: *ʻIolani School, a private school located in Hawaii *ʻIolani Palac ...
. Considered a "unique marriage of commerce and the arts," First Hawaiian Center features three galleries programmed by the
Honolulu Museum of Art The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. The museum has one of the largest single co ...
. (The gallery spaces were formerly curated by The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu). The gallery exhibits works by Hawaii-based artists. The First Hawaiian Center is home to the Innovation Center Pacific.


Development

First Hawaiian Center was completed and opened in 1996 by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Hawaiian Bank Walter A. Dods. With over 645,834 square feet (60,000 m2) of space and a height of 429 feet (131 m), the building cost over USD $175 million to construct. The architects were from the firm
Kohn Pedersen Fox Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) is an American architecture firm that provides architecture, interior, programming and master planning services for clients in both the public and private sectors. KPF is one of the largest architecture firms in ...
Associates.


Architecture

First Hawaiian Center planning was met with controversy as Hawaii residents became concerned about the effect skyscrapers would have on the Hawaiian landscape. Architects compromised with the use of Hawaiian architectural principles used in most contemporary Honolulu urban projects like those employed by architects of the
Hawaii Convention Center The Hawai‘i Convention Center is a convention and exhibition center in Hawaii, located in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The Hawaii Convention Center is the largest exhibition center of its type in the state. It is located directly to the ...
. Metaphoric designs were used in reference to natural phenomena found in Hawaii. Two distinct architectural forms resulted in the compromise, one for the ''
makai Makai (born 27 August 1973, stylized as MAKAI) is a Japanese house DJ. He is well known for his collaborations with Japanese vocalists, such as "Garden of Love" with Thelma Aoyama is a Japanese pop and R&B singer. She is part Afro-Trinid ...
'' side facing the ocean and one for the ''
mauka Mauka can refer to different things: * Mauka Mauka, an Indian television advertisement campaign * ''Mauka'' (snail), a subgenus of snail in the genus ''Philonesia'' *''Mirabilis expansa ''Mirabilis expansa'' (mauka or chago) is a species of flo ...
'' side facing the mountains. Horizontally louvered windows framed views of the sea and the horizon while vertically proportioned windows faced the mountains. A great deal of effort was made to incorporate as much natural light as possible into the building interiors.


See also

*
List of tallest buildings by U.S. state The following is a list of the tallest buildings by U.S. state and territory. Forty are in their state's largest city, and 18 are in their capital city. The tallest building in the U.S. by architectural height is currently One World Trade Cent ...
*
List of tallest buildings in Honolulu Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, is a U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a fede ...


References


External links


BancWest Corporation

BNP Paribas Bank




{{Tallest Buildings by U.S. state, state=autocollapse Kohn Pedersen Fox buildings Skyscrapers in Honolulu Skyscraper office buildings in Hawaii 1996 establishments in Hawaii Office buildings completed in 1996