Legendary architect Vladimir Ossipoff is usually associated with drawings of buildings. But this week, some of his sketches of tropical fish and trinkets from his travels around the world are up for sale through Oʻahu Auctions.
Called the Father of Hawaiian Modernism, he is known for his buildings across the state. Over 60 years, he created more than 1,000 projects across the Islands.
“It is an amazing, really once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to obtain these things,” David Brandt, president of Oʻahu Auctions, told Aloha State Daily. “It's going to be really interesting to see where they go. I can imagine these sketches will be framed and in boardrooms and buildings that he designed and things like that.”
Vladimir Ossipoff's sketch of a tropical fish. This item and more are part of the auction that ends on Thursday, Nov. 19. (Oʻahu Auctions) 
This pencil sketch of the Sunset Tower Hotel by Vladimir Ossipoff is part of the auction. (Oʻahu Auctions) 
A Renaissance head study in pencil by Vladimir Ossipoff is also part of the auction. (Oʻahu Auctions) 
A signed 1955 white ink portrait by the celebrated painter Madge Tennent, a close friend of the family, is also part of the auction. (Oʻahu Auctions) 
This pencil sketch by Vladimir Ossipoff of Old St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco is also part of the auction. (Oʻahu Auctions) 
Furniture — including these Norman Cherner hourglass side chairs from the Ossipoff estate — is part of the auction. (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
A signed watercolor of a stone bridge, by Vladimir Ossipoff, circa 1930, is also part of the auction. (Oʻahu Auctions)
Ossipoff’s career included work at the Pacific Club, Outrigger Canoe Club, Hawaiʻi Preparatory Academy, Waikīkī Aquarium, the Thurston Memorial Chapel at Punahou Schools, the IBM Office Building, the Daniel K. Honolulu International Airport, and the Kahului Airport, among other projects. He was also the talent behind the Liljestrand House on the slopes of Mount Tantalus, which is open for public tours, as well as the Ossipoff Cabin, his personal retreat in the Waiʻanae mountains, and the nearby Goodsill Cottage.
He died in 1998. Now, 28 years later, some of the architect’s sketches and personal items are up for auction. The online auction starts closing at 7 p.m. on Thursday Nov. 19, though bids may extend past that time if there is competition.
Ossipoff was raised in Japan, educated in Berkeley, California, and then moved to Hawaiʻi in the early 1930s. He believed those in his profession had to know human nature and must be “a bit of a sociologist, lawyer and psychologist,” according to his obituary published in the Star Bulletin in 1998.
“One thing to say is this definitely attracts interest from around the world,” Brandt said. “There's a lot of Mainland interest. There's people registered from Berkeley. There's definitely a lot of architects from around the world: Japan, Korea, Europe. It’s global interest, and of course, here.”
Among the items in this auction are sketches of tropical fish, including front and profile views of: Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, Umaumalei, Angel Fish, and more, which the family believes were part of his work on the Waikīkī Aquarium.
Ossipoff originally traveled to Honolulu to visit a college roommate and then took a position with famed Hawaiʻi architect Charles Dickey, who is known for his work on a number of buildings in town, including Honolulu Hale, the flagship location of the Hawaiʻi State Library, the Alexander & Baldwin building, and more.
In the 1960s, Ossipoff spearheaded a “war on ugliness” campaign against Hawaiʻi architecture that was insensitive to landscapes and the climate, according to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Hamilton Library. Friends called him “charming” and “cantankerous,” according to library records.
“I was just amazed to look through this and get a glimpse into this amazing architect that has shaped Hawaiʻi and did these sketches,” Brandt said. “Just to kind of see what his thoughts were behind it, and especially those fish. It just never occurred to me that somebody who would be designing the Waikīkī Aquarium would take the time to sketch fish and think about how fish are going to look in the aquarium as you're designing that. I just thought that was neat. And then, he went to Berkeley and sketched that, and I thought that was pretty cool.”
The auction lot also includes pottery from the Late Qing Dynasty, as well as vintage statehood-era Hawaiʻi newspapers, and a German tea set from the late 20th Century, among other items.
“And then all those small items, those treasures, were things that they collected from traveling all around the world,” Brandt said. “All of those just are such interesting objects that have their own story to tell.”
Custom koa wood sideboard with sliding doors, from the Ossipoff home. (Oʻahu Auctions) 
A historical photo of the custom koa wood sideboard with sliding doors in the Ossipoff home. (Oʻahu Auctions)
There is also a family Christmas card and an illustrated invitation to dinner from artist John Young. Find these items and more online. A 15% buyer’s premium is added to bids, plus the 4.712% general excise tax. Details.
The Ossipoff family's 1958 photographic holiday card. (Oʻahu Auctions) 
A hand-drawn Year of the Horse dinner invitation to Maple Garden from the artist John Young. (Oʻahu Auctions)
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
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