And so in the future, I hope, shall come complete realization
of the contemporary architect's dream of space, light and air -
and above all color variety and imagination. -Claude Albon Stiehl
Claude Albon Stiehl worked in Hawai`i for a mere decade, yet he left a legacy of many distinct buildings that exude an elusive quality many architects try to achieve - a sense of place.Born in San Francisco in 1902, he graduated from the Chicago School of Architecture and studied at the Chicago Art Institute and Armour Institution. In October of 1929, Stiehl moved to Honolulu, having secured a position in the office of C.W. Dickey. While in Dickey's firm, Stiehl worked on the Kamehameha Schools, Halekulani Hotel and several large residences. With the deepening of the Great Depression, he left Hawai`i in 1931 to live and work in San Francisco, Chicago and New York. When he returned to Honolulu, he opened his own office and became a highly sought after architect.
Stiehl designed in a distinctive style combining the simplicity and bold composition of the modern style with the openness and tropical motif detailing of the "Hawaiian Style" adopted by many of Hawai`i's architects in the 1920s and 1930s. He designed each building with the client, site and climate in mind as is evident in the individuality of the projects featured in this calendar. Stiehl reveled in the opportunities to make each project unique, and he noted in an article he wrote for California Art and Architecture, "That is one of the most pleasant features of practicing architecture in Honolulu. No two settings are alike, no two conditions are the same."
While each of Stiehl's residences were unique, common elements of his residential work often included sliding doors; corner windows; a low, horizontal profile with Art Deco or Art Modern detailing; and an incredible ability to capture the sensibility of tropical living. Stiehl left Hawai`i in 1940 and established an architectural office in downtown Oakland. He remained there until his death in 1959.
excerpt from introduction
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