Kakaako means “dull, slow,” a fitting description of its primary use for fishing, salt production, canoe landings and religious practices centuries ago. Back then, few people lived in that coastal swampland stretching from Waikiki to what is now downtown Honolulu.

In stark contrast, Kakaako today is a bustling 600-acre urban swath bounded by Ala Moana Boulevard and King, Piikoi and Punchbowl streets. Luxury condos and trendy boutiques and restaurants stand within a short walk of warehouses, breweries and auto body shops.

In observance of Architecture Month in April, the Honolulu chapter of the American Institute of Architects is offering a walking tour of Kakaako led by its member architects.

Over the course of two hours, they will discuss the area’s past, present and vision for its future from a design perspective.

Sean Baumes, senior associate at WCIT Architecture, is co-chairman of this year’s tour.

“The route spotlights buildings that were completed in the 1930s, sites that are being constructed now and projects that might not come to fruition for at least 10 years,” he said.

“Participants will learn how some progressive designs that were not widely embraced at the time they were built have become lasting landmarks. In keeping with the theme of Architecture Month this year, ‘Community: Design Matters,’ we’ll share stories about the people who influenced the unique character of Kakaako’s architecture. The stories continue to be written: Kakaako is undergoing a significant transition that the public can help shape.”

Here are three of the iconic buildings on the 1.5-mile route and what Baumes had to say about them:

NEAL S. BLAISDELL CENTER ARENA

>> Address: 777 Ward Ave.

>> Built: 1964

>> Architects: Adrian Wilson & Associates (Los Angeles); Merrill, Sims and Roehrig (Honolulu)

>> Style: Midcentury modern

>> Background: In 1870 and 1875, entrepreneur Curtis Ward and his wife, Victoria, purchased parcels totaling about 100 acres extending from Thomas Square to the ocean. It was fertile land valued for its fishponds, streams and irrigation channels. The City and County of Honolulu acquired 22.4 acres of the Ward estate in 1957 to construct a concert hall and sports arena.

Originally known as Honolulu International Center, Hawaii’s premier multipurpose complex was renamed Neal S. Blaisdell Center in 1976, after the mayor who was in office when it was built. Ponds throughout the facility recall the abundant natural water sources that once nourished the site.

The tour will focus on the arena, which, over the past 54 years, has been the venue for a wide range of events, from circuses and figure skating shows to basketball games and high school graduations. Initial planning for a renovation of the entire Blaisdell campus is underway.

BAUMES SAYS:

The arena’s round interior is derived from the circular seating configuration around its event floor; expressing this round shape on the exterior creates a symmetrical form that has no identifiable front or back. This is important because when seen from various points, the arena has the same recognizable shape. Its concourse was designed as an open-air experience, partially to reduce construction costs and partially to immerse patrons in gentle tradewinds and the surrounding tropical landscaping. The dramatic roofline shelters and shades the concourse and captures flickering shadows cast by the rippling surface of the ponds.

—

IBM BUILDING

>> Address: 1240 Ala Moana Blvd.

>> Built: 1962

>> Architect: Vladimir Ossipoff (Honolulu)

>> Style: Midcentury modern

>> Background: The IBM Corp. established a presence in Honolulu in 1937. Looking to polish its image in anticipation of statehood in 1959, it hired Ossipoff to design its new six-story headquarters in Kakaako. He cleverly addressed three major objectives: to incorporate a Hawaii look, provide protection from the sun and promote IBM as a global leader in computer technology.

Fast-forward a half-century.

The original master plan for the redevelopment of Kakaako included demolition of the IBM Building, which the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation opposed. It added the structure to its list of Most Endangered Historic Sites in 2008, and a grass-roots effort was launched to save it.

Six years later, recognizing its importance to the community, new owner Howard Hughes Corp. completed a $20 million renovation of the building, which now houses offices for its local staff and other businesses.

BAUMES SAYS:

The IBM Building’s defining element is its facade, a great example of a “brise soleil,” an architectural feature that reduces interior glare and heat by deflecting sunlight. Made of 1,360 precast concrete pieces, the facade’s repetitious motif is a reminder of both traditional Polynesian geometric patterns and the contemporary gridded markings of computer punch cards. It is also functional: Each piece is curved and precisely angled, preventing birds from roosting and enabling rain to wash it clean.

—

MCCOY PAVILION

>> Address: Ala Moana Beach Park, 1201 Ala Moana Blvd.

>> Built: Original section, 1937; addition, 1975

>> Architects: Harry Sims Bent and Charles Chamberlain (both based in Honolulu)

>> Style: Art deco

>> Background: Charles Lester McCoy was chairman of the Honolulu Park Board from 1931 to 1941, during which he oversaw the creation and management of Ala Moana Beach Park. The community center that bears his name originally opened in 1937 as the Sports Pavilion and Banyan Court, designed by Bent, the park department’s architect. At one of their many meetings, McCoy pulled out a worn postcard that he had bought on one of his trips overseas. It showed a Balinese garden that wound up the inspiration for Bent’s work.

The Sports Pavilion offered rooms for crafts and games as well as lockers for people using the adjacent paved courts for tennis and other diversions. Focal points of the Banyan Court included four Chinese banyans that have since been deemed “exceptional.”

When McCoy’s widow, Hazel, died in 1968, she bequeathed $1.2 million for a memorial to her husband. Her gift was used to build a pavilion on the Diamond Head side of the Banyan Court, which was finished in 1975.

Improvements to these facilities are in the design phase.

BAUMES SAYS:

McCoy Pavilion and the Banyan Court often go unnoticed because they’re hidden by tennis courts and concrete walls. Two ornamental reflecting pools bring a dynamic nature to the court, which is otherwise dominated by monochromic stone elements. The pools reflect the azure daytime skies, amber sunsets and verdant tree canopies, filling this beautiful oasis with ever-changing colors. Ornate stone steps and edges emphasize the decorative layout of the pools and create places for people to sit and relax.

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.