Architect puts passion into historic preservation

Preservation architecture is generally invisible. After all, you’re trying to make a building or landmark look the way it was supposed to all along, and renovation and stabilization are, by nature, hidden processes. But architect Glenn Mason’s latest success is one of the most visible structures in the islands: the brilliant orange-and-white control tower on Ford Island, the landmark centerpiece of Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor. This makes him one of our Ten Who Made a Difference in 2011.

For a couple of decades, Mason has been the behind-the-scenes architect largely responsible for preserving much of Hawaii’s historic urban landscape, from Hawaii Hall at Bishop Museum, to College Hill at the University of Hawaii, to reviving traditional housing at Hickam Air Force Base, to both of Hawaii’s royal residences and Washington Place, to dozens of commercial, military and civic vernacular structures that make Hawaii unique.

"He was a tyrant!" chuckled aviation museum Director Ken DeHoff. "He held our feet to the fire, making sure we restored everything to absolute historic fidelity. He was not just an architect; he represented the role and responsibility of preservation wonderfully.

"The restoration of the Ford Island Tower was a tremendous learning lesson for all of us, and Glenn led us through it all — he was extremely professional and, at the same time, reasonable. He understood our priorities and came up with various, alternate solutions when the stabilization process took us down a different path than we had planned — or budgeted — for. At the same time, he made sure we did things right, historically. The museum’s professional relationship with Glenn Mason is one of the best I have ever encountered."

Mason Architects, located — naturally — in a historic building in downtown Honolulu, was founded in 1998, and specializes in historic and new-design architecture as well as providing research and master plans for historic-preservation projects and inventories. Previously, Mason worked with architectural educator Spencer Leineweber, and many of Mason Architects’ team have been there more that two decades.

"Glenn Mason is an outstanding restoration architect," Leineweber said. "He combines passion and superb technical knowledge. … His firm, as a leader in military projects in the Pacific, has an exceptional range of preservation skills to identify and protect our island heritage for future generations."

Son of the late business magazine publisher George Mason, Glenn Mason has also served on the boards of Honolulu organizations such as preschools and Bishop Museum members.