Frank Haines, a man who was inspired by an architectural drawing of the Empire State Building as a child and developed a career that involved helping produce the Hawaii state Capitol and numerous other buildings around Honolulu, died Thursday at 96.

Haines died from choking during a restaurant outing while on an annual trip to a family lake house in the Adirondack mountain region of upstate New York. Friends and family said his death was a shock because he was in great shape.

Haines was a promoter of good design in modern Hawaii architecture and also had a passion for historic buildings, including ones throughout downtown Honolulu, where up until his death he led walking tours sharing his knowledge and appreciation of the more-than-century-old buildings.

Haines also led what grew into the state’s biggest architectural firm, Architects Hawaii Ltd., and was instrumental in its lasting success.

“He was really one of the strong founders of modern architecture here,” said college friend and former Architects Hawaii principal Alex Weinstein. “He had a tremendous impact.”

Joe Farrell, a principal emeritus at the firm who called Haines his mentor for 55 years, said Hawaii became a better place to live after World War II in part because of what Haines did. “He stood for good design,” Farrell said. “He made a difference in Hawaii.”

Haines was born in Bethlehem, Pa., and raised in Stamford, Conn., not far from New York City. His son and daughter recalled that as a child their dad saw Empire State Building drawings in the home of a friend whose dad was an architect, and that was part of what led Haines to study the subject first at Princeton University and then at MIT.

In between Princeton and MIT, the United States was drawn into World War II, and Haines joined the Navy on a tour that delivered him to Hawaii.

“He visited Hawaii and fell in love with it,” said daughter Mallory Armstrong. “He jumped at the chance.”

After the war and obtaining a master’s degree in architecture from MIT, an MIT friend of Haines who later became his wife, Peg, was an artist who drew renderings for a two-man architectural shop in Waikiki that was looking to hire another designer.

Cyril “Cy” Lemmon started the business in the garage of his Waikiki home in 1946, and Haines became the third partner in 1948 or 1951, joining Lemmon and Douglas Freeth. After the addition of more partners over several years that added to the length of the firm’s name based on last names of each principal, the company was renamed Architects Hawaii and is now known as AHL.

AHL’s work has included numerous homes and many prominent commercial and government buildings including the Capitol, Prince Kuhio Federal Building, Shriners Hospital, Oahu Country Club, John A. Burns School of Medicine and Aulani, to name a few. The firm also designed the capitol for the Federated States of Micronesia.

Haines took the administrative reins and grew the company into a power as president from 1968 to 1986. He served as chairman from 1998 to 2009 and remained a board member until his death.

“It grew because of him and his philosophies,” Farrell said of the company.

Added Glenn Mason, a veteran Hawaii architect with Mason Architects Inc., “He really did set up a business model that worked and lasted. There’s a lot of firms that grow and then die.”

Haines taught at the University of Hawaii School of Architecture from 1965 to 1991 and created a course on ethics and management, according to AHL.

“Right now we are all just a bit in shock and sad,” said Bettina Mehnert, AHL president and CEO. “He was an architectural icon who left an indelible legacy at AHL.”

Said son Fred Haines, “It’s hard to believe he’s gone.”

Haines was a consummate family man, often coming home for a swim and dinner with his wife and children without work baggage.

“He was a great dad,” said daughter Armstrong. “He was bigger than life for us.”

Fred Haines said his dad was an avid hiker with whom he could never keep up. “He walked like hell,” Haines said. “It was hard for everybody to keep up with him.”

That was also typically the case on the 2-1/2-hour walking tours of downtown Honolulu historical buildings that the architect led as a docent for AIA Honolulu, the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects. AHL said Haines co-founded the tours 56 years ago, which were later expanded through AIA.

The Historic Hawai‘i Foundation established the Frank Haines Award in 2009 to honor an individual’s outstanding lifetime achievements in preserving historic and cultural places of Hawaii.

Haines, who lived at the Kahala Nui retirement community, is survived by his two children. His wife and a daughter preceded him in death. Services are pending.