{{short description|American architect}} {{Infobox architect | name=Louis E. Davis | image= | birth_date= 1884 | birth_place= | death_date=1963 | death_place= | significant_buildings = President William McKinley High School (1920s), Agriculture Building (1930), Honolulu Police Station (1931) | significant_projects = | awards= }} '''Louis E. Davis''' (1884–1963) was an American architect who designed homes and public buildings in Honolulu, Hawaii.<ref>Sakamoto et al. (2008), p. 38</ref> During the 1920s, he was involved in laying out the new King Street campus of President William McKinley High School and designing its buildings in a Spanish Colonial Revival style.<ref>Sakamoto et al. (2008), p. 47</ref> He employed a similar style (Mission Revival) in designing the 1931 Honolulu Police Station on Merchant Street,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/2003/11/16/travel/index1.html |title=Lavish doors, windows were used at ornate police station |author=Burl Burlingame |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date=16 November 2003 |access-date=2009-06-06 }}</ref> which harmonized well with that of the new city hall, Honolulu Hale. Both the old McKinley campus quadrangle and the Merchant Street Historic District are on the National Register of Historic Places.
==Architectural styles==
Davis was well known for his work in the Spanish Colonial/Mission Revival style, but he also designed a very significant building that is one of the few enduring examples of rustic Mediterranean Revival architecture in the state: the Territorial Board of Agriculture and Forestry Building (1930) at the corner of Keeaumoku and King Streets in Honolulu. For this building, he employed locally quarried sandstone with distinctive green mortar, along with concrete masonry and finer sandstone for such detailing as window sills, lintels, colonnades and casements, topped by a tiled, low-pitched hip roof without eaves.<ref>Cheever and Cheever (2003), p. 91</ref>
During the early 1930s, land developer Theo H. Davies & Co. hired Davis to design new homes in a "Monterey" (or Spanish eclectic) style to be built on lots being developed in the new subdivision of Kāhala.<ref>Sakamoto et al. (2008), p. 42</ref> Note: This is partially correct. "The first group of Davie's houses had been designed by the Honolulu architect Louis Davis, in early 1932. But near the end of the year the second group was placed in the hands of the firm's in-house architectural staff (Vladimir Ossipoff was the head of the staff beginning in April 1932). Ossipoff did not disappoint." He referred to this style as "Modified Monterey" using Hawaiian influences.<ref>Hawaiian Modern: The Architecture of Vladimir Ossipoff, page 42</ref>
Davis is also credited as the architect of several of Hawai{{okina}}i's classic movie theatres.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/architect/979/ |title=Cinema Treasures: Louis Davis }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Lowell Angell |title=Theatres of Hawai'i (Images of America Series) |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, SC |year=2011 |isbn=0-7385-8160-7 }}</ref> The Princess Theatre opened in 1922 at 1236 Fort Street. It was remodeled in 1939, renovated in 1958 for Cinerama, closed in 1969, then demolished.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theater/9411/ |title= Cinema Treasures: Princess Theatre |author=Chuck Van Bibber |access-date=2009-06-09 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Lowell Angell |title=Theatres of Hawai'i (Images of America Series) |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, SC |year=2011 |pages=46–55 |isbn=0-7385-8160-7 }}</ref> The New Pawaa Theatre opened in 1929 at 1550 South King Street. Its exterior and distinctive Spanish-style interior was renovated in 1962, when it was renamed the Cinerama, then closed in 1999 to become an auto-parts store.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theater/359/ |title= Cinema Treasures: Hawaii Cinerama |author=Ross Melnick |access-date=2009-06-09 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Lowell Angell |title=Theatres of Hawai'i (Images of America Series) |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, SC |year=2011 |pages=58–59 |isbn=0-7385-8160-7 }}</ref> The New Palama Theatre opened in 1930 at 701 North King Street with 1,100 seats. This ornate Chinese-style building was leased and renamed the Zamboanga Theatre in 1970, but became retail space and is now a church.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theater/19168/ |title= Cinema Treasures: Zamboanga Theatre |author=KenRoe |access-date=2009-06-09 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Lowell Angell |title=Theatres of Hawai'i (Images of America Series) |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, SC |year=2011 |pages=66 |isbn=0-7385-8160-7 }}</ref> The rural Waipahu Theatre, with its graceful sloping tile roof, opened in late 1930 on Depot Road, across from the Waipahu Sugar Mill. Sold in 1970, it is now a church.<ref>{{cite book |author=Lowell Angell |title=Theatres of Hawai'i (Images of America Series) |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, SC |year=2011 |pages=67 |isbn=0-7385-8160-7 }}</ref> In 1931, Davis designed the Lihue Theatre on the Island of Kaua{{okina}}i. It was damaged in two hurricanes in 1982 and 1992 and its auditorium was demolished for senior citizen housing but the facade and lobby were retained and restored.<ref>{{cite book |author=Lowell Angell |title=Theatres of Hawai'i (Images of America Series) |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, SC |year=2011 |pages=86 |isbn=0-7385-8160-7 }}</ref>
==Selected works== *''Princess Theatre'' (November 8, 1922), Honolulu, Hawaii, with C.B. Ripley and Ralph Fishbourne; demolished around 1968<ref>{{Cite web |title=Princess Theatre in Honolulu, HI |url=https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/9411 |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=Cinema Treasures}}</ref> *''McKinley High School'' (1924), Honolulu, Hawaii *''New Pawaa Theatre'' (January 3, 1929), Honolulu, Hawaii; later known as ''Hawaii Cinerama'', closed in 1999<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hawaii Cinerama in Honolulu, HI |url=https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/359 |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=Cinema Treasures}}</ref> *''New Palama Theatre'' (April 19, 1930), Honolulu, Hawaii; later known as ''Zamboanga Theatre''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zamboanga Theatre |url=https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/19168 |website=Cinema Treasures}}</ref> *''Waipahu Theatre'' (December 21, 1930), Honolulu, Hawaii *''Lipolani house'' (1930), Honolulu, Hawaii<ref>{{cite web |title=Archives, Manuscripts, Photographs Catalog, Smithsonian Institution Research Information System: Lipolani 2000 (Garden Club of America Collection) |url=http://siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!247198!0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222622/http://siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001~!247198!0 |archive-date=2016-03-03}}</ref> *''Agriculture and Forestry Building'' (1930), Honolulu, Hawaii *''Honolulu Police Station'' (1931), Honolulu, Hawaii *''Lihue Theatre'' (October 4, 1931), Kaua'i *''Pahonu'' (1933), private residence in Waimānalo, Hawaii, made famous as Robin's Nest ({{Coord|21.324917|-157.679526|display=inline}}) in the original 1980s television series Magnum, P.I.; April 2018 razed<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pitner |first=Davis |date=2018-04-10 |title=Bye bye, Robin's Nest! Iconic Magnum, P.I. property demolished |url=https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/37914775/bye-bye-robins-nest-iconic-magnum-pi-property-demolished |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=hawaiinewsnow.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Demolition Begins for Iconic Home Used for Magnum PI TV |url=https://historichawaii.org/2018/04/04/iconic-home-used-for-magnum-pi-tv-show-demolished/ |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=Historic Hawaii Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dziemianowicz |first=Joe |url=https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/why-robins-nest-magnum-pi-house-was-demolished |title=Inside the Robin’s Nest: Why the Original Magnum P.I. House Was Demolished: The Robin's Nest is an iconic part of Magnum, P.I. but it's no longer standing these days. |work=NBC |date=March 25, 2023 |access-date=August 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821204154/https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/why-robins-nest-magnum-pi-house-was-demolished |archive-date=August 21, 2024}}</ref><ref name=EightiesKids>{{cite news |url=https://www.eightieskids.com/10-amazing-facts-about-magnum-p-i/ |title=25 Things You Didn’t Know About Magnum, P.I. |work=80s Kids (www.eightieskids.com) |date= |access-date=August 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240821200256/https://www.eightieskids.com/10-amazing-facts-about-magnum-p-i/ |archive-date=August 21, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gass |first1=Nick |last2=Nather |first2=David |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/obama-purchase-magnum-pi-home-116233 |title=Obamas may be buying ‘Magnum, P.I.’ home in Hawaii |work=Politico |date=March 19, 2015 |access-date=August 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240821202627/https://www.politico.com/story/2015/03/obama-purchase-magnum-pi-home-116233 |archive-date=August 21, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Carpentier |first=Megan |url=https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/magnum-pi-who-is-robin-masters |title=Who Is Magnum’s Mysterious Boss Robin Masters In Magnum P.I.? Higgins' and Magnum's boss Robin Masters is an enigma. |work=NBC |date=February 20, 2023 |access-date=August 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240821203305/https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/magnum-pi-who-is-robin-masters |archive-date=August 21, 2024}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery> Image:Honolulu-McKinley-HS-statue-admin.JPG|Statue and main administration building, 1920s Image:Honolulu-McKinley-HS-Commercial-bldg.JPG|Commercial building, with NRHP plaque, 1920s Image:Honolulu-McKinley-HS-art-bldg.JPG|Art building, with owl columns, 1920s Image:Honolulu-McKinley-HS-Beckwith-walkway.JPG|Walkway to Beckwith Hall, 1920s Image:Honolulu-Cinerama-Theatre.JPG|New Pawaa (later Cinerama) Theatre, 1929 Image:Honolulu-Zamboanga-Theatre.JPG|New Palama (later Zamboanga) Theatre, 1930 Image:Oahu-Waipahu-theatre-1930.JPG|Waipahu Theatre, 1930 (now City of Refuge Church) Image:Makiki-Agriculturebldg-frontwide.JPG|Agriculture & Forestry building, 1930 Image:Makiki-Agriculturebldg-courtyard.JPG|Agriculture & Forestry building courtyard, 1930 Image:Makiki-Agriculturebldg-hallway.JPG|Agriculture & Forestry building hallway to courtyard, 1930 Image:Honolulu-old-Police-Station-front.JPG|Old Police Station (front), 1931 Image:Honolulu-old-Police-Station-rear.JPG|Old Police Station (rear), 1931 Image:Kauai-Lihue-theater.JPG|Lihue Theatre, 1931 </gallery>
==Notes== {{Reflist|2}}
==References== *Angell, Lowell (2011). ''Theatres of Hawai{{okina}}i.'' Charleston: Arcadia Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7385-8160-7}}, {{ISBN|978-0-7385-8160-6}} *Cheever, David, and Scott Cheever (2003). ''Pōhaku: The Art & Architecture of Stonework in Hawai{{okina}}i.'' Honolulu: Editions Limited. *Sakamoto, Dean, Vladimir Ossipoff, Karla Britton, Kenneth Frampton, Diana Murphy (2008). ''Hawaiian Modern: The Architecture of Vladimir Ossipoff.'' New Haven: Yale University Press. {{ISBN|0-300-12146-6}}, {{ISBN|978-0-300-12146-9}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Louis}} Category:1884 births Category:20th-century American architects Category:Hawaiian architecture Category:Architects from Hawaii Category:Year of death missing Category:1960s deaths