Features
The 25 – Lorraine Minatoishi
As the president and owner of Hawaii-based AEPAC, an architectural firm specializing in residential, commercial, and government projects, Lorraine Minatoishi has won numerous awards for historical preservation and rehabilitation. Her projects have included The Royal Hawaiian Hotel & Sheraton Waikiki Master Plan, and the rehabilitation of Building 9 at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.
Minatoishi’s contributions in the preservation field are primarily in the category of cultural resources involving Japanese-American society. She studied the Japanese Buddhist temples in Hawaii, which sprang up after Japanese immigrants worked on sugar plantations in the late 1800s until 1924, when immigration was curtailed.
After earning a doctorate in architectural history at WasedaUniversity in Japan, Minatoishi became immersed in history and preservation, especially the restoration techniques used in Japanese temples in Japan and at Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
From this research, she created the documentary “Aloha Buddha,” which won the Hawaii International Film Festival Audience Award in 2011. The film documented the over 300 temples built throughout the islands in the early 1900s and ultimately curbed their demolition.
Calling the future of historic preservation “promising,” Minatoishi says that “as we move forward, it is essential to strike a balance between preservation and progress, ensuring that our cultural history continues to enrich our communities and inspire future generations.”
Minatoishi, who is on the National AIA Historic Resources Committee, AIA Hawaii State Board Council, and the board of Friends of Kapiolani Park Preservation Society, loves the diversity of projects she is fortunate enough to work on.
“It is never boring,” she says. “It allows us to tell the stories of our history and culture to younger generations to preserve the fabric of communities.”
