Though Vladimir Ossipoff may not be a household name in the continental United States, his work has become the stuff of legend in the Aloha State. Producing over 1,000 buildings in Hawaii throughout his 60 year career, Ossipoff championed a style of architecture now described as 'Tropical Modernism.' 

The work of Ossipoff neatly fits into the category of Critical Regionalism as well, a movement the critic Kenneth Frampton associated with architects from different corners of the globe, such as Alvar Aalto, Glen Murcott and Jørn Utzon. To battle the "war on ugliness" he famously announced in a speech against the mass-produced buildings that grew in popularity by the mid-century, Ossipoff designed his building as a blend of elements from Japanese, Hawaiian and American Mid-century design.

Is it possible to resurrect Ossipoff's name in the popular history of modern architecture? At a moment when the tropical style is gaining traction in fashion, art and cinema, there is a chance for tropical modernism to be back on the scene as prominently as Brutalism and California Modernism have become in recent years.