The Liljestrands
Betty and Howard Liljestrand married in 1937 and moved to Hawaii that year. Betty was from Iowa and Howard grew up in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, where his parents were medical missionaries. The couple initially intended to return to China after their studies, but political unrest made it impossible. Howard completed his medical internship at Queen’s Hospital in Honolulu while Betty worked as a secretary. The Liljestrands ultimately chose to settle in Hawaii and began planning their family home.
Unlike most residents who built near the beach, the Liljestrands wanted an elevated site with cooler temperatures, inspired by Howard’s childhood summers in the Tibetan mountains. They purchased 2.5 acres on Mount Tantalus in 1946 after a decade-long search. Two years later, they traded this land with the Territory of Hawaii for a half-acre parcel on the other side of the ridgeline. Their next challenge was finding an architect to realize their vision.
