As a leading advocate for the development of a Hawaiian style of architecture, Hart Wood (1880-1957) incorporated local building traditions and materials in many of his projects and was the first architect in Hawaii to consciously blend Asian and Western elements in his designs. Lavishly illustrated with 200 photographs and illustrations, HART WOOD traces the life and work of this notable talent, from his beginnings in architectural offices in Denver and San Francisco to his arrival in Hawaii in 1919 as a partner of C. W. Dickey and eventual solo career in the Islands. Enchanted by Hawaii's vivid beauty and its benevolent climate, exotic flora, and cosmopolitan culture, Wood sought to capture the aura of the Islands in his architectural designs. Hart Wood's magnificent and graceful buildings remain critical to Hawaii's architectural legacy more than fifty years after his death: the First Church of Christ Scientist on Punahou Street, the First Chinese Church on King Street, the S & G Gump Building on Kalakaua Avenue, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply Administration Building on Beretania Street, and the Alexander & Baldwin Building on Bishop Street, as well as numerous Wood residences throughout the city.