He was known as Hawai'i's greatest builder because Walter Francis Dillingham literally changed the O'ahu landscape.
Among dozens of other projects over a 50-year period, Dillingham and his companies dredged Pearl Harbor for the Navy and built its drydocks; converted Waikiki from 1,000 acres of swamp land into a world-famous beach; reshaped Honolulu's waterfront; carved out Kewalo Basin; created Ala Moana Park for "working families"; took busted-up, dredged coral to create Rodgers Field, which is now known as Honolulu International Airport; cleared "useless" coral reefs from Kane'ohe Bay for the military; and built Ala Moana Center, in addition to recarving Johnston Island, Midway, Wake, Kwajalein and Guam.
Reader's Digest wrote a glowing profile on Dillingham and his successful business interests in 1951. A decade later, Life magazine produced a nine-page spread on Dillingham and his family, with one of the headlines reading, "Sunny, stable world of great wealth."
Time Magazine wrote a lengthy obituary upon Dillingham's death in 1963 at the age of 88.
He had died in his sleep in his Diamond Head mansion called "La Pietra," which was later donated to Dillingham's alma mater, Punahou School.
Upon his death, Dillingham was lauded by statesmen and labor leaders — who did not always agree with Dillingham's politics but admired his vision.
Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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