Edward Sullam, an architect whose designs embodied mid-century Hawaiian architecture, passed away on May 10, 2022, at Straub Medical Center, Honolulu. He was 96 years old and died from pneumonia. Sullam was born in New York city on December 25, 1925, to Florence and Benveniste Sullam. As a youth, Ed Sullam was a gifted artist. He loved to draw and was admitted to Manhattan's prestigious High School of Music and Art. In 1942, he enlisted in the Navy and served as a radioman. His Navy service brought him to Hawaii in late 1944. After an honorable discharge from the Navy, Sullam returned to New York to marry Fredda Reich, whom he met at a Cooper Union drawing class. He studied architecture the Carnegie Institute of Technology, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1950 with a bachelor's degree in architecture. After working for a large Los Angeles architectural firm, in 1955 he moved to Honolulu to work for Vladimir Ossipoff's firm. Sullam worked for Ossipoff for three years, participating in the designs of the Pacific Club, Waikiki McInerny's, and the Diamond Head Apartments. In 1958, he opened his own practice. One of his first commissions was Temple Emanu-El in Nuuanu. Until 1993, when he retired, Sullam designed numerous residences on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii. Among his commercial projects were the Kaimuki Professional Building, Kailua Professional Building, and the old Wailea Town Center. He also designed the Koko Head District Park, Manoa Valley Theater, and renovations to the Waimea-Kohala Airport. Sullam served as president of the AIA's Hawaii Chapter in 1967. In 1972, he was designated an AIA Fellow, which recognizes member architects for their outstanding contributions to the profession.
Sullam maintained an active interest in local and national politics. He was a regular contributor to the letters to the editor pages of the Honolulu Advertiser and Star Bulletin. He enjoyed attending symphonic concerts and swam daily in the ocean. He and Fredda were also involved in championing better care for the severely mentally ill. They were founding members of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill's Hawaii Chapter.
Fredda died in 2017. Sullam is survived by three sons: Brian of Baltimore, and his wife Susan; Steve of Honolulu, and his wife Karen Buzzard; and Paul of Honolulu; two grandchildren: Jennifer, of Baltimore, and Karen, of Bern, Switzerland; and three great grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Temple Emanuel-El on June 8 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be sent to NAMI Hawaii.
Arrangements Provided By: Oahu Mortuary
