By E.B. Solomont
For Hawaii home builder Richard Ethington and his wife, Brendan Ethington, restoring a 1920s manor in Honolulu was a passion project. But living in the roughly 25,000-square-foot historic estate took getting used to.
"To walk from the kitchen to the master bedroom takes 15 minutes," or at least it can feel like it, said Rich, a general contractor by trade, who said the couple grew accustomed to the home, using its space for their family and large charity events.
Now looking to downsize, the Ethingtons are listing the property for $22 million.
Known as Lihiwai, the 1.81-acre estate is in Honolulu's upper Nu'uanu Valley.
Completed around 1928, it was built for George Robert Carter, then a governor for the territory of Hawaii, and his wife, Helen Strong Carter, an heiress of the Eastman Kodak fortune.
The estate has a Spanish Colonial Revival-style main residence with four bedrooms and two guesthouses. The main residence was built out of shaped blue rock -- from a bluish lava -- set in concrete and steel-reinforced cement, historic documents show. It is surrounded by thick perimeter walls with an 'auwai, or traditional Hawaiian irrigation system, with open channels leading to the Nu'uanu Stream.
One of the largest private residences in Hawaii, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the 1980s.
The Ethingtons -- who have been married since 2006 -- met when Brendan hired Rich to build a house for her in the early 2000s.
They bought Lihiwai for around $3.5 million in 2010. "She liked to design things," he said, "I had the expertise." He said they felt a connection to the Carters since Brendan is part of a prominent family with roots in Hawaii dating back to the 1800s. Also like the Carters, Brendan and her family had the money to build and Rich had local connections to get the job done, he said. "We were very taken with that history," Rich said.
Rich said the property was in disrepair when they bought it and that they spent four years and roughly $13 million restoring the home. They replaced termite-ridden wood flooring and slate exterior tiles, while preserving original light fixtures, quarter sawed oak window sills and other decorative features.
Despite retaining the 1920s aesthetic, the Ethingtons opened up several spaces. They also reconfigured the kitchen, which had been divided into a baker's room, a butcher's room and a vegetable room. "Back in the day, the family never went into the kitchen," Rich said. "They'd be in the dining room and the staff would bring the food out to them."
They also built a hula mound, a raised grassy bed for hula performances, where they installed a new 40-foot by 24-foot swimming pool, Rich said. In the back of the property, Rich also built a carport with lifts for his collection of six corvettes.
Ethington said they plan to sell the home now that their two children are older. "I'm getting ready to retire," said Rich, who is 70. He said they are looking at other historic properties in Hawaii.
The property is in the Nu'uanu Valley, about 15 minutes from Honolulu's international airport, in an enclave of other historic properties, said listing agent Jovanna Giannasio-Fern of Hawai'i Life. "This is the clear crown jewel," she said, citing its history, pedigree and restoration.
In Hawaii, cookie-cutter homes are taking longer to sell if they are not priced right, Giannasio-Fern said, but the market is strong for the best properties. Last year, she sold another historic home in the same neighborhood for $6.3 million.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 07, 2026 15:30 ET (19:30 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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