Spitzer Ancestry: The Arthur J. Spitzer Residence

Arthur J. Spitzer and his wife, Selma, lived in an historical residence during the years 1925 to 1970. In 2002, it was listed as a National Register of Historical Places. Arthur J. Spitzer was the eldest son of Joseph S. Spitzer.

Who's Who List of Owners

The land the home was built on was originally sold in 1885 as part of a seven-acre parcel by Benjamin Dillingham, founder of the O'ahu Railway and Land Company. The purchaser, who paid $1,075 for the property, was Richard Bickerton, Supreme Court Justice and Privy Council member under Queen Lilli'uokalani. In 1909, the property was acquired by Grace Merrill, the sister of architect Charles Dickey and wife of Arthur Merrill of the Mills Institute. She sold it in April 1915 to Alfred and Gertrude Rasch, who quickly sold it in May 1915 to Mary Moore, wife of Milton A. Moore, an Iowa lumber dealer. Milton Moore had a 2-1/2 story box-shaped house constructed on the property that he used as a summer home. Upon his death a few years later, the house was sold in 1919 to John Guild, secretary of Alexander & Baldwin, Ltd.

John Guild, a native of Scotland, undertook a major remodel of the house that included elaborate gingerbread flourishes, ground-level extensions at its corners, and lavish use of lava rock walls and columns. Seven new gabled roof features were supported by dozens of elaborate brackets and exposed rafter details. An open air orchid potting room with geometrically designed lattice work for windows was added. Two second floor bay windows overlooked the central entrances, and the exterior walls were covered with brown shingles.

In 1922, John Guild lost the house after being convicted of embezzling $755,895.52 from his employer, Alexander Baldwin. The house was sold to the company for $1.00, and Guild was sent to prison where he died in 1927.

In 1925, Arthur and Selma Spitzer bought the house and lived there until 1970. During their ownership the house was known as the Spitzer Residence. Historically, however, the house is widely known as the John Guild House because his renovations gave the home its unique architectural details with the elaborately buttressed eaves and numerous gables.

During the 1970's, the house was used for eight years as an experimental college and university student rooming house because of its close proximity with the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, one block away. Sadly, it had fallen into serious disrepair.

Three days before the house was slated to be torn down in 1978, Rick Ralston, the founder of Crazy Shirts, purchased it and lovingly and painstakingly restored it. Ralston operated it as a bed-and-breakfast known as the John Guild Inn and later as the Manoa Valley Inn.

In 1990, the Nakamitsu Corporation purchased and further refurbished it. Theresa Wery bought the house in 1998, operating it as a bed-and-breakfast. She put in a pool, gazebos, cabanas, and fencing. A magnitude-6 earthquake in October, 2006, caused the chimney to fall, smashing it into the home's underground water main.

In 2007, the house was put up for sale at $4.2 million for the half-acre lot and 4,424-square-foot house with ten bedrooms (some sites claim only eight bedrooms) and ten and one-half baths. No buyer came forward, and it was again listed in 2010 at the reduced price of $2,799,000. One selling point was that due to its historical status, property taxes were only $300 per year. The Manoa Valley Inn had served as a location for the abc television series, "Lost."

Manoa Valley Inn

This historical house is now an upscale bed-and-breakfast known as the Manoa Valley Inn, 2001 Vancouver Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii. The house and seven guestrooms are furnished with fine antiques. Below are some photos of the Manoa Valley Inn.