The former architecture student in me loves seeking out sites with architectural significance whenever and wherever we travel, especially if it involves peering inside early to mid 20th century mansions of the rich and famous. As hard as it was to pull myself away from my established beach bum lifestyle, I made the exception to visit Shangri La, Doris Duke’s former home and now the Center for Islamic Art and Culture.
Doris Duke, an extremely wealthy heiress, fell in love with Islamic art during her honeymoon when her round-the-world trip took her to India and then to Hawaii. Construction on Shangri La, Duke’s Honolulu home, began in the late 1930s and continued for the next 60 years or so as Doris Duke collected and commissioned Islamic art.