Wayne Pitluck

Years ago, the voices of the Beamer brothers resonated in Wayne Pitluck's office. Beer flowed from taps as workers came from the corners of downtown for pau hana and live music. His law firm, Pitluck Kido Stone & Aipa, resides in the former Territorial Tavern in the Dillingham Transportation Building on the corner of Bishop Street and Ala Moana Boulevard. Before it was a tavern it was a bank. Later, it was Mill's Gallery and displayed oriental artwork until about 13 years ago, when the firm moved in.

Photo: Olivier Koning

Pitluck works on the mezzanine level, overlooking the floor below. Wooden beams - original to the 1929 building - stretch across the wall-less office. "We tried to keep it as open as we could," he says, explaining why many of the offices lack walls. "We tried not to disturb the building] any more than we had to."

The items in his office are as diverse and interesting as the building's previous tenants. Artifacts from Japan, China, Tibet and Bhutan scatter artfully across the room. A custom-made bookshelf, built to fit bamboo doors from Japan, holds treasures from Pitluck's many travels. Prayer flags from the mountaintops of Tibet are draped across the shelves. As the wind blows, he explains, the prayers written on the flags are blown across the land.

"I find something I like, and everything fits together one way or another," says Pitluck.