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Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Turns 50

In June 2024 Historic Hawai‘i Foundation will celebrate 50 years as an organization dedicated to preserving and encouraging the preservation of Hawai‘i’s historic places. In preparation for this milestone anniversary, we’ve been thinking about our own history and how the role of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation has either changed or been consistent over time. As we enter the organization’s 50th year, we’re thinking about why preservation matters and why Historic Hawai‘i Foundation matters. What has been the impact? What actions have been inspired and what places have been saved? What places have been lost and what have we learned along the way? What partnerships and collaborations have been forged? Fifty years is a good time for looking back, but also a good time for looking forward. We’re anticipating both as we prepare for next year and hope the HHF members will have much to reflect on as well. Watch for events and gatherings throughout the year as we come together to celebrate and set the foundation for another 50 years.  Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Logo Shares Mission of Saving Places Historic Hawai‘i Foundation has updated our logo in honor of our 50th Anniversary celebration this year! The wordmark is based on the existing logo, using a deep brown serif font that represents stability, elegance and heritage. The font was slightly modified to be a more contemporary version of the linotype-style used for the past 30 years. The continuity of the wordmark ties to the existing logo, creating consistency and expanding on current brand awareness. The wordmark can continue to stand alone, but the new brand also incorporates a logomark to accompany the wordmark. The circular logomark is divided into three segments: [...]

2024-01-11T10:01:50-10:00January 10th, 2024|Categories: Blog|

View the Recordings: 37th Annual Experts Historic Preservation Lecture Series

2024 Experts Lecture Series Explores Pioneers in Historic Preservation Wednesdays, January 31 to March 6, 2024     12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Virtual on Zoom Free, registration required (scroll down to register for individual lectures) The series, curated by Dr. Ralph T. Kam, executive director of Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, is sponsored by the Historic Preservation Graduate Certificate Program, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s School of Architecture and Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. Expert presenters will lead us on a journey of exploration of six historic preservation pioneers in Hawai‘i describing their passions, visions, work and impact. Wednesday, January 31, 2024 12:00 to 1:00 PM Nancy Bannick Presenter:  Robin Lung, Documentary Filmmaker  Lecture one will highlight Nancy Bannick, a committed and tireless advocate for preserving architecturally significant and historically important buildings, as well as exceptional trees, landscapes and natural resources. Bannick is especially well known for her decades long fight to save Honolulu Chinatown, which was declared a historic district in 1973. VIEW THE  PRESENTATION RECORDING & NANCY BANNICK: SAVING HONOLULU'S CHINATOWN film below Wednesday, February 7, 2024 12:00 to 1:00 PM William J. Murtagh Presenter: William Chapman, Interim Dean, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, School of Architecture and Professor, American Studies William J. Murtagh was a founding member of the United States Committee of the International Council of Monuments and Sites, a historic preservation nongovernmental organization. He was first keeper of the National Register of Historic Places. He served as a faculty member at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. VIEW THE  PRESENTATION RECORDING Wednesday, February 14, 2024 [...]

2024-03-06T14:25:42-10:00January 9th, 2024|Categories: Events, Events - Home sidebar, Featured Homepage Top|Tags: |

A Walking Tour of Waikīkī’s Gold Coast

HHF volunteer, Lexi Smith, set out to experience the charming architecture and history of Waikīkī's Gold Coast firsthand. She downloaded HHF's  Historic Homes in Waikīkī Walking Tour Map and followed the self-guided itinerary stopping to sketch and write along the way.  Lexi shares her experience and a bit of the history and some of the architecture she encountered in her blog post below. Note: The self-guided itinerary is suitable for individual travelers rather than group tours, and focuses on sites of historic or cultural significance that are either open to the public or visible from the public way. The walking tour includes reminders on how to be a good visitor, including not to trespass on private property or to cause any harm to historic sites. Quaint Architecture, Open Space and Diamond Head Create a Special Neighborhood By Lexington Smith The War Memorial Natatorium The first “living” war memorial in the United States rests where the water meets the land. This Memorial calls for people to interact with the water, whether it is the swimming pool within or the surrounding ocean. The soft pink color of the main entryway, an elaborate sculpture and triumphal arch entablature, catches your eye in the sun’s heat and mutes the city traffic behind. The Memorial is dedicated to those from Hawai‘i who served in World War I. Whether you are spending the day at Kaimana Beach Park or just parking your car off Kalākaua Avenue, The War Memorial Natatorium offers a reminder of those who served.  The Tahitienne Tucked away at the ends of Kalākaua Avenue, the Tahitienne, a nine-story apartment building rendered in 1950 modern, utilitarian style, stands at the shoreline hidden by trees. Built in 1957, [...]

2023-11-29T16:28:45-10:00November 29th, 2023|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|

Interpretive Display at Hangar 1 Shares Story of Naval Air Station Kāne‘ohe in WWII

Kāne‘ohe Landmark Shares History of World War II Battle and Aftermath By June Noelani Cleghorn, Senior Cultural Resources Manager, Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i On an early quiet Sunday morning on Windward O‘ahu, the Naval Air Station (NAS) Kāne‘ohe commander, Naval Commander (CDR) Harold Martin, was at his home overlooking Mōkapu peninsula’s north shore sipping coffee when his young son commented on the low flying airplanes with red circles on their sides coming towards the runway below their house. CDR Martin dropped his coffee cup and ran out to his car, not changing out of his pajamas, on this December 7, 1941 morning to head to his office while hearing the first bombs dropped by Japanese attack aircraft land on NAS Kāne‘ohe Hangar 1. Also targeted that day were the Navy’s PBY Catalina reconnaissance seaplanes on the tarmac adjacent to Hangar 1 and moored in Kāne‘ohe Bay. This attack at NAS Kāne‘ohe occurred only eight minutes before the bombs dropped at Pearl Harbor. In 1987, more than four decades later, Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) listed Hangar 1, its aircraft parking areas and taxiways, and five seaplane ramps in the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in recognition of its national significance as the Japanese target on December 7, 1941, that, combined with the Pearl Harbor attack, triggered the United States’ entry into World War II (WWII). MCBH has continued to use and reuse its NHL to support Marine Corps and Navy aviation assets ever since NAS Kāne‘ohe changed to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Kāne‘ohe in 1952 and then later in 1994 when Marine Corps assets in Hawai‘i were consolidated into the current base. In 2012, the first [...]

2023-11-30T09:51:00-10:00November 29th, 2023|Categories: Blog|

Niuli‘i Hala Groves Restored with Help from HHF Preservation Grant

Hala is happy when birds can fly through. ~Emily Claspell, kumu ulana lauhala According to Aunty Emily Claspell, you know that hala is happy when birds can fly through its branches and leaves. Hala is a resilient plant that withstands drought, winds, fires and salt sprays. Each part of the tree has uses critical to the cultural heritage of the people in Hawai‘i: fruit and flowers to eat and to make lei, poles and branches for construction, leaves for weaving, medical use, erosion control, windbreak, as well as shade and shelter. The Kohala Center—an independent research, education, and ʻāina stewardship nonprofit for healthier ecosystems established in 2000—was gifted 48 acres of historically significant conservation and agricultural land on the North Kohala coast on Hawai‘i Island. Many practitioners agree that the variety and quality of Niuliʻi hala is the best in all of Hawai‘i. Niuliʻi  hala is the strongest and best, the salt air strengthens and thickens the lauhala. There are very special and rare hala on site that have not been seen in other areas. ~Uncle Maʻulili Dickson, crewmember on the Nā Kālai Wa‘a. The Kohala Center developed a plan to preserve and perpetuate Niuli‘i by restoring the overgrown and neglected hala groves. Through cultivating and nurturing hala, TKC was able to cultivate their knowledge and enlarge it with the support of cultural practitioners and community stewards. With funding support from the Freeman Foundation in cooperation with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, TKC spent two years conducting an ecosystem health assessment with a team of lauhala practitioners and specialists in order to identity the best section of hala in which to focus preservation efforts and restoration planting activities and to target invasive plant species for [...]

2023-11-07T09:23:15-10:00November 6th, 2023|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|

Sixteen Properties Added to the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places

The Hawai‘i Historic Places Review Board added sixteen properties to the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places in March, May and August 2023. Learn more about their history, characteristics and significance. Properties are eligible for inclusion in the register if they meet one or more criteria of historic significance: A) association with broad patterns or events; B) associations with historic individuals; C) architecture and design; or D) likely to yield important information. Allison-Kang Residence, O‘ahu   The wooden, two and a half story Allison-Kang residence is was constructed in 1929. Built by Charles Ingvorsen, the house has been in the Kang family since 1951. The house is tall, asymmetrical and shaped to fit a narrow lot. It references Colonial Revival style through its asymmetrical façade, steep, high-pitched, gabled roofs, double-hung windows, and a dormer. The house is significant under Criterion A as part of an early Honolulu subdivision historically known as Diamond Head Terrace; under Criterion B as the abode of significant members of the Honolulu community; under Criterion C, for its distinctive architecture as a well-designed residence of its period. View the nomination. Kazuo and Mary Yamane Residence, O‘ahu     The Kazuo and Mary Yamane residence is a two-story house originally constructed in 1911 for H. Stewart Johnson, the Honolulu city engineer at the time. After being purchased by Kazuo and Mary Yamane in 1958, it was heavily redesigned in 1960 by Honolulu architect Ernest Hara.  The house sits on a lava rock and post and pier foundation. The wall of the façade is of raked concrete, horizontal lap siding and vertical tongue and groove, while the rear and side walls are of clapboard. Such elements as the shoji, demado and rankan, the [...]

2023-11-06T17:53:39-10:00November 3rd, 2023|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|Tags: |

View the recording: Historic Tax Credits Seminar

Tax Credits for Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings Seminar Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, in partnership with the Hawai‘i State Historic Preservation Division and Department of the Interior’s National Park Service, provided a seminar on the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program on December 5, 2023. VIEW THE RECORDING AND PRESENTATION BELOW. Additional Resources Click on the image at left to view the Seminar PowerPoint. The seminar provides training to historic property owners, developers, financiers, tax and accounting, real estate, architects, land use and planning professionals on the Historic Tax Credit programs available in the State of Hawai‘i and the use of federal historic tax credits to rehabilitate historic buildings.  Historic Tax Credits Seminar Date: Tuesday, December 5, 2023 Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. This seminar has been approved for 3 AIA/CES LU (AIA Honolulu is the registered provider) and submitted for certificate maintenance credits through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). BACKGROUND The Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives (aka Historic Tax Credit) program encourages private sector investment in the rehabilitation and re-use of historic buildings. It creates jobs and is one of the nation’s most successful and cost-effective community revitalization programs. A 20% income tax credit is available for the rehabilitation of historic buildings that are determined to be “certified historic structures.” The buildings must be considered depreciable under the Internal Revenue Code, such as in a business, commercial, or other income-producing use. The State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) and the National Park Service (NPS) review the rehabilitation work to ensure that it complies with the Secretary of the Interior’s [...]

2024-01-04T09:45:40-10:00October 27th, 2023|Categories: Events, Events - Past|

Diamond Head Lighthouse, a Treasured Symbol on Oʻahu’s South Shore

The Historic Lighthouse on the Slopes of Lēʻahi Crater By Lexington Smith As you drive along Diamond Head Road on the south shore of Oʻahu on the southern edge of Waikīkī, the lowering sunset hits your eyes and tints the view with an orange haze. Bikers fly down the road as runners trek up it. To your left, Lēʻahi, an extinct volcanic crater and tuff cone, calmly rests, absorbing the last light of the day. To your right, waves break over a world under the sea. Surfers are rinsing their boards and couples are watching as the sun sets. As your eyes navigate through the trees, a white figure stands. The sun beams through its glass panels and its red roof brightens. There stands a lighthouse established as Diamond Head Light which was first lit July 1, in 1899. The present square concrete tower was built in 1917. In 1825, British sailors approached the cliffs of Lēʻahi. Light sparkled from the slopes and the sailors, spotting the clear calcite crystals, believed they had discovered diamonds and named the crater Diamond Head. As more travelers began to come to Oʻahu, Diamond Head became an integral point to report incoming vessels. On the night of October 2, 1893, the SS Miowera hit the shallow reef just off the shore. The captain had mistook the position of Diamond Head Crater. Similarly in 1897, the steamship China also ran aground. According to the Hawaiian Historical Society, this was the catalyst prompting the building of the original structure to guide incoming vessels and prevent their harm. The first version of the lighthouse was a 40-foot iron tower that emitted light 160 feet above the water. The great light [...]

2023-10-19T15:41:55-10:00October 19th, 2023|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|

The Matsumoto Store Building – A Story of Friendship

Submitted by the North Shore Chamber of Commerce’s Historic Preservation Committee; working to preserve and perpetuate the legacy of historic Hale`iwa. Reprinted with permission. The North Shore Chamber of Commerce, as part of its mission of historic preservation of significant sites in Hale‘iwa, recently installed a bronze plaque commemorating the Matsumoto Store building. Similar to seventeen other plaques that can now be found throughout Hale‘iwa, the plaque language depicts the architectural and entrepreneurial his­tory of the building. The iconic Matsumoto Store in Hale‘iwa on O‘ahu’s North Shore, has been making history since 1951. For all but a few early years as a grocery store, its popularity grew as a result of a single sweet commodity…shave ice. Seventy-two years and forty flavors later, the name Matsumoto has become synonymous with shave ice and recognized far beyond the town of Hale‘iwa. What makes the Matsumoto store one of the more unique buildings of old Hale‘iwa is that it is actually a tale of two families. It began with the arrival of Sego and Tayo Tanaka from Shikoku Is­land’s Ehime Prefecture in Japan at the turn of the century. The couple owned and operated a tailor shop and dry goods store in the wood frame build­ing constructed around 1904. When the Tanakas decided to return to Japan in the early 1920s, their son Kazuaki remained. He later married and he and his wife Shizuko continued to operate the dry goods store which became the K. Tanaka Store. By late 1940, Kazuaki Tanaka had established himself as a successful Waialua businessman. He served as the head of the Waialua Japanese Society and was part of a group of prominent community leaders that invested in a modern multi-story [...]

2023-11-02T16:22:20-10:00October 19th, 2023|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|

Nā’ anae Holo (travelling mullet) swim again in Maunalua

Anne Marie Kirk Reflects on Maunalua.net & the Nā ʻAnae Holo Murals If you've headed east on Kalanianaʻole Highway in Eastern O‘ahu in the recent past, you may recall being greeted by schools of swimming mullet, nā ʻanae holo in Hawaiian, on brightly painted murals along the roadside. You may have even passed through as community members were painting them. The project is part of Maunalua.net and the muse behind its origin is Anne Marie Kirk, a multifaceted creatrix, community member and educator in Maunalua.  Learn more about this unique project and significant place in our interview with Kirk below. Interview with Anne Marie Kirk Anne Marie Kirk Historic Hawai‘i Foundation:  Please introduce yourself in a way that feels appropriate. Ann Marie Kirk: My name is Ann Marie Nālani Kirk. I live in the ahupua‘a of Maunalua* in East O‘ahu. HHF: What is your professional work and what are some of your interests and hobbies? AMK:  I am a Director/Producer in Digital Media, and most of my work focuses on Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Culture. You can check out bluecratermedia.com to see some of my pieces. In Maunalua, the community groups I work with dedicate themselves to protecting and preserving cultural and natural resources. These groups are Livable Hawaii Kai Hui, Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center, the Kaiwi Coalition, and the Wailupe ‘Ohana Council.  I also serve as the Educational Kia‘i for Pahua Heiau in Maunalua. When I am away from my work or community work, you'll find me in the ocean waters of Maunalua. One of my favorite things to do in Maunalua Bay is Stand-up Paddling with my family and friends. HHF: Where is Maunalua* and what makes it special? AMK:  Maunalua [...]

2023-10-20T13:57:32-10:00October 18th, 2023|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|
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