#Kauai

Wailua: Ke Awāwa o Nā Ali‘i – Valley of The Kings

April 24, 2020: This stunning video presents the cultural importance of Wailuanuiaho‘ano, the great sacred Wailua, located on the East side of Kaua‘i, along the Wailua River.  Captured are the abundance of historic sites in this rich cultural landscape and the royal lineage, mo‘olelo and histories of people who lived there. As the seat of power for several generations of ali‘i, Wailua was the political, religious and social center from the mid-13th century through the reign of Kaumuali‘i.  The Wailua Complex of Heiau, a National Historic Landmark, consists of four heiau: Hikinaakalā, Malaeho‘akoa, Holoholokū and Poliahu; Hauola pu‘uhonua (place of refuge); Ho‘ohanau pohaku royal birthing stone; and a bellstone. Kumu hula and residents of Wailua share their personal connection to the area as a spiritual center connected to the greater universe; as a place rich in history and identity; and as a place of inspiration, ingrained with the wisdom of our kūpuna. The video was produced as one of several measures in response to community concern related to transportation facilities proposed in the area that were addressed during Section 106 consultation, of which Historic Hawai‘i Foundation was a consulting party.  It has been selected to receive an Interpretive Media Preservation Award as an exemplary and impactful interpretation of the significance of a historic site. The Preservation Award will recognize Palikū Documentary Films, the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, Kehau Kekua, Freckles Smith, and Beverly Muraoka.  The fi ‘ lm was directed by Nā‘ālehu Anthony. By Andrea Nandoskar and Beth Iwata, staff of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. https://youtu.be/bQXt06f5Zw0

2020-05-21T13:49:30-10:00April 24th, 2020|Categories: Blog, Preservation Awards|Tags: , , , , , |

Storybook Theatre on Kauai Exudes Historic Charm

Preservation in the News:  Storybook Theatre in Hanapepe, Kauai, is operated out of a renovated a nationally registered historic site ravaged by Hurricane Iniki in 1992– the Sun Ke Heong/Obatake Building. It has become a centerpiece of ongoing neighborhood revitalization and an exemplary model of a community facility serving young people and their families. www.storybook.org Storybook theatre honors Isles' purveyor of peace By Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi POSTED: 1:30 a.m. HST, Oct 11, 2015 PHOTO COURTESY ROBERT ZELKOVSKY The Storybook Theatre’s television set, site of many performances. For 36 years the Storybook Theatre of Hawaii has proved that the best stories not only entertain, but also open minds, set moral standards, prove the power of creative thinking and inspire listeners to reach for the stars. The theater has its own wonderful story to tell. It begins with Mark Jeffers, a native of Grand Rapids, Mich., who earned a master's degree in education with an early childhood focus from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1978. The following year, he co-founded the Storybook Theatre of Hawaii with Anna Viggiano, a UH graduate student in theatre. "We thought presenting good stories to children -- stories with messages about core values and how to contribute to communities in positive ways -- was a great pursuit," said Jeffers, who has been the theater's executive director since its inception. "Along with other education and theater graduates, we wrote and performed plays for schools throughout Hawaii. All the productions shared important lessons about, for example, kindness, honesty and humility." Viggiano left Storybook Theatre after a few years, and Jeffers incorporated it as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1987, two years before he moved to Kauai. From 1990 to 1995, [...]

2017-04-21T01:01:11-10:00November 9th, 2015|Categories: Blog|Tags: , , , |

Ō’paekaʻa and Pu’uopae Bridges (2012)

UPDATE: 2015 Article Written By: Katrina Valcourt, HONOLULU Magazine Both bridges are scheduled for replacement, with construction beginning on the Pu‘uopae Bridge in January 2017. Instead of steel girders, which have heavily corroded over the years, the new bridge will have concrete beams and a concrete deck, says Kaua‘i County engineer Larry Dill. After its completion, construction will start on ‘Ōpaeka‘a. “The original ‘Ōpaeka‘a Bridge is an iron truss, with the deck mounted at the bottom of the trusses,” Dill says. “It was rehabilitated in 2009 so that the truss no longer supports the bridge, but remains as a visual element. The proposed replacement bridge would have concrete beams and a concrete deck, and the truss would be restored as part of that project, to maintain the appearance of the original bridge.” Listed as Endangered in: 2012 Article Written By: Kathryn Drury Wagner, HONOLULU Magazine What are they? These one-lane, country bridges have different designs, but both serve as some of the few manmade reminders left of the pre-1920s homestead-lands movements on Kaua’i. “We know about Hawaiian culture, and about sugar plantation culture,” says Pat Griffin, a historian and community-preservation advocate, but little about this era, when, “after Hawai’I became a territory, there was a homesteading movement. It was an Americanizing technique, the idea that, if farmers had some parcels of land, it would make it stronger as a territory, and it also gave Hawaiians land.” The O’paeka’a Bridge is also the only known British-made iron bridge in the U.S., and one of only a few surviving iron bridges in the state. It was built in 1888 over the Wailua River, and a section was recycled in 1919 for use at the O’paeka’a stream. Pu’uopae Bridge is in its original, 1915 location, crossing Kalama Stream. What threatens them? Though safe, the bridges are largely constructed of steel and have [...]

2016-11-17T11:40:02-10:00November 1st, 2015|Categories: MES Kauai|Tags: , |

Lihu’e Shell Station (2015)

Photos: Courtesy of Aloha Petroleum Ltd. UPDATE: 2016 Article Written By: Katrina Valcourt, HONOLULU Magazine Developers Chad Waters and Tyler Greene began knocking down portions of the property in June, with plans to complete the demolition phase by the end of the year. The resort earned pop culture fame when Elvis Presleygot married there in Blue Hawai‘i (1961). Though they will be expanding the size of some suites, the overall footprint of the hotel won’t change—the cabanas will still be there (but raised because of the proximity to the lagoon), and the coconut grove will be cleaned up and feature a cultural center. Though almost everything is getting stripped out to be renovated, some important relics will be preserved, such as tile mosaics from the main bar and restaurant. To raise money for this effort, the developers are launching a fundraising campaign “to give locals and people emotionally invested in the hotel an opportunity to get back involved,” Greene said in a statement. “We would prefer to keep the hotel in the hands of people who love it and have a personal connection with it.” The hotel should be open by mid- to late 2018. LISTED AS ENDANGERED IN 2015 Article Written By: Katrina Valcourt, HONOLULU Magazine What is it? This gas station along Kūhiō Highway was built in 1930 by Guy Nelson Rothwell, a Honolulu architect known for his work on more than 1,000 structures on O‘ahu, including Honolulu Hale, Roosevelt High School, the Atherton House at UH and many buildings on the Punahou campus. With a lava-rock base and pillars and a cement roof designed to emulate a grass shack, the Shell station was praised as “without doubt the finest and most attractive service station in Hawai‘ i,” in a June 10, 1930, cover [...]

2017-04-21T01:01:15-10:00November 1st, 2015|Categories: Blog, MES Kauai|Tags: , |

The Alakoko Pond, Nawiliwili 2009

UPDATE 2023 Mālama Hulē’ia's Community Workday, Restoring the Alakoko Fishpond In 2009, the Alakoko* Fishpond was placed on Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s list of Hawai‘i’s Most Endangered Historic Places. For most of the 20th century, Alakoko was neglected, becoming overrun by invasive red mangrove; which damaged the historic fishpond wall, covered open wetlands, and trapped sediment that steadily shrank the fishpond’s expanse of open water. In June 2022, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s Preservation Grant program—made possible by special support from preservation funders—awarded a grant to Mālama Hulē'ia to stabilize and restore the kuapā (fishpond wall) of the Alakoko Loko I‘a. With help from the grant, Mālama Hulē'i‘a held a 5-year Anniversary community workday on October 21, 2023 to repair the kuapā. Thousands of community members gathered at the Alakoko Fishpond as people of all ages stood formed a line that extended over half-mile, each placing rock after rock on an ancient wall that protects Alakoko Fishpond. “Alakoko fishpond is a link to the essence of what it means to grow your own food. It’s a link to the culture and the history of the people who cared for this place. So, it really links the past, current, and future ‘āina movement.” Mālama Hulē‘ia Executive Director Sara Bowen This community effort to restore a treasured historic site provides an example of the importance and strength of intergenerational and cultural transfer of knowledge. To learn more about the impact of this community workday on the Alakoko Fishpond, please visit Mālama Hulē'i‘a. Images above, clockwise from top left: Alakoko Fishpond in December 2018, photo taken from the lookout showing it overgrown with mangrove; Alakoko Fishpond in August 2019, photo taken from the lookout showing mid-waypoint of mangrove removal project (approximately [...]

2024-04-08T15:10:58-10:00March 3rd, 2014|Categories: MES Kauai|Tags: , |

Coco Palms (2008)

Photos: Courtesy of Timothy Dela Vega UPDATE: 2013 Article Written By: Victoria Wiseman, HONOLULU Magazine A developer has finally purchased this defunct historic resort, which was ravaged by Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992. Ron Agor, the architect on the project, is dedicated to maintaining its historic integrity. “We are rebuilding structures that can’t be saved on the same footprint,” he says. “All we’re really doing is replacing wooden walls with windows with big glass and putting a railing up. We’re keeping all the structural elements. The whole idea is not to dig the earth, because it’s pretty sacred land. Even if one doesn’t believe in the spiritual, you’re compelled to respect other people’s beliefs.” LISTED AS ENDANGERED IN 2008 Article Written By: Michael Keany, HONOLULU Magazine What is it? The Coco Palms is one of Hawaii's most renowned classic resorts. Owner Grace Guslander pioneered romantic traditions that have become de rigueur in the local hospitality industry, such as the torch-lighting ceremony. The site's historical significance predates the resort, though. It was long a favorite center for Hawaiian monarchy; High Chief Deborah Kapule lived there in the mid-1800s, and cultivated fishponds in the area. What threatens it? Hurricane Iniki hit the resort hard in 1992, and the Coco Palms has been shuttered ever since. Not for lack of interest in reopening it. As Kauai historian Pat Griffin says, "There is general agreement that it is an enormously important cultural and historical site, and should be protected." But no one has yet been able to make the numbers work. What can be done? There are a couple of ideas afloat, but both of them require money that hasn't materialized yet.The property's current owner, Phillip Ross, of Coco Palms Ventures LLC, based in Annapolis, Md., says he's working to re-open the Coco Palms [...]

2016-11-17T11:40:31-10:00March 3rd, 2014|Categories: MES Kauai|Tags: , |

Grove Farm Manager’s House (2007)

Photos: Courtesy of The State Historic Preservation Division Article Written By: Michael Keany, HONOLULU Magazine What is it? This two-story, six bedroom mansion was built in 1913 as a manager’s house for the Grove Farm sugar plantation on Kaua‘i. With a driveway lined by royal palms and a large porte cochere to greet visitors, the home was once an impressive sight. Grove Farm founder George Wilcox’s nephew Charles was its first resident, and it later housed a succession of plantation managers. The plantation ceased sugar operations in 1974, however, and the house has not been occupied for many years. What threatens it? Neglect, for the most part. The house sits vacant and cordoned off, and exposure is taking its toll. The roof of the porte cochere has collapsed, and the house still suffers from the damages it incurred 15 years ago during Hurricane ‘Iniki. Some community members also fear that the manager’s house could be slated for replacement. America Online co-founder Steve Case bought the plantation- turned-land-development-company in 2000, and is planning a subdivision on the land surrounding the house. Robert Schleck, director of the Grove Farm Homestead Museum, says he’d hate to see the manager’s house go. “There are a lot of developments along Nawiliwili Road, and so that property affords a kind of open space, instead of hollow- tile walls and the closed-in feeling you get otherwise,” he says. What can be done? Grove Farm’s development plans for the area are still pending approval from various government agencies. In the meantime, it has no definite plans to restore the manager’s house. In an official response, the company states, “While Grove Farm is interested in retaining the original ambience of the manager’s house … [...]

2016-11-17T11:40:40-10:00March 3rd, 2014|Categories: MES Kauai|Tags: , |

Gulick Rowell House, Waimea (2006)

Photos: Courtesy of David and Sue Boynton Article Written By: Michael Keany, HONOLULU Magazine What is it? Amazingly, this two-story coral limestone house in Waimea, Kaua‘i, has been in almost continuous use as a residential home since missionary Peter Gulick built it more than 178 years ago. “It’s got all this wonderful history spanning from the missionary times through to the sugar era,” says Linda Faye Collins, president of the Kikiaola Land Co., an offshoot of the original Waimea Sugar Mill Co., which has long owned the property. The house became a home for the sugar company’s plantation managers, and, at one point, its basement even served as the town jailhouse. Today the Gulick-Rowell House is prized by historic-minded community members and architects as an irreplaceable example of traditional New England architecture in Hawai‘i. What threatens it? The litany of woes you’d expect from a house nearing its bicentennial—sagging wood floors, water damage, cracks in the foundation, to name a few. A 1997 inspection estimated the cost of renovation at $1.2 million, a figure that can only have grown since then. The situation has taken on a new urgency this year: The two sisters who have lived in the house their entire lives are moving out. Architect Bob Fox, who helped inspect the building, says vandalism and environmental wear and tear now pose increased threats to the newly empty home. “Once a house is unoccupied, it’s amazing how quickly it deteriorates. I don’t know what it is, but it seems like the whole building gives up and just rots away,” he says. What can be done? Kikiaola Land Co. is looking to create a nonprofit organization to raise funds for repair and renovation. Possible solutions [...]

2016-11-17T11:40:52-10:00March 3rd, 2014|Categories: MES Kauai|Tags: , |

Hanalei Pier Canopy (2012) SAVED

UPDATE: SAVED IN 2013 The rebuilt canopy at the end of Hanalei Pier recently reopened after a reconstruction project was completed by the Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay. Prior to the reconstruction effort, which began in March and concluded in May, the canopy suffered from dry rot and cracked beams, holes in the roof and broken support struts. The State Department of Land & Natural Resources, Kaua’i Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation planned to demolish the structure, prompting HHF to declare it an Endangered Historic Place. The Rotary Club of Hanalei Bay established a “Save the Pier” project involving the community, the State of Hawai‘i, and the County of Kaua‘i to preserve the historic and community landmark. Members worked with the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources on reconstruction plans while raising money to restore what has become a symbol of Hanalei Bay. Rotary Club raised more than $188,000 to rebuild and provide upkeep to the community icon. Originally constructed of wood, the Hanalei Pier has been in existence since 1892. In the early 20th century, the pier was a major hub for the transportation of rice, sugar and various goods between the other Hawaiian Islands and the rest of the world via the Pacific Ocean. It became a recreational resource in the last 80 years when shipping halted and is a popular venue for fishing, picnics and filming. LISTED AS ENDANGERED IN 2012 Article Written By: Kathryn Drury Wagner What is it? Originally built for rice transportation, this picturesque pier is now valued for recreational use. “It’s a historic part of Hanelei and it’s important to the community for fishing and picnicking,” says Barbara Robeson, a longtime resident and a consultant on preservation [...]

2017-04-21T01:01:46-10:00March 3rd, 2014|Categories: MES Kauai|Tags: , |

Kapa’a Stone Lantern, Kapa’a (2005) SAVED

UPDATE: SAVED IN 2009 Kapaa Business Association partnered with volunteers from Leadership Kauai and the Kauai Historical Society to restore Kapaa's historic Japanese Stone Lantern in Kapaa Beach Park. The project won a 2009 American Association for State and Local History Award of Merit. LISTED AS ENDANGERED IN 2005 Article Written By: A. Kam Napier, HONOLULU Magazine What is it? This 15-foot cast concrete lantern was built in 1915 by Kauai's Japanese community to commemorate the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 and to honor the 1912 ascension to the throne of Emperor Taisho. By World War II, however, these pro-imperial sentiments were a problem for a later generation of Japanese- Americans who, in 1943, literally buried the lantern, both to protect it from vandalism during a time of anti-Japanese sentiment and as a display of pro-American loyalty. Once buried, it was forgotten until 1972, when the parents of children playing soccer at Kapaa Beach Park complained about a dangerous piece of steel rebar sticking out of the ground. Work crews discovered that the rebar was attached to a buried monument-- but one that no one wanted to claim. The lantern was reburied 24 hours later. In 1987, Mayor Tony Kunimura led an effort to unearth the lanterns, with the help of the Kauai Historical Society. The lantern was moved to the corner of the beach park and braced. What threatens it? Exposure to the elements threatens the monument. Being buried and dug up, twice, damaged the lantern. Now even the metal braces on the lantern are rusting and damaging the concrete. "There are several serious cracks and breaks in the concrete structure... and in many places the concrete is broken or crumbling away," reports Mary Requilman, [...]

2016-11-17T11:41:14-10:00March 3rd, 2014|Categories: MES Kauai|Tags: , |
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