Photos: Courtesy of Matt Thayer
Article Written By: Jenny Quill, HONOLULU Magazine
What is it?
The stables, which are located across from the Hāli‘imaile General Store restaurant, were built around 1920 as part of the old Hāli‘imaile plantation village. “The stables were built before my time,” says Eddie Ceballos, who worked as a field hand and service station attendant for Maui Pineapple Co., now Maui Land & Pineapple Co. (ML&P), for 50 years. “The stables were for the mules and horses, which were used to cultivate and plow between the pineapple lines, to keep the weeds down.”
“When I was cognizant of them, it was just past the time when they had been used for the mules and horses,” says Mary “Maizie” Sanford, whose grandfather and father owned and operated Maui Pineapple Co. “I think they were just being used to store different kinds of machinery and vehicles. They’re very picturesque, with all those beautiful trees around them. It would be a shame to lose them.”
What threatens it?
In May 2008, ML&P submitted a building permit application to demolish the stables. When contacted for additional information regarding the demolition and any future plans for the site, ML&P declined to comment.
What can be done?
Because the demolition seems to have been kept fairly under wraps, no one is currently working on an alternative solution. However, Nancy McMahon, the deputy This past August the Air Force an-state historic preservation officer for the State Historic Preservation Division, would like to see that the stables remain standing. “I think adaptive reuse for vendors or houses, the chapel and flagpole, and crafts would be ideal,” says McMahon. But without a community alternative to demolition or the cooperation of ML&P, the stables will likely be destroyed.
