Rehabilitated Palm Quarters 6

The U.S. Army Garrison of Hawai‘i, Lendlease Corporation and Fung Associates will be recognized for the rehabilitation of Quarters 6 and 7 on Palm Circle Drive for a 2020 Project Award.  These elegant historic homes, built in 1907, contribute to the National Register Historic District at Fort Shafter.  The District is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places.

Fort Shafter was the first permanent Army installation in the Hawaiian Islands, established in 1907.  It was constructed to be a “Showcase Installation,” designed to be one of the most beautiful bases in the Army’s inventory, with Palm Circle as a “model of exceptional town planning” based on an American-Edwardian architectural design.

Aerial view of Palm Circle

While the architects used quarter master plans from the mainland, they modified them to suit Hawaii’s tropical climate. The Palm Circle homes feature large verandas, generous overhangs, and soaring ceilings to allow trade winds indoors. The horizontal wood siding on the exterior of the homes is redwood, and the interior originally Douglas fir. Palm Circle Residences 6 & 7 face the large oval-shaped, lawn-ringed Palm Circle Drive and are two of the fifteen classic quarters that dot the perimeter of the landmark.

Quarters Six is particularly important as the 1930s home of George S. Patton who became one of America’s military heroes of WWII.  Palm Circle, which frames the large parade field next door, received its name from the majestic Royal Palm trees brought from Cuba as a symbol of the Army’s victory in the Spanish-American War.

Palm Quarters 6 in 1914

The project goal was to restore each home’s exterior and 4,500 sq. ft. interior space to the 1930s design while modernizing amenities in the kitchen and bathrooms and adding air conditioning.

Both Quarters Six and Seven were rehabilitated by restoring or replacing wood floors, plaster walls, and historic windows; incorporating new bead board walls and ceiling in the kitchen; adding plantation shutters to the enclosed wrap-around lanai windows; and updating plumbing, electrical, and data lines.

Non-historic elements such as jalousie windows were replaced with proper period windows. The exteriors of each home were refinished with period-appropriate paint reflective of their original grandeur.

Preservation Project Awards highlight specific projects that preserve, rehabilitate, or restore a specific historic property.  The 2020 Preservation Honor Awards will be held as an online event on July 22.

The kitchen’s original cabinetry was restored while new appliances were installed.

By Phil Deters, member of the Awards Selection Committee – May 19, 2020

Photos courtesy of U.S. Army Garrison Hawai‘i.