UPDATE: 2022
PUBLIC WELCOME TO COMMENT ON NAVY’S PROPOSAL
TO DEMOLISH
THE FT. KAMEHAMEHA HISTORIC HOUSING DISTRICT
In a letter addressed to Dr. Alan Downer, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, Department of Land and Natural Resources and dated August 31, 2021, the Commander of Navy Region Hawai‘i initiated Section 106 Consultation for disposal of the Fort Kamehameha houses at Joint-Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH). Historic Hawai‘i Foundation (HHF) is engaged as a consulting party, along with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPD), Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and other parties.
The remaining 33 houses are currently in a mothballed status. Navy states that this action was coordinated with the SHPD during the development of the Fort Kamehameha Environmental Impact Statement Alternatives for the Disposition of Fort Kamehameha Historic District Buildings and Structures by the Air Force in 2009. Lead and asbestos abatements were recently completed for 3 homes.
Built in 1916, Fort Kamehameha was originally an Army Coastal Artillery Post. After World War II, coastal artillery became obsolete and most of the non-residential buildings were demolished. The remaining 33 homes stand as premier examples of the Bungalow/Arts and Crafts style of the era.
Currently, Fort Kamehameha Housing Historic District consists of 48 buildings and structures that include officers’ housing, a chapel, bandstand, flagpole and abandoned gun batteries. The district also includes archaeological sites, a burial vault for reinternment of human remains, mature trees and landscaping in open green space and a circulation system of streets and sidewalks.
The district was transferred from Army to the Air Force, then came under the Navy’s jurisdiction with joint basing in 2010.
HHF added the district to the Most Endangered list in 2008 when the military moved out the residents, boarded up the buildings and announced the intent to demolish the entire neighborhood. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation has maintained since 2008, when the homes were vacated, that this intact historic district is significant and merits special treatment.
At the time, and repeatedly in subsequent disposal efforts, the military claimed that the properties were located in a restricted “accident potential zone” (APZ) due to their proximity to the flight path of runways at Honolulu International Airport and the risk of accidents and noise levels were inappropriate for family housing.
Navy resumed consultation on its plans for “disposal” of the historic properties in 2021. Within the general area, there are non-historic buildings and structures that are also located within restricted area or just outside the limited use boundary. Navy stated that the undertaking will be disposal of all 33 of the houses, whether or not they are located in restricted areas.
In the course of the consultation, Navy disclosed that it had been relying on the wrong regulatory reference for the past decade and in fact the district is not required for disposal based on the previously cited “accident potential zone.”
Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s concern is that Navy appears to target the Fort Kamehameha Historic District for special adverse treatment while other properties are not being treated in an equivalent manner.
Both the Navy and the State of Hawai‘i/City & County of Honolulu have developed family housing neighborhoods (including a child development center) located in the same accident designation zone at the other end of the runways within the past few years (Halsey Terrace and Kahauiki Village were both developed per public-private partnerships on Federal or State land with public funds). HHF stated that these projects clearly indicate the regulations either provide flexibility to allow for low-density residential use in this zone, or that these government entities chose to disregard those regulations.
The undertaking lacks any discussion of the land use implications of the APZ, including how it has and has not been applied to other facilities under Navy’s jurisdiction with the same regulatory constraints. The runway safety zone map indicates that there are several industrial, administrative, commercial and office areas that are located within the same designated zones. Navy said that it exclusively focused on Ft. Kamehameha and is not making similar efforts to vacate or increase safety in the other affected residential and non-residential areas that are subject to the same restrictions.
In written comments on the project, HHF noted that it appears that Navy has the ability to apply flexibility to allow low-density residential and ancillary uses within the applicable zone. This alternative should be explored and prioritized.
Other alternatives could include adaptive reuse and modification for non-residential purposes, and limited disposal of only some of the houses (e.g. retain and preserve those that are not located in the APZ). These alternatives could include such uses as recreational day use, transient housing or swing space, temporary housing/recreational cabins, educational facilities, support for Hawaiian cultural access and practices.
HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENT
Members of the public are welcome to submit comments on the Navy’s proposal by email to:
Jeff Pantaleo, M.A.
Archaeologist
Navy Facilities Engineering Command Hawai‘i
Submit your comments by email via this link
Click here for a pdf of the Navy’s Section 106 initiation letter which describes their proposal.
To view HHF’s previous comments for reference, click here.
UPDATE: 2010
The Air Force is pressing forward with proposed destruction; preservationists refuse to surrender. The Air Force would like to demolish these structures located in the Accident Potential Zone (APZ) since they can no longer be occupied as housing. HHF and others feel that they should be preserved and mothballed, as they are still in good condition and comprise one of the most intact historic districts in Hawai‘i.
