Preservation Challenge Grant Boosts Community Support to Preserve an Historic Theatre Landmark

At the end of May this year, Hawai‘i Theatre Center (HTC) was selected to receive a historic preservation challenge grant of $50,000 from the Freeman Foundation in cooperation with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation to provide funding for restoration and electrical upgrade work to the Theatre’s iconic marquee.

The marquee is a key character-defining element of the Theatre’s exterior. “It made sense to issue the grant as a challenge match in order to leverage additional community support and fundraising to complete the restoration,” noted Kiersten Faulkner, HHF Executive Director, upon release of the grant. HTC quickly rose to the challenge, launching a creative campaign through social media & email that has roused public interest in the marquee and has generated an unexpected level of financial support despite the pandemic’s shutdown of in-person shows and events.

In a written statement HTC President and CEO Gregory Dunn explained, “By putting a call (to action) on social media, HTC engaged not only its core group of supporters, but also people in the community who want to see the historic venue maintained for the benefit of future generations.  The very exciting part for these donors has been to see their name up in lights on the marquee!  For every gift of $150, HTC offers a personalized non-commercial message to the donor. Donors have posted graduation wishes, birthday wishes, anniversary wishes, and even congratulations and accolades to recognize other non-profit organizations.”

Through this imaginative and highly engaging campaign, HTC’s team has raised enough funds to exceed the $50,000 challenge grant and continues to raise funds to support additional work on the marquee that wasn’t originally planned.  What a tremendous outcome!

To date, repair or replacement of neon tubing, down lights, fixtures and associated electrical work to the marquee has been completed in accordance with standards and guidelines for the appropriate treatment of historic properties. The additional phase of work includes repair of the neon lighting and electrical upgrades to the vertical “HAWAII” sign that adorns the historic building’s corner on Bethel and Pauahi.

Dunn says they plan to continue the fundraising program well into the future in order to continue to raise funding to support ongoing repairs and maintenance to the sign. “Because of the type of custom neon sign that we have, there is only ONE vendor we’re aware of who is capable of hand crafting the neon tubes, installing them and overseeing the electronics replacement project,” added Dunn. “Because this vendor is the only one on island, we had to wait months to schedule the repairs, and coordinate several advance site visits that planning the neon repair project requires.

“Our advice for any other people seeking to hire contractors is to make certain you can verify their qualifications and experience in working on a historic project.  We have had other vendors propose changing our neon bulb signage to LED lamps, and while this may offer energy efficiency, for our project we felt it was important to maintain the unique historic character and soft glow of the vintage neon bulbs.  For other non-profits who occupy historic buildings, we would say keep telling your story and be sure to include the word “historic” when referring to your property.  When the Historic Hawai‘i Theatre underwent a branding makeover several years ago, the brand removed the word Historic from the brand icons in favor of a more modern aesthetic.  We have found that by re-establishing the “Historic” connection to the name of the center, our fundraising efforts are more effective because people are able to better associate the landmark property as the Historic Hawai‘i Theatre, and are willing to contribute to our upkeep.” (emphasis added)

When asked why he thinks it’s important to preserve historic landmarks like HTC, Dunn replied, “First and foremost, without the character of our unique historic landmarks, we would be just another nondescript urban community with no anchor to our past.  The buildings we have been able to preserve in Hawai‘i are what remind us of where we are, and what is uniquely special about this place that is our home.”

“In the Chinatown community, the landmark Historic Hawai‘i Theatre is a true economic engine that pre-Covid would generate tens of millions of dollars of economic activity annually.  The Theatre brought crowds to the neighborhood and contributed to the growth of the Arts & Culture District, and fostered a pedestrian friendly neighborhood that supported small shops, restaurants and artists.  As a destination for both locals and visitors alike, the Theatre is a necessary piece of the cultural fabric of Hawai‘i–something all of our local historic landmarks have in common.  We are fortunate that we have a strong Historic Hawai‘i Foundation that supports efforts in preserving our landmarks.”

Through the past several months of the pandemic, Hawai‘i Theatre Center has been one of the few venues in Hawai‘i providing a continuous series of live entertainment streamed via Facebook live and local news webpages.  HTC staff were quick to transform the stage into a production venue with adjustments to lighting, cameras and sound to utilize the beautiful Theatre interior as a magnificent backdrop.  Performances include live concerts by local artists and the Honolulu Symphony, as well as events for other organizations, including Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s Preservation Honor Awards Presentation held there in July.

By Beth Iwata, Director of Development

For information about Hawai‘i Theatre Center’s events and marquee campaign, visit: https://www.hawaiitheatre.com.