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So far HistoricHawaii has created 1696 blog entries.

HHF and Realtor Hui Fill Information Gap for Buyers and Sellers of Historic Homes

New brochure and web page share facts and resources about historic home ownership Historic Hawai‘i Foundation receives numerous inquiries about historic properties from the public and realtors about buying, selling and owning a historic home. Frequently asked questions range from "Can I make changes to my house?" and "May I place solar panels on my roof?" to "How do I nominate my home for the Historic Register?" and "What is the process?". The number and frequency of questions suggested a need for easy-to-digest information, especially for the real estate market. In 2021 HHF reached out to members Sharon Au, Liz Bills, Gavin Hall, Dawn Marie and Doug Shanefield, who are all experienced realtors in Honolulu. We asked for their input on a suite of information resources that will encourage current homeowners and prospective homebuyers to keep (or add) a historic home to the State (or National) Register of Historic Places—and as a result, the Realtor Hui was born! The Hui met virtually and connected over email formulating new resources highlighting the benefits of having a home on the Register and clarifying often-held misconceptions about owning a listed home. The multi-phase project is underway with the first two pieces complete: a comprehensive brochure that is easy to share with clients, digitally and in print and a dedicated webpage on HHF’s website titled, "Your Historic Home".  Visit the webpage to download the brochure and explore the facts, benefits, status and nomination process related to historic home ownership.     The Realtor Hui will continue to meet and focus on the next phases of the project to establish a social media hub for realtors and historic homeowners and a certified continuing education course for realtors.   We are [...]

2022-08-12T13:44:49-10:00April 14th, 2022|Categories: Blog|

Fort Kamehameha (2008)

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, [...]

2022-07-20T13:44:44-10:00April 12th, 2022|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, MES Oahu|Tags: , |

HHF Seeking Donations of Art, Locally-Made Items and Gift Card Donations

Help Preserve Hawai‘i's Places by Making an In-Kind Donation to HHF's Online Auction Online Bidding Live 24/7 from 12:00 PM HST Saturday, May 14, 2022 through 12:00 PM HST Saturday, May 21, 2022 Historic Hawai‘i Foundation will hold an online auction from May 14-21, 2022 to raise funds for its education, assistance and advocacy programs. Help us make it an exciting success by donating an item or two, such as works of art, handmade crafts, gift cards to your favorite bakery or restaurant, or tickets to a concert or play. All proceeds from the auction will help preserve places that provide all of us in Hawai‘i with a tangible connection to our shared history and heritage--places that serve as invaluable touchstones for our communities. Donations of locally made items also serve to support local artists and businesses. For local businesses and artists, the auction is a great opportunity to promote your brand and highlight the unique goods and services you have to offer. The auction will be promoted to an audience of over 3,500 people. In addition, your act of generosity will be in the public eye with recognition on the auction site throughout the event. To make an in-kind donation, please contact Michelle, HHF's development assistant, by phone at (808)523-2900 or by email. We will coordinate with you on the pick up/delivery of items as needed. Mahalo for your consideration! The deadline to make an in-kind donation is April 15th. Popular auction items to donate: Art prints, paintings, ceramics, weavings, photography and other art Restaurant and retail gift cards Home decor like pillows, blankets or baskets Fashion for all ages Accessories such as hats, handbags and jewelry Sporting goods Tickets to theater or music [...]

2022-05-17T08:44:34-10:00April 5th, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: |

Remembering Honolulu’s Hell’s Half Acre and Tin Can Alley of the 1880s – 1960s

If you follow the Rearview Mirror column in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, you're likely to be aware that columnist Bob Sigall regularly invites his readers to share their personal memories of places and times of yesteryear. Last week, Sigall issued a call for recollections about Honolulu's Hell's Half Acre and Tin Can Alley, two residential areas next to downtown Honolulu where about 17,000 people resided until the 1960s.  The dense neighborhoods were filled with lower-income housing punctuated by chop suey houses, cafes, beer parlors, movie theaters, a dance hall and a variety of shops.  From the 1950s the area fell victim to redevelopment, in spite of resistance by preservation groups led by Nancy Bannick who argued that the two areas were significant representations of Honolulu's unique history and culture. Rearview Mirror: Remembering Honolulu's Hell's Half Acre, Tin Can Alley By Bob Sigall 3/18/22: I'm sure most of my readers could point to where such O‘ahu neighborhoods as Waipahu, Pālama, Mānoa or Kapahulu are. But what about Hell's Half Acre or Tin Can Alley? Do you remember them? Eighty years ago, one-eighth of Honolulu's population lived in them, and most everyone else knew where they were. Rents there were cheap, and you could walk to a downtown job in five to 10 minutes. Ray Iwamoto asked me recently about the two areas. "I wonder if you could research exactly where Hell's Half Acre and Tin Can Alley were," he said. "I grew up on River Street near Hotel (Diamond Head of Nu‘uanu Stream), and I thought Hell's Half Acre was also Diamond Head of Nu‘uanu Stream. "I thought it might have been near Beretania and River and not in the Hall Street area. I also [...]

2022-05-17T08:47:03-10:00March 23rd, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: |

Job Opportunities Available Now at Historic Hawai‘i Foundation

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation currently has two part-time job openings that offer flexible hours, competitive pay and unique experiences.  Please refer to the brief descriptions below and check out the links for further information and instructions to apply.  Applications will be accepted via Bishop & Co. If you know of someone who might be interested, please share these opportunities with them! Historic Preservation Intern for Education Programs The Historic Preservation Intern will assist with organizing, facilitating and implementing Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s public education programs. These programs aim to build an ethic of preservation and promoting preservation solutions for community planning and development activities. Specific tasks may include supporting educational seminars, tours and events; researching and developing action alerts and community calls for action; developing written materials; assisting with video, website, social media and written communications; and developing public presentation materials. This temporary position will work 8-16 hours/week for 12-16 weeks.  Start and end dates are flexible. The work location may be either remote via telework or in the HHF office in the Dole Cannery, Iwilei, Honolulu.  The office is on a major bus line or validated parking is available. [Learn more] Historic Preservation Intern for Native Hawaiian Stewardship Program The NHO Program Historic Preservation Intern will assist with organizing, facilitating and implementing Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s Native Hawaiian Organization Stewardship Training Program.  The ideal candidate must demonstrate ability to support and learn about program management and have interest in learning the concepts and principles of historic preservation for sustaining, protecting and supporting historic and cultural sites in the Hawaiian Islands. Knowledge of Hawaiian culture and traditions is required; familiarity with ‘Olelo Hawai‘i is advantageous. Some hours may be detailed to the U.S. Department of the Interior Office [...]

2022-05-17T08:44:59-10:00March 23rd, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: |

The Reuse Imperative: Older Buildings as Climate Assets

Image: The 1900 Kakaako Pumping Station which had stood in disuse for decades was revitalized in 2016 as the Nā Kūpuna Makamae Community Center. The project received a Preservation Honor Award in 2017 and is an excellent example of adaptive reuse in the Islands. Photo © Nan, Inc. 3/18/22: Jim Lindberg, a senior policy director at the National Trust, has written a strong case for utilizing building reuse as an effective tool to prevent climate change. Recent flash flooding and coastal erosion at home here in Hawai‘i underline the urgency for preventative action. Lindberg proposes actionable policy recommendations to spur discussion and innovation.  His article is reposted here. Building reuse will be one of the topics explored as part of an upcoming Climate Action webinar series organized by the Sustainability and Climate Action Working Group of the Preservation Priorities Task Force, the National Trust’s collaboration with the National Preservation Partners Network. Read more about the April 12th webinar at the end of Lindberg's article. The Reuse Imperative By Jim Lindberg, Senior Policy Director, the National Trust for Historic Preservation The urgency of reducing embodied carbon emissions inverts common perceptions about older buildings and climate change. Rather than outdated structures that we hope to replace, older buildings should be valued as climate assets that we cannot afford to waste.” From “Avoiding Carbon: Mitigating Climate Change through Preservation and Reuse” in Issues in Preservation Policy: Preservation, Sustainability, and Equity. Last month’s report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that we are falling behind in the race against global warming. To avoid what one of the report’s co-authors describes as “a sub-optimal future,” we must use every tool available to reduce carbon emissions. One of those [...]

2022-05-17T08:47:25-10:00March 18th, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: |

View the recording: The Preservation of the Nancy Bannick Collection at the Hawai‘i State Archives, a webinar

The Preservation of the Nancy Bannick Collection at the Hawai‘i State Archives Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, in partnership with the Hawai‘i State Archives, will offer a free webinar showcasing a new digitized collection of photographs from the 1950s-1970s by community advocate Nancy Bannick. Featuring Architectural Historian Dr. Don Hibbard, Hawai‘i State Archivist Dr. Adam Jansen & Filmmaker Robin Lung Held on Thursday, April 7, 2022 VIEW THE RECORDING View below a slideshow of images from the Nancy Bannick Collection at the Hawaii State Archives with renowned architectural historian Don Hibbard.* *This is a re-record of Don Hibbard's presentation on April 7th which had audio issues. View below a short documentary created by filmmaker Robin Lung that beautifully articulates the significance of preserving the Bannick Collection. Download the Program PDF THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for this webinar!!! It was fascinating and I LOVED seeing pictures of “old” Hawai‘i.  The work you are doing with the Nancy Bannick Collection is wonderful and is a gift to everyone who grew up or lived in Hawai‘i during that time period!!! Thanks again! Cara Lowrey Takamori The webinar will include: a slideshow presentation of photographs from the Bannick collection a short film about digitizing the collection a brief tour of the collection on the Archives' website, followed by Q&A with the speakers The Preservation of the Nancy Bannick Collection at the Hawai‘i State Archives Date: Thursday, April 7, 2022 Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m. HST Via Zoom Download the Program PDF Steps to access the HHF Nancy Bannick Archives: Go to: https://digitalarchives.hawaii.gov/ Type Bannick in the search box and click search [...]

2022-08-05T08:55:56-10:00March 17th, 2022|Categories: Events - Home sidebar, Events - Past|Tags: , , |

Surf n Sea Building

Address 62-595 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleiwa, HI 96712 TMK (1) 6-2-003: 039 SHPD Historic Site Number -- Abstract Constructed in approximately 1921, the Surf n Sea Building is significant under Criterion C as a good example of a wooden commercial building constructed in Hawai‘i during the opening decades of the 20th century. Stylistically, it is typical of its period in use of materials, method of construction, craftsmanship, and design. The building sits on a 3,780 square foot lot between Kamehameha Highway and Maeaea Beach and is located on a street lined with commercial buildings that contributes to the retail character of Hale‘iwa’s downtown core. The principal exterior materials of the building are wooden tongue and groove walls, a corrugated metal roof, and a concrete slab foundation. It is a two-story building that is characterized by a shed roof awning running the length of the façade between the first and second stories, as well as another situated above the second story windows. Although the building has undergone a number of alterations, it still retains its historic integrity and stands as one of the larger and more imposing historic buildings and also only one of two remaining two-story examples of this building form in Hale‘iwa. It is a recognizable landmark in the North Shore community.

2022-03-01T00:13:18-10:00March 1st, 2022|Categories: Historic Properties|Tags: |

Preservation Honor Awards 2022 To Be Held This Fall

The 48th Annual Preservation Honor Awards Ceremony and Reception will be held on Thursday, October 20, 2022 from 5:00pm at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Ho‘okupu Center located in Kewalo Basin Park, Honolulu. The Historic Preservation Honor Awards are Hawai‘i’s highest recognition of projects, organizations, publications and individuals active in the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and interpretation of the State’s archaeological, architectural, and cultural sites. Preservation projects completed within the past two years are eligible to be nominated.  The Award categories are: Achievements in Interpretive Media Individual Achievement (Lifetime and Young Professional) Programmatic Award Achievements in New Construction Preservation Project Award See the list of Previous Preservation Award Winners from 1975-2021. Anniversary Recognitions The 100th, 125th, 150th, 175th, and 200th year anniversaries of kama‘āina businesses, organizations and places in Hawai‘i will also be recognized for their longevity and contributions to Hawai‘i’s people and way of life. This year's significant milestones include: Bicentennial (1822) Hawaiian Mission Houses Printing Press Arrival of Tahitian Missionaries to Hawai‘i Dodransbicentennial - 175th (1847)  Parker Ranch. Waimea, Hawai‘i Island Washington Place, Honolulu, O‘ahu Sesquicentennial - 150th (1872)  Ali‘iōlani Hale, Honolulu, O‘ahu Quasquicentennial - 125th (1897) Bank of Hawai‘i, Statewide Dillingham Ranch, Waialua, O‘ahu Hawaiian Humane Society, O‘ahu Irwin Block (Nippu Jiji Building), Honolulu, O‘ahu Pali Road, Honolulu, O‘ahu Centennial - 100th (1922) Cades Schutte LLP, O‘ahu and Maui Central Union Church, Honolulu, O‘ahu Hawai‘i Education Association, Statewide Hawai‘i Library Association, Statewide Hawai‘i Theatre Center, Honolulu, O‘ahu Honolulu Board of REALTORS, O‘ahu Honolulu Shade Tree Commission, O‘ahu Ka Leo O Hawai‘i, O‘ahu King David Kalākaua Building, Honolulu, O‘ahu Konowaena High School, Kealakekua, Hawai‘i Island La Pietra, Dillingham Residence, Honolulu, O‘ahu Mānoa Valley Church, Honolulu, O‘ahu Pacific Building, Hilo, Hawai‘i Island Pu‘unēnē School, Pu‘unēnē, Maui Waiʻoli Tea [...]

2023-02-03T14:09:32-10:00February 24th, 2022|Categories: Events - Past|

Connie Lau To Be Honored as The 2022 Kama‘āina of the Year

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation (HHF) is very pleased to announce that Connie Lau will be honored as the 2022 Kama‘āina of the Year™ on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikīkī on the island of O‘ahu. Please join us in recognizing Connie Lau for her visionary leadership and her sense of responsibility to care for our island home. Table sponsorships and tickets may be secured by submitting the registration form available at right or using the secure online registration form at the link below. Lau is known for her forward-thinking leadership as the former president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI), a position she held for 15 years. Her 37-year career with HEI and its subsidiaries spanned numerous management roles and she is credited with spearheading key initiatives that transformed the companies.

2022-08-05T08:58:24-10:00February 22nd, 2022|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: |

501(c)3

Historic Hawaii Foundation is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit organization dedicated to saving Hawaii’s historic places. Historic Hawaii Foundation exists because of the financial support of its members. Please do your part to keep Hawaii’s past preserved by becoming a member today. FEIN: 23-7441972

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