Video recordings available – 35th Annual Experts at the Cathedral Historic Preservation Speakers Series
2022 Experts Lecture Series Explores Residences of Queen Lili‘uokalani Thursdays, February 3 to March 10, 2022 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Virtual on Zoom Free, registration required (scroll down to register for individual lectures) The series is curated by Dr. Ralph T. Kam, Historic Preservation Graduate Certificate Program, Department of American Studies, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. The series is co-sponsored by Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. In collaboration with the 175th Anniversary of the construction of Washington Place, the 2022 Experts Lecture Series will explore six residences that are significant to the life of Queen Lili‘uokalani. Just three of the six survive: Washington Place, Queen’s Retreat, and ‘Iolani Palace. Haleakalā, Muolaulani, and the Waikīkī houses are all gone. Photographs and maps exist for Haleakalā and the Waikīkī houses, and maps exist for Muolaulani. Biographical Statement: Queen Lili‘uokalani (1838-1917), born in Honolulu and the daughter of a high chief and chiefess, was the first sovereign queen, and the last monarch of Hawai‘i. She assumed the throne in 1891, following the sudden death of her brother King David Kalākaua, but her reign was short-lived. Lili‘uokalani dedicated much of her reign to restoring native Hawaiian rights, but a group of plantation and business owners, backed by the U.S. military, staged a coup to overthrow her in 1893. After a failed insurrection by her supporters in 1895, she was charged with treason and put under house arrest in her palace. When Hawai‘i was annexed by the United States in 1898, Lili‘uokalani declined the offer to watch the annexation ceremonies, as she could not bear to see the Hawaiian flag lowered and the Stars and Stripes put in its place. For the rest of her life, she fought to preserve [...]
Eighteen Properties Added to the Hawai‘i and National Registers Of Historic Places
The Hawai‘i Historic Places Review Board added eleven properties to the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places in August 2021. The National Park Service recently added seven properties located in Hawai‘i to the National Register of Historic Places. Properties are eligible for inclusion in the State and National Registers because of their association with broad patterns or events (Criterion A), or individuals whose lives are significant to our past (Criterion B). They are usually significant in architecture and design (Criterion C) or are likely to yield important information (Criterion D). Their features and other characteristics retain their qualifying integrity. Click on the address/property name to view the property's nomination form. 2740 O‘ahu Avenue Residence, O‘ahu Constructed in 1931, the 2704 O‘ahu Avenue Residence is significant under Criterion A as it reflects the patterns of settlement and chronicles the saga of development in Honolulu. This parcel is located in the west Mānoa area in the subdivision of Puʻupueo, a large tract of land that extended from Mānoa Road to O‘ahu Avenue and nearby the terminus of the Honolulu Rapid Transit Company’s Mānoa trolley line. The parcel was originally owned by Judge Henry E. Cooper who had once been Mānoa Valley’s largest landowner and one of the central figures in the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani. It is also significant under Criterion C as a good example of a 19th and early 20th Century American Movement Craftsman/Bungalow style cottage. This style became popular in Honolulu’s residential neighborhoods in the 1920s and 1930s and became identified as a “Hawaiian Style” of architecture. Known for its originality, simplicity of form, local natural materials, and the presence of hand craftsmanship the residence includes a front porch, lava rock lined steps, and double [...]
Century-Old Coffee Farmhouse Made Watertight
11/1/21: One of the key features in Japanese architecture is the “genkan”, a traditional entryway where a person sits to remove their shoes. At the Uchida Farmhouse at the Kona Coffee Living History Farm, the genkan is a double door entry to the living room and a single door into the kitchen area. The genkan and other important features of the 1920’s era coffee farm were recently restored by Kona Historical Society with a grant from the Freeman Foundation, in cooperation with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. The Uchida family homesteaded the farm from 1913 until 1994. After the oldest son retired, the farm was added to the Kona Historical Society holdings to be managed as a living history museum to tell the story of coffee cultivation in Kona, including the stories of Japanese immigrants and the legacy of this agricultural industry. The site is listed on the Hawai‘i and National Registers of Historic Places. In 2017, HHF provided a grant to replace the roof on the 3-bedroom, single-story vernacular house. Other projects have also helped restore the kuriba (coffee cherry processing mill) and hoshidana (coffee drying platform). Kona Historical Society (KHS) then turned its attention to other restoration projects at the farmhouse. The preservation grant allowed KHS to repair the genkan, replace damaged exterior wall boards and battens in order to address structural rigidity and water-tightness, replace floorboards and goza mats, repair broken window glass and to address hazardous materials in the canec ceilings. KHS Executive Director Ku‘ulani Auld said that the focus was on addressing floorboards and wall boards that were compromised by moisture or termite damage to the extent that they had failed or were in imminent danger of failure. She [...]
East Hawai‘i Cultural Center Sees Bright Outlook
A major arts institution in Hilo has a positive outlook on the future after a recent refresh supported by a Historic Hawai‘i Foundation grant through the Hilo Preservation and Beautification Program. The East Hawai‘i Cultural Center (EHCC) is a culture and arts center that holds art exhibits, dramatic and musical performances, educational workshops and artist presentations from its historic building across from Kalākaua Park in downtown Hilo. The arts center inhabits the former District Courthouse and Police Station. The buildings were constructed in 1932; the courts left in 1969 and the police department moved out in 1975. A group of art enthusiasts took on the lease in 1979 to form an arts center. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. While the building is owned by the County of Hawai‘i, the facility management and preservation is the responsibility of EHCC. Carol Walker, Vice Chair of the EHCC Board of Directors, served as the project manager. The Hilo Preservation grant provided support for bee and termite fumigation, roof repairs to address leaks, repairs to the eaves so the original copper gutters can be reinstalled, and new signage. Walker said that the project has been transformative for EHCC. “The grant proved to be a catalyst: armed with the vision that HHF had spurred us to create, and able tell potential funders that we were supported by HHF funds, we inspired other donors to contribute the funds needed to complete all six components and more,” Walker said. “The Serendipity II Fund (a donor-advised fund administered by the Hawai'i Community Foundation) and Gamelan of the Molten Blossom (the community Indonesian music group at EHCC) donated money so that all structures on our grounds could be [...]
Digitization of Bannick Collection Advances with New Partnerships
State Archivists with HHF's donation to the Bannick Collection. 12/2/2021: In 2019, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation donated a unique collection of photographs, slide transparencies and photo negatives to the Hawai‘i State Archives. Hundreds of images of places and people in Hawai‘i and the Pacific Islands were included in the collection. The estate of Nancy Bannick donated the collection to HHF in 2008. At the time, the executors first offered the images to local archives, but none of the public archives were in a position to receive the collection. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation agreed to accept the files that would otherwise have been discarded. “Although HHF has some capacity to care for archival collections, it is not the organization’s core competency or purpose,” said Kiersten Faulkner, HHF executive director. “We decided to accept the images as important records that would otherwise be lost, with the intention to transfer them to an appropriate long-term caretaker when one could be identified. We are pleased that State Archives is now in a position to accept the donation.” Nancy Bannick in 2006. Nancy Bannick was the Hawai‘i editor for Sunset Magazine in the 1960s-1970s. She traveled the Islands and around the Pacific taking photographs of people, places and events with a particular focus on scenic, historic, cultural and natural resources. She was a charter member of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and extremely active in the arts and cultural organizations in Honolulu. Bannick served as an inspirational role model to volunteers for over 50 years until her passing in February 2008. She was known for her steadfast fight to preserve Honolulu’s historic Chinatown, the Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium and Kapi‘olani Park. Bannick was also a life-long champion of the arts [...]
231 Leinani Drive, Wailuku/Robert Lee-Ah Yet Wong House, Maui
Address 231 Leinani Dr, Wailuku, HI 96793 TMK (2) 3-4-002:015 SHPD Historic Site Number Not Yet Available Abstract The Robert Lee-Ah Yet Wong House was built in 1934 and is significant under Criterion A. Built for a physician and surgeon named Robert Lee, MD, it was then owned by two additional physician surgeons, Tojiro Tofukuji, MD followed by Ah Yet Wong, MD. All three physicians played important roles in the development of healthcare in Hawai‘i during the early to mid-twentieth century: one was an internee during World War II while their siblings or children included members of the 444nd Regimental Combat Team. The residence is also significant under Criterion C as a well-preserved example of a Minimal Traditional Style dwelling, prevalent during the Great Depression in the Sand Hills section of Wailuku. Its height of three stories, exterior finish of stucco, and differently detailed front, rear and side facades, asymmetrically massed with side facing and cross gables as well as shed roofs with dormers made it unique.
Fukuda Seed Company Building/524 Kaaahi Street
Address 524 Kaaahi St, Honolulu, HI 96817 TMK 1-5-007: 033 SHPD Historic Site Number Not Yet Available Abstract The Fukuda Seed Company is significant under Criterion C as a three-story concrete and concrete masonry unit low-rise walkup apartment with business storefronts on the first floor. It was built in 1968 by general contractor Tadao Tamura and engineer William Chun Ming. The structure’s distinct Modern and International Style characteristics are a late adoption of forms initially implemented in Hawai‘i architecture as early as the 1930s. The building has a rounded-V shaped footprint and embodies elements linking it to both the International and Modern Styles. Modern features include rounded exterior corners, a flat roofline, and curving, thin, cantilevered canopies. International Style influences are represented by the lack of window detailing, smooth wall surfaces, and cantilevered projecting canopies, elements first employed in Hawai‘i later, during World War II.