HistoricHawaii

Submitted by the North Shore Chamber of Commerce’s Historic Preservation Committee; working to preserve and perpetuate the legacy of historic Hale‘iwa. Reprinted with permission. The North Shore Chamber of Commerce, as part of its mission of historic preservation of significant sites in Hale‘iwa, installed two bronze plaques commemorating the Yoshida buildings in October 2023. Similar to eighteen other plaques that can now be found throughout Hale‘iwa, the plaque language depicts the architectural and entrepreneurial his­tory of the buildings. The M. Yoshida Buildings, 1923-2024 Often described as buildings made of cubes of sugar stone, the Yoshida Buildings in Hale‘iwa were actually constructed with hand cut blocks of lava rock. The façade of each building was covered with plaster and paint while the exterior stone walls were left exposed. The unique “sugar cube” appearance of the buildings’ exterior has changed little since they were constructed by Nosaka Contractors for Matsuji and Hatsune Yoshida in 1923. Matsuji, a first-generation Issei, arrived in Hawai‘i from Niigata in 1902 and was believed to have worked for the Waialua Sugar Plantation. In 1910 he married Hatsune Takaki, also a first-generation Issei, who came to Hawai‘i from Kumamoto Japan in 1907. They raised three daughters, Ayako, Kikuyo and Sumie in their family residence behind the Yoshida Build­ings. By 1916 the Yoshidas were running a general store in a single-story wood frame building on the property. The twin buildings were completed several years later, proclaiming the M. Yoshida name. The Yoshida Store opened in the South Building with imported Japanese merchandise, groceries, and dry goods for sale. When Matsuji died in 1944, his wife Hatsune operated the store with the help of her two younger daughters. It was demanding work for [...]

In June 2024 Historic Hawai‘i Foundation will celebrate 50 years as an organization dedicated to preserving and encouraging the preservation of Hawai‘i’s historic places. In preparation for this milestone anniversary, we’ve been thinking about our own history and how the role of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation has either changed or been consistent over time. As we enter the organization’s 50th year, we’re thinking about why preservation matters and why Historic Hawai‘i Foundation matters. What has been the impact? What actions have been inspired and what places have been saved? What places have been lost and what have we learned along the way? What partnerships and collaborations have been forged? Fifty years is a good time for looking back, but also a good time for looking forward. We’re anticipating both as we prepare for next year and hope the HHF members will have much to reflect on as well. Watch for events and gatherings throughout the year as we come together to celebrate and set the foundation for another 50 years.  Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Logo Shares Mission of Saving Places Historic Hawai‘i Foundation has updated our logo in honor of our 50th Anniversary celebration this year! The wordmark is based on the existing logo, using a deep brown serif font that represents stability, elegance and heritage. The font was slightly modified to be a more contemporary version of the linotype-style used for the past 30 years. The continuity of the wordmark ties to the existing logo, creating consistency and expanding on current brand awareness. The wordmark can continue to stand alone, but the new brand also incorporates a logomark to accompany the wordmark. The circular logomark is divided into three segments: [...]

Kāne‘ohe Landmark Shares History of World War II Battle and Aftermath By June Noelani Cleghorn, Senior Cultural Resources Manager, Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i On an early quiet Sunday morning on Windward O‘ahu, the Naval Air Station (NAS) Kāne‘ohe commander, Naval Commander (CDR) Harold Martin, was at his home overlooking Mōkapu peninsula’s north shore sipping coffee when his young son commented on the low flying airplanes with red circles on their sides coming towards the runway below their house. CDR Martin dropped his coffee cup and ran out to his car, not changing out of his pajamas, on this December 7, 1941 morning to head to his office while hearing the first bombs dropped by Japanese attack aircraft land on NAS Kāne‘ohe Hangar 1. Also targeted that day were the Navy’s PBY Catalina reconnaissance seaplanes on the tarmac adjacent to Hangar 1 and moored in Kāne‘ohe Bay. This attack at NAS Kāne‘ohe occurred only eight minutes before the bombs dropped at Pearl Harbor. In 1987, more than four decades later, Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) listed Hangar 1, its aircraft parking areas and taxiways, and five seaplane ramps in the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in recognition of its national significance as the Japanese target on December 7, 1941, that, combined with the Pearl Harbor attack, triggered the United States’ entry into World War II (WWII). MCBH has continued to use and reuse its NHL to support Marine Corps and Navy aviation assets ever since NAS Kāne‘ohe changed to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Kāne‘ohe in 1952 and then later in 1994 when Marine Corps assets in Hawai‘i were consolidated into the current base. In 2012, the first [...]