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Summer Reading List for Preservation Mavens!

If you're a preservation and history buff (and if you're reading this we assume you are), you'll be excited to add one or more of these recently published titles to your summer reading list. Happy Reading! Tambi Larsen’s 100 Entertainments of Kauaʻi Published by Kaua‘i Historical Society, 2023 Tambi Larsen was a Danish, Academy Award winning art director who married Barbara Dole (daughter of James Dole) and bought a home in Hā‘ena, Kaua‘i in 1961 where he would later spend several months of his retirement each year. During this time, Larsen decided to visually celebrate natural and man-made settings around the island and thus began a body of artwork he called “One Hundred Entertainments.” These whimsical colored drawings created with Prismacolor Pencils featuring buildings and architectural features and elements from the natural world, are a love letter to the Garden Island. Part art book and part history book, 100 Entertainments of Kauaʻi offers a charming, insightful, and enchanting vision of Kauaʻi's places, nature, and lifestyle. Each illustration is accompanied with a brief history or anecdote written by five local historians of the Kaua‘i Historical Society. Tambi Larsen passed away in 2001, and in 2003, his wife Barbara bestowed the Kaua‘i Historical Society with the rights to publish these gems. Available at the Kaua‘i Historical Society: https://kauaihistoricalsociety.org/product/tambi_larsens_100_entertainments_of_kauai/ Architectural Conservation in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands National Experiences and Practice By John Stubbs, William Chapman, Julia Gatley, Ross King Published by Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2024 The fourth in a series that documents architectural conservation in different parts of the world, Architectural Conservation in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands: National Experiences and Practice addresses cultural heritage protection [...]

2024-07-03T14:59:19-10:00July 2nd, 2024|Categories: Blog|

Mālama Lauhala: Caring for the Cultural Resource of Hala at Niuliʻi, Kohala

by The Kohala Center staff In April 2024, The Kohala Center (TKC) welcomed weavers, artists, scientists, and cultural managers to the hala grove at Niuliʻi, Kohala, Hawaiʻi Island for a co-learning session focused on lauhala. Supported by the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Island Climate Adaptation Science Centers, the project titled “Lauhala: Weaving Knowledges and Practices with a Climate Resilient and Culturally Significant Plant on Hawaiʻi Island” represents a collective of hala practitioners, scientists, and knowledge stewards. Together, they are celebrating hala (Pandanus tectorius) and envisioning hopeful futures that embrace the ecological and cultural resilience of this vital plant. Ulana lauhala, the art of weaving hala leaves, is an important Hawaiian cultural tradition. This practice is sustained by a vibrant intergenerational community of weavers, their students, and caretakers of the lauhala trees. The craft goes beyond the weaving process to include the nurturing of hala groves, the harvesting and preparation of leaves, and the creation of specialized tools. The “Lauhala” project explores the impacts of colonialism and capitalism on the practice of ulana lauhala and the broader implications that they have on other Hawaiian arts and crafts. Investigating changes over the course of local history, it examines the destruction of hala groves due to human activities such as urban expansion and sugar plantations. Additionally, it highlights the potential for restoring hala through reforestation and revitalizing ulana practices, all while considering the effects of climate change on the future of hala. Historically, ulana lauhala was a widely practiced skill throughout Hawaiʻi, essential for furnishing household needs. However, the diminished reliance on woven products led to a decline in these skills and the cultivation of hala trees. Today, re-engagement with ulana lauhala is fostering an expansion [...]

2024-06-14T11:35:08-10:00June 14th, 2024|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|

View the recording: Preservation Planning & Historic Structure Reports Webinar

Hawai‘i Preservation in Practice Training Webinar: Preservation Planning and Historic Structure Reports Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, in partnership with the Department of the Interior’s National Park Service, will offer a free webinar on utilizing preservation plans and historic structure reports as tools for preserving significant buildings, structures, cultural or archaeological sites. Date: Tuesday, July 30, 2024 Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. HST Cost: Free Virtual Webinar via ZOOM VIEW THE RECORDING Additional Resources Click on the image at left to view the Webinar slide deck. "Preservation planning is a proactive way to provide for the protection of a community’s historic resources and character." ~National Alliance of Preservation Commissions The seminar provides training to members of the public, private or government sectors who own, manage, steward or are interested in preserving historic buildings, structures, objects, sites and districts.   Preservation Planning & Historic Structures Reports Date: Tuesday, July 30, 2024 Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. This seminar was approved for certificate maintenance credits through the American Planning Association (AICP) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA). ABOUT THE COURSE The webinar will present an introduction to preservation plans and historic structures reports as tools for preserving significant buildings, structures, cultural or archaeological sites. Presentations and case studies will illustrate use of and potential benefits when incorporating these tools into the planning process preceding design and implementation of preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, or reconstruction work. A National Park Service historical architect will provide an overview of preservation plans and how they are related to and supplemented by historic structure reports. Weaving in [...]

2024-11-20T11:06:03-10:00June 12th, 2024|Categories: Events - Past|

Unveiling the Wonders of the National Tropical Botanical Garden

Celebrating 60 Years of  Plant Preservation and Research "We're all about perpetuating tropical plants, ecosystems and cultural heritage. Our approach is really biocultural and what we mean by that is we care deeply about the relationships between our ecosystems and our communities, between people and plants." ~Communications Director David Bryant (as quoted in Island News, May 19, 2024) Preserving Hawaii's Rare Plant Life The National Tropical Botanical Garden, headquartered in Kalāheo, on the island of Kauaʻi, turns 60 this year. Originally created as the Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, NTBG was chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1964 as a not-for-profit institution, dedicated to tropical plant research, conservation, and education. In the years since, its diverse collection of living and preserved plant specimens, plays a crucial role in understanding and protecting the fragile ecosystems of the Pacific region. NTBG garden sites include McBryde Garden, Allerton Garden and Limahuli Garden and Preserve on Kauaʻi; Kahanu Garden near Hana, Maui which includes the 3-acre Piʻilanihale Heiau, a National Historic Landmark believed to be the largest ancient temple in the Hawaiian Islands; and The Kampong located in Biscayne Bay, Coconut Grove, Florida.  View the timeline and history. A Repository for Genetic Diversity NTBG's native plant collection is a vast repository of genetic information for rare Hawaiian plant species.  Their meticulous record-keeping and data management systems play a crucial role in guiding the institution's conservation efforts. Through a living collections database, NTBG maintains detailed information on all the collections that come in, which helps guide where to make additional collections to have good genetic representation of some of the rare species. Collaborating for a Greener Future The NTBG's commitment to plant conservation extends beyond its own borders, as the institution [...]

2024-05-31T13:26:08-10:00May 23rd, 2024|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|

Welcome to America’s Chinatowns Campaign

Explore the history of Chinatowns in the United States through a new storytelling collection and learn how they foster belonging and connections today. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has partnered with Google Arts & Culture and collaborated with over 14 organizations and eight individual artists and creators to create a unique collection of stories about Chinatowns across the United States. The partnership builds on the National Trust’s 2022 America’s Chinatowns Initiative*, created to address a growing need to support historic Chinatowns in the United States through researching and building coalitions for that purpose. "It is long past due to ask what more the national preservation community can do to amplify existing grassroots action to support Chinatowns now and in the future." ~Di Gao, senior director of research and development at the National Trust and leader of the America’s Chinatown initiative. The vibrant online storytelling hub, Welcome to America’s Chinatowns, launched May 9, 2024, chronicles the histories and threats facing Chinatowns nationwide. View the hub HERE. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation is honored to be a participating organization, sharing a glimpse of Honolulu’s Chinatown. View HHF’s page which includes photography by Cliff Kimura, historical interpretation by local historian Gary Coover and documentary shorts by filmmakers Kimberlee Bassford and Robin Lung as part of the collection. Often the gateways for new immigrants, Chinatown’s across the United States are an integral part of our shared history and yet are increasingly threatened by economic challenges, gentrification and development. To draw attention to their history and challenges, the Welcome to America’s Chinatowns collection sheds light on what makes each a unique cultural repository by sharing stories about the businesses, individuals and organizations that live, work and play in our Chinatowns. [...]

2024-05-13T12:06:05-10:00May 9th, 2024|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|

Kaʻapuni o Waimea and the Kipahele Tour Series at Waimea Valley

Editor's note: In March of 2023, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation shared a blog post by Waimea Valley staff introducing their new program, Kaʻapuni o Waimea, just after its debut. The program offers visitors cultural learning opportunities at three of the valley’s cultural sites. The objective of the program design, to allow the visitor to ground their experience in cultural values and engage directly with the valley’s mission: to preserve and perpetuate the human, cultural and natural resources of Waimea for generations through education and stewardship. HHF circled back for an update a year later (see article below). Read the original post describing the program and theme of the Kaʻapuni o Waimea, the Hawaiian cultural value of hoʻokipa, HERE.  Celebrating one year of program growth at Waimea Valley By guest contributor Waimea Valley staff Photos courtesy Waimea Valley  Waimea Valley leadership is proud to share that the Cultural Programs team has established the Kaʻapuni o Waimea initiative as a foundational component of daily programming in the Valley. Beginning with a daily average of 14 pin recipients (visitors completing the program) in the early months after its launch in March of 2023, the daily average of pin recipients is now holding strong at 130. In fact, from January through March of 2024, the pace of the program participation has grown dramatically in popularity, counting over 9,800 visitors earning their pins in the three months – already surpassing the annual total of 9,500 pin recipients in 2023! The takeaway for the Cultural Programs team is that visitors to Waimea Valley are eager to actively and respectfully engage in cultural discourse, if given the opportunity. The frontline staff of Waimea Valley receives special training to be experts in a personal [...]

2024-04-11T14:38:42-10:00April 11th, 2024|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|

ONHR Announces The Heritage (Tourism) Opportunities in Hawaiʻi (HŌʻIHI) Program to Enhance Visitor Education

Proposals are now being accepted for the HŌʻIHI grant program, a new funding opportunity for Native Hawaiian Organizations. See the press release below from the Office of Native Hawaiian Relations for details. Interested NHOs must submit their proposals on-line through Grants.gov no later than Monday, June 3, 2024. Copies of this solicitation and additional information are available on ONHR’s website at:  www.doi.gov/hawaiian. Interior Department’s Office of Native Hawaiian Relations Announces $1 Million in NATIVE Act Grants for Native Hawaiian Organizations 4/4/2024 — The Department of the Interior’s Office of Native Hawaiian Relations today announced $1 million in funding for Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs) through the Heritage Opportunities in Hawaiʻi (HŌʻIHI) grant program. The funding is made possible by the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act, which enables Indigenous communities to participate in national tourism goals and strategies. This is the third year that funding has been made available to NHOs through the HŌʻIHI grant program. "The Heritage Opportunities in Hawaiʻi Program seeks to encourage a tourism model that accurately showcases Native Hawaiian culture and traditions while providing protection and awareness for Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural resources," said Joan Mooney, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget. “These resources provide Indigenous communities with access to resources, technical assistance and grants to build sustainable recreational and cultural travel and tourism infrastructure and capacity, spur economic development and create good jobs.” The HŌʻIHI program establishes a more inclusive national travel and tourism strategy and provides opportunities to NHOs that have the potential to deliver significant benefits, including job creation, elevated living standards and expanded economic opportunities, to the Native Hawaiian Community. “We are seeking grant awardees for 2024 who exemplify Hawaiʻi’s overall movement [...]

2024-04-08T12:36:03-10:00April 8th, 2024|Categories: Blog|Tags: , , |

Mauna Kea Traditional Cultural Property and District Approved for Hawai‘i Historic Register

By Kuʻupuamaeʻole Kiyuna, J.D., Legal Specialist/Kaliʻuokapaʻakai Collective Coordinator, Huliauapaʻa In November 2023, Mauna Kea was accepted for inclusion on the Hawaiʻi Register of Historic Places (HRHP) as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) and district. On behalf of co-nominators KAHEA and Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, Huliauapaʻa researched, drafted, and presented the nomination to the Hawaiʻi Historic Places Review Board. The Board approved Mauna Kea’s listing as a TCP and District on the State register and also recommended the nomination move forward for consideration for National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) listing. TCPs are places associated with the cultural practices or beliefs of a living community that are both rooted in a community’s history and important in maintaining its continued cultural identity. TCP designation benefits state and county agencies because it provides more information at the forefront of regulatory compliance processes. For planning purposes, agencies won’t have to perform historic preservation eligibility and significance assessments at the state or federal levels because the property’s eligibility and significance have already been established through the TCP designation process. This benefit also extends to cultural impact assessments required under Hawaiʻi state law and environmental review because Mauna Kea’s cultural significance as a TCP is established. To be eligible for an HRHP or NRHP listing, a historic property must meet at least one criteria of significance. In the Mauna Kea nomination, Huliauapaʻa provided an in-depth analysis of how Mauna Kea exceeds all eligibility criteria (association with a historical event, a significant person, an example of notable architecture, or provides information important to understanding history and prehistory). Significance is inherent from the role Mauna Kea plays in Hawaiian cosmology and the community’s historically rooted beliefs, customs and practices; Mauna Kea’s association [...]

2024-06-17T10:48:49-10:00March 22nd, 2024|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|

Ten Properties Added to the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places

The Hawai‘i Historic Places Review Board added ten properties to the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places in November 2023 and February 2024. Learn more about their history, characteristics and significance. Properties are eligible for inclusion in the register if they meet one or more criteria of historic significance: A) association with broad patterns or events; B) associations with historic individuals; C) architecture and design; or D) likely to yield important information. Halona Point/Bamboo Ridge Ojizo Stone Monument, O‘ahu The Ojizo (guardian) Monument stands at the Bamboo Ridge overlook at Halona Point (Koko Head). It is among the significant Honolulu stone monuments carved by sculptor and engraver Sentaro Otsubo, whose primary business was carving gravestones. This is the third Ojizo at this location; vandals destroyed the first two free standing statues placed there to protect fisherman who frequent this popular and challenging ulua fishing spot. The Monument, carved and installed in 1935, is made of lava rock and uses the engraved carving method in which inscriptions are incised and material removed leaving recesses that allow light and shadows to describe the bas relief and calligraphy. The Ojizo Monument is significant under Criterion C as an excellent example of twentieth century stone carving. It is also significant under Criterion A for its contribution to the theme of the creation of permanent stone monuments around southern O‘ahu to honor Issei and Nisei Japanese American ancestors. period. View the nomination. John J. Andrade, Sr. Property, Hawai‘i The John J. Andrade property is comprised of one and two-story buildings that have been renovated, expanded and altered over time prior to 1973. The complex consists of three sections: a long and rectangular two-story structure; a small, [...]

2024-03-25T15:55:52-10:00March 22nd, 2024|Categories: Blog, Featured Homepage Top|Tags: |

Breakfast with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation: Memories of the Past 50 Years

You’re invited to breakfast with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Memories of the Past 50 Years 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 honor of this anniversary, we invite our preservation ‘ohana to reminisce on the past 50 years and to envision what the future looks like for historic preservation in Hawai‘i. Members and supporters like you have been an integral part of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s ability to protect the places that matter. We are grateful for your foresight, passion, and commitment to stewarding Hawai‘i’s historic places so that both present and future generations can benefit. Event Details When: Friday, April 19th, 2024 Time: 9:00-11:00AM Where: Café Julia, Fuller Hall YWCA Laniākea, 1040 Richards St Honolulu, HI 96813 Cost: Free REGISTER ONLINE Below & Share Memories or call, 808-523-2900 or email, member@historichawaii.org Top image--clockwise from top left: Keiki Coloring Contest, 2004; Modernism Symposium Reception, O‘ahu, 2012; Capital Historic District Story Map tour and event, Honolulu, 2019; Preservation Trades Training Workshop in the Maintenance and Repair of Historic Structures, Kōke‘e Civilian Conservation Corps Camp, Kōke‘e State Park, Kaua‘i; Lāna'i City site visit, 2011; 2019 Experts Lecture Series, Life & Death of Kamehameha the Great. Nanette Napoleon presents on the Last Royal Death and burial Under the Kapu System at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Honolulu.

2024-03-21T12:59:52-10:00March 15th, 2024|Categories: Uncategorized|
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