HistoricHawaii

Church of the Crossroads was the recipient of a Freeman Grant in 2014 catalyzing a three phase campus-wide roofing project which was recently completed. The Church: Church of the Crossroads was founded in 1923 by students of the Mid-Pacific Institute and of McKinley High School as Hawaii's first interracial  congregation. From inception, the church has emphasized community interaction, been multi-racial and attempted to eliminate distinctions between members and non-members.* It's listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places and is significant for its association with the twentieth century social history of Honolulu and as an example of the work of Claude Stiehl, master architect. Click here to learn more.  The Project:  The grant was used to re-roof the sloping roofs of three historic buildings and the covered walkway, or loggia, that links them together around the main courtyard of the Church of the Crossroads campus.  The existing cedar shingle roofing needed to be replaced, and the cost of replacing it with the same historically-appropriate material too high for the church to do by itself. The work was done by a well-qualified and conscientious contractor using the proper specifications, both for the materials and their installation, for long-life expectancy for the new roof. The Goal:  To protect the structural and historic integrity of an architecturally and socially significant set of buildings and do so in keeping with the visual appearance of the historic cedar shingle roof as viewed from the ground inside and outside the property.  The roof needed to be repairable, resistant to too much heat gain and strong enough to resist being swept away by wind. *Noted from National Register of Historic Places nomination form. The initial grant inspired the congregation [...]

Thanks for all you do to help preserve Hawai‘i’s historic places! Here's some highlights from 2017 that you helped make possible. January 26: (left to right) Iolani Palace Docent Educator, Zita Cup Choy; Iolani Palace Curator, Teresa Valencia & Dr. William Chapman, Director of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation and Professor in the Department of American Studies at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, at the first of five Experts at the Cathedral lectures.   February 21: Līhu‘e residents showing the postcards they signed in support of saving the Līhu‘e Post Office from closure and relocation.   April 1: Our first-ever Mission Houses Saturday Sketch event paired art and heritage.   May 19: Architectural historian Don Hibbard accepting the Frank Haines Award. Mr. Haines unexpectedly passed away this year. A memorial service is scheduled for December 27th at the Star of the Sea Church.                             July 1: Learning about the history and culture of Waimea Valley at our Volunteer Mahalo event.   July 12: Welcoming our 2017-2018 Board of Trustees at the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Annual Meeting.    August 4: Community members working on a preservation case study at our Tools for Saving Places seminar on Maui. The seminars, a collaboration with National Park Service, were held between August 2 and August 11 on Kaua‘i, Maui, Hawai‘i Island (Hilo and Kona) and O‘ahu. August 17: Sean McNamara sharing Native Hawaiian History of Leahi Crater at our Diamond Head Unseen Walking Tour, a collaboration with Hawai‘i State Parks (photo credit: Denby Fawcett).