HistoricHawaii

Project Spotlight  Ewa Community Church, 91-1258 Renton Road, Ewa Beach Built: 1926 Designed by: Herbert Cohen Cayton Architecture style: Gothic Revival Preservation Award Honoree, 2017 Ewa Community Church is tucked away next to the Ewa Elementary School located in the ever-expanding neighborhood of Ewa. The building has a typical cruciform layout with an entrance on the side of the nave, instead of at the end opposite the altar.  The only exterior embellishments are the stained glass in Gothic-arched windows.  The church was originally built to service the Ewa Plantation workers residing in the village and was redone in 1937 keeping only the original framework. The church is a vital part of the local community and is currently home to the United Church of Christ congregation.  The restoration of the church began as a stained glass window repair project which, once underway, grew to include a condition assessment to establish interior and exterior maintenance and repair priorities, structural repair requirements and plans to improve accessibility and campus-wide electrical service. The bulk of the project was completed in 2016 with restoration work on the aging building supported by a preservation grant through the Freeman Foundation’s partnership with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. The project thoughtfully restored the church which is an integral part of the Ewa Historic Sugar Plantation Historic District. The church continues today in its important role as a religious and community gathering place. The success in preserving this historical church is a positive example of the possibilities for other plantation village buildings and dwellings in disrepair in the surrounding neighborhood. Ewa Community Church will be recognized with a Preservation Award at the 2017 Honor Awards Ceremony & Celebration on May 19. Also honored will be project contributors Mason Architects, Robert Marcos, Inc. and James [...]

The Wards, Old Plantation, and New Ward Village By Kristen Pedersen  Imagine owning all the property between Thomas Square on King Street down to the ocean, including most of eastern Kaka’ako. Now envision the property, not as part of urban Honolulu, but as a green and productive plantation, as it was in the 1880’s. This vision was real and it began in 1870 when Curtis and Victoria Ward purchased this exact 100 acres of land. Over the next several years, the Wards established a self-sufficient farm and built a beautiful Southern-style house, called Old Plantation. The house was located on the mauka side of the property, and included an artesian well, a large fishpond, vegetable and flower gardens, more than 7000 coconut trees, and extensive pastures dedicated to raising horses and cattle. Victoria Ward raised 7 daughters_Photo credit - Victoria Ward Ltd According to Frank Ward Hustace, in his book “Victoria Ward and Her Family: Memories of Old Plantation,” the fishpond was filled with amaama, mullet, and aholehole. The artesian well was fed by a spring of cool water, as clear as glass. According to Hustace, “Queen Emma loved the cool water from the Wards’ artesian well and would stop to drink out of kaio leaves folded into cups.” Unfortunately, Curtis Ward did not get to enjoy the plantation for long. Just a year after construction on the house was finished, Curtis died and Victoria took over the plantation’s commercial operations. She successfully ran the business on her own until 1930 when she and her seven daughters established Victoria Ward Ltd, which assumed daily management of the property. Victoria died in 1935. Curtis Perry Ward died at age 53_ Photo credit Victoria Ward Ltd [...]

Our friends at Docomomo Hawaii shared a serendipitous story of how they came to be the proud caretakers of a set of five murals by renowned Hawaii artist,  Isami Enomoto. After agreeing to take the murals and not knowing who would adopt them for display, a series of "chance encounters" led them to the Center for Labor Education at West Oahu College, a perfect fit. THE PROJECT: On Oct. 31, 2015, the Bank of Hawaii, closed its Kapahulu branch and sold the building, which was home to a set of five 1961 murals by acclaimed Hawai‘i artist Isami Enomoto depicting labor in the islands. The bank did not want to keep the murals, and when none of the state’s established art institutions were able to accept them, Docomomo Hawai‘i assumed responsibility for the preservation of these artistically and historically important murals. The Bank of Hawaii donated the artwork, which was appraised at $50,000, to the organization. To date Docomomo Hawai`i has spent $5,000 for the moving, crating, and storage of the works, which range in size from 6'-8"x6'-6" to 11'-2"x6'-2 , with the largest piece estimated to weigh 650 pounds. Happily, Docomomo Hawai‘i has found a home for the murals at the Center for Labor Education at West Oahu College, which has agreed to publicly display them, and Docomomo is raising funds to prepare the wall, and clean, repair, move and install the them. The goal is to preserve and share this unique modern art with the people of Hawai‘i. THE ART: Rendered in a style reminiscent of Depression Era public works art projects, these five murals by Isami Enomoto depict laborers and occupations, vividly capturing an important moment in Hawai‘i's history. Commissioned by the [...]

HHF In the Field Last week, HHF staff participated in the annual Cultural Resources Management meetings with Navy Region Hawai`i and Marine Corps Base Hawai`i this week. The 4 days of meetings and site visits are held to review all preservation actions from the previous year and prepare for coordination for anticipated projects in the coming year. The meetings included an opportunity for site visits to nearby historical and cultural sites and a memorable one was the trip to Loko Paaiau fishpond which is about 400 years old. Volunteer to help clean up the fishpond on Earth Day, April 22, from 9:00 a.m. to Noon Sailors and local volunteers pick invasive mangroves out of the ground during a July 18 cleanup at the ancient fishpond, Loko Pa’aiau, at McGrew Point Navy housing on Oahu. The fishpond restoration started September 2014 and is an ongoing cultural resources project involving the Navy and the local community. U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Laurie Dexter The Navy and the Aiea Native Hawaiian Civic Club are partnering to clean up the Loko Paaiau fishpond. Volunteer for clean-up efforts this Earth Day and help remove invasive vegetation and plant native vegetation.  Other volunteer activities may include trash pick up and restoration of the makai wall and other features.     Volunteers will be briefed on the archaeological and cultural background of the fishpond, natural resources of the area and storm water issues. They'll be time for question and answers and light snacks will be provided. To volunteer, contact Jeff Pantaleo, 471-1171 X368 / jeff.pantaleo@navy.mil by April 17.