HistoricHawaii

Historic places that hold special meaning may be iconic, well-known gems or lesser known treasures where the experiences of our lives unfold and important memories are made. The photos and descriptions below represent historic sites that hold special meaning to members of our preservation community—places where they live, work, recreate, worship, learn and gather to celebrate significant events. We invite you throughout May to share historic places that hold special meaning to you and your family on HHF's Instagram, Facebook or Twitter platforms. Include a photo of the site and short description of why it is important to you. Tag Historic Hawai‘i and use the hashtags: #PreservationMonth #HistoricHawaii Lili‘uokalani Park in Hilo is meaningful to me since I grew up in Hilo.  This is a place my family and I would come to visit as a kid and a place I still like to take my grandmother to on a sunny day.  It is a calm and peaceful park along Hilo Bay so it also has a great view of the town and the mountains behind it. The Līhuʻe Civic Center, today the hub of county administration...provides an invaluable statement about the transition from plantation life to a mixed, urbanizing economy. Pearl City Hongwanji Mission, specifically the dojo that houses the Aikido and Judo Club, were important in my formative years well before hula became a part of my life. Dated 1837, Wai‘oli Mission House was associated with Wilcox Missionaries. We excavated the subsurface deposits when the floor was removed for replacement back in the late 1970s. The postholes of the original pole and thatch structure were still present along with the remnants of craft activities practiced by the Hawaiian converts -fishhook making [...]

Community Support Integral to the Project's Success Project description and photos courtesy of Kristi Cardoso, executive director, the Liljestrand Foundation. The Liljestrand Foundation recently completed its biggest preservation project to-date, a two-year restoration of the iconic deck of Liljestrand House. One of the signature design elements of the Liljestrand House is its elegant, triangular, wrap-around deck that was an integral part of Vladimir Ossipoff’s original design for the house, completed in 1952. Over the ensuing 69 years thousands of visitors to the house have stood on the deck, enjoying the panoramic views of Diamond Head, Honolulu, and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. Liljestrand House circa 1952/53. Photo courtesy the Lijestrand Foundation. In 2021, the years of weather and a deteriorating gutter system made preservation of the deck an urgent priority.  Extensive gutter repairs, completed in 2020, resolved the dripping and pooling water that had slowly degraded significant parts of the decking to the point where it was no longer safe to stand on. In order to once again be able to safely host visitors on the deck, the Foundation launched an “All Hands on Deck” campaign at the end of 2021. Completed in early 2023, the new deck is stunning. The project was only made possible thanks to the generous support of many “deckhands”.  Over $50,000 was raised from individuals in Hawai`i and across the United States. Jim Keller and Armstrong Builders LLC made an incredible donation of project coordination and incomparable carpentry services. Dean Sakamoto Architects drafted the as-built plans and together with structural engineer Ken Hayashida of KAI Hawaii and architect Joe Ferraro, developed the plans for the steel work and framing based on the original [...]

  National Historic Preservation month is a celebration of our nation's heritage through historic places with organizations across the country promoting a variety of activities on the local, state and national levels. PRESERVATION MONTH IN HAWAI‘I   In recognition of National Historic Preservation Month, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation will highlight special historic places in Hawai‘i throughout May in our E-newsletter, blog and social media. We invite the public to share your own favorites and sites that hold special meaning to you by posting photos to HHF's Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the hashtags: #PreservationMonth #HistoricHawaii   In the end, we will take care of only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught. ~Baba Dioum, Sengalese conservationist and environmentalist   ORIGINS OF PRESERVATION MONTH Preservation Month began as National Preservation Week in 1973 at the suggestion of Donald T. Sheehan, a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Advisory Committee. A Joint Congressional Resolution was introduced on February 15, 1973, with President Richard Nixon signing the resolution into law on May 5, 1973. First Lady Patricia Nixon, read the Presidential proclamation at the National Trust awards luncheon on May 8th: “As the pace of change accelerates in the world around us, Americans more than ever need a lively awareness of our roots and origins in the past on which to base our sense of identity in the present and our directions for the future.” In 2005, the National Trust extended the celebration to the entire month of May and declared it Preservation Month to provide an even greater opportunity to celebrate the diverse and unique heritage of our country's cities and states.   Image at top: [...]

The Story of “The Little Church in The Cane Field”  This history unfolds in Kaumakani on the southwest side of Kaua‘i Island between Waimea and Hanapēpē. The Church will celebrate its 110th anniversary in June 2023. By guest contributor, Timothy Tovar DeLaVega With Filipino immigrants arriving on Kauaʻi sugar plantation’s beginning in 1910, four former seminary students from the Visayan Islands, Philippines; Cornelio Lutao, Francisco Barcelona, A. Basan and Erihilgio Ramos, followed their calling to minister to the Filipino sakadas at the Hawaiian Sugar Co. Ltd. Plantation located in Makaweli. Soon after, Cornelio Lutao requested material and land from the Hawaiian Sugar Company Ltd. to build a sanctuary. Thus, in the middle of sugar Camp Four, the residents of Camp Four constructed a church on the leased land with material donated by the plantation manager. Originally named the Makaweli Filipino Methodist Episcopal Church, the chapel was dedicated on June 1st, 1913, and is presently known as Kaumakani West Kaua‘i United Methodist Church. Soon after its dedication, the little Church became the social center of the Filipino community as it was the only plantation church that held services in Ilocano. When Superintendent Fry visited the Makaweli Church in 1916, he reported baptizing 40 persons at an evening service. And after the Hanapēpē Massacre of 1924, the Church donated the caskets and held services for the lost strikers. Camp Four was integrated into Kaumakani Village in 1947 and now sits alone on land leased from the Gay and Robinson family. It is the oldest Filipino Methodist church in Hawaiʻi. Throughout its history, Kaumakani Church has continued its volunteer legacy, with the addition of a social hall and numerous remodels and enlargements. On September 11, 1992, the ill [...]

Kaʻapuni o Waimea: An Enhanced Experience through Waimea Valley By guest contributor Waimea Valley staff Photos courtesy Waimea Valley  Waimea Valley is recognized as a place of awe, a place of profound natural beauty and splendor; wahi pana or a special, legendary place.  In February 2023, Waimea opened a new program offering visitors cultural learning opportunities at three of the valley’s cultural sites. These interactive stations 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. The overarching theme of the Kaʻapuni o Waimea is the Hawaiian cultural value of hoʻokipa – which we define as being gracious, considerate, and kind, a welcoming value and obligation; the act of treating others as we would like to be treated. The kaʻapuni (the circuit) is through three prominent Waimea Valley cultural sites: Hale Hō‘ike, Kauhale, and Kahua Pā‘ani. Each site is presented as a guided engagement; explained and shared through their inherent significance and supported by associated Hawaiian cultural values. At each of the three sites, participating guests will earn an identifying sticker by learning a cultural value. Visitors learn about Waimea Valley as an intact ahupuaʻa and the responsibility of preserving its natural resources at Hale Hōʻike. Hale Hōʻike (the house of wisdom and welcome) is the orientation area of the valley where visitors are introduced to the significance of the botanical collections and cultural sites. Spending time at Hale Hō’ike is important for enhancing the visitor’s sense of place and sense of respect for the sacred space they have entered. At Hale Hō’ike the visitors are introduced to [...]