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The Hawai‘i Historic Places Review Board added eleven properties to the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places in August 2021.  The National Park Service recently added seven properties located in Hawai‘i to the National Register of Historic Places. Properties are eligible for inclusion in the State and National Registers because of their association with broad patterns or events (Criterion A), or individuals whose lives are significant to our past (Criterion B).  They are usually significant in architecture and design (Criterion C) or are likely to yield important information (Criterion D).  Their features and other characteristics retain their qualifying integrity. Click on the address/property name to view the property's nomination form. 2740 O‘ahu Avenue Residence, O‘ahu Constructed in 1931, the 2704 O‘ahu Avenue Residence is significant under Criterion A as it reflects the patterns of settlement and chronicles the saga of development in Honolulu.  This parcel is located in the west Mānoa area in the subdivision of Puʻupueo, a large tract of land that extended from Mānoa Road to O‘ahu Avenue and nearby the terminus of the Honolulu Rapid Transit Company’s Mānoa trolley line.  The parcel was originally owned by Judge Henry E. Cooper who had once been Mānoa Valley’s largest landowner and one of the central figures in the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani.  It is also significant under Criterion C as a good example of a 19th and early 20th Century American Movement Craftsman/Bungalow style cottage.  This style became popular in Honolulu’s residential neighborhoods in the 1920s and 1930s and became identified as a “Hawaiian Style” of architecture.  Known for its originality, simplicity of form, local natural materials, and the presence of hand craftsmanship the residence includes a front porch, lava rock lined steps, and double [...]

11/1/21: One of the key features in Japanese architecture is the “genkan”, a traditional entryway where a person sits to remove their shoes.  At the Uchida Farmhouse at the Kona Coffee Living History Farm, the genkan is a double door entry to the living room and a single door into the kitchen area. The genkan and other important features of the 1920’s era coffee farm were recently restored by Kona Historical Society with a grant from the Freeman Foundation, in cooperation with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation.   The Uchida family homesteaded the farm from 1913 until 1994.  After the oldest son retired, the farm was added to the Kona Historical Society holdings to be managed as a living history museum to tell the story of coffee cultivation in Kona, including the stories of Japanese immigrants and the legacy of this agricultural industry.  The site is listed on the Hawai‘i and National Registers of Historic Places. In 2017, HHF provided a grant to replace the roof on the 3-bedroom, single-story vernacular house. Other projects have also helped restore the kuriba (coffee cherry processing mill) and hoshidana (coffee drying platform).  Kona Historical Society (KHS) then turned its attention to other restoration projects at the farmhouse. The preservation grant allowed KHS to repair the genkan, replace damaged exterior wall boards and battens in order to address structural rigidity and water-tightness, replace floorboards and goza mats, repair broken window glass and to address hazardous materials in the canec ceilings. KHS Executive Director Ku‘ulani Auld said that the focus was on addressing floorboards and wall boards that were compromised by moisture or termite damage to the extent that they had failed or were in imminent danger of failure.  She [...]

  11/23/2021: The North Shore Chamber's Historic Preservation Committee is happily witnessing 25 years of planning and volunteer work come to fruition.  Signage interpreting the history of Hale‘iwa is in the process of being installed on historic buildings along the town's main street.  To date, the narratives of 15 building plaques have been completed, involving countless hours of research, writing, and interviews with property owners and residents to supplement information collected during the 1960s.  The narratives highlight the history of each building and their unique role in the development of the town.  Illustrations by Ilona Hemperly add visual charm. The signage project also involves two additional components: a revision and reprinting of the Chamber's Hale‘iwa Walking Tour brochure and map; and the installation of four interpretive kiosks across town that will showcase historic events, photos, and maps for each location. "These signs will complement the Chamber's Walking Tour or stand on their own in telling Hale‘iwa's story to residents and visitors alike so they can learn about Hale‘iwa's unique history and character," explained Antya Miller, chair of the Historic Preservation Committee. Recent issues of the monthly North Shore News have featured short stories about each building with photos of property owners and tenants standing before the newly installed signs.  Click here to see the September 22nd issue and the October 20th issue. While there is more progress to be made, the staff of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation send cheers of congratulations and encouragement to Antya, Barbara, Boyd and the rest of the committee for their wonderful accomplishments. Hale‘iwa is designated as a Special Design District. In 2019, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation partnered with the Chamber to give a presentation on Hale‘iwa's zoning and Special District [...]

Pilot Internship Develops a Use and Management Plan for the Jean Charlot House In January 2021, Nicole Bowman, a fourth-year architecture student at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, completed a pilot summer internship through a May 2020 agreement with the University of Hawai‘i’s Community Design Center (UHCDC). The goal was to develop a use and management plan for the Jean Charlot House.* See “Innovative Partnership with University of Hawai‘i Advances Plans for Charlot House” in the HHF November 2020 newsletter for background on the program and goals. *Learn more about the Jean Charlot House in this 2016 Honolulu Star Advertiser exclusive article, “The Jean Charlot House in Kahala is a Wonderful Integration of Art and Architecture”: https://historichawaii.org/2016/03/08/jeancharlothouse/ In September 2021, HHF Education Program Manager, Andrea Nandoskar,  sat down with Nicole (via Zoom!) to learn more about her experience. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation: Please share a little about yourself and your current studies. Nicole Bowman: I’m currently in my second year of the Doctorate in Architecture program at UH Mānoa and am set to graduate next year. I’m from Kawaihae area on Hawai‘i Island and have lived in Hawai‘i since moving here from southern California with my family when I was six. My dad is a contractor and my parents run a construction company. I have full intentions to stay within my community after graduation and give back to the people who helped raise me. Nicole shared she’s been interested in impacting people’s lives from a young age. Being homeschooled her education was very hands on throughout. Her parent’s work was integrated into her schooling. As a youngster she attended many of their meetings often drawing in the background while her parents discussed the projects with [...]

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation is serving as a consulting party to the Hāna Highway Bridge Improvements project led by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT).  The project is evaluating six bridges along the Hana Highway (State Route 360) for potential improvement. The highway, a critical transportation link, connects East Maui communities with the rest of the island.  It is also one of the most spectacular sections of roadway in its natural scenery, dramatic hairpin turns, and historic character.  Below, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation provides a description of the project and an update as of September 2021. February 2020 Project Overview The oldest bridge on Maui, Mokulehua Bridge along the Hāna Highway (photo above left), is one of six historic bridges being considered for “improvements” by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).  The planning effort includes evaluating a range of alternatives, from repair and rehabilitation of the existing structures to demolition and replacement using new design and materials. Hāna Highway, Route 360, is part of the Hāna Belt Road Historic District, listed on the Hawai‘i and National Registers of Historic Places for its historic road, bridges and culverts. The Hāna Belt Road is historically significant for engineering, transportation, commerce and social history.  The construction of bridges and a road to Hāna between 1900 and 1947 was a major engineering achievement across precipitous mountainsides and through the wilderness of East Maui.  Fifty-nine bridges built between 1908 and 1947 remain along the route.  The completion of an automobile route to Hāna in 1926 ended that community’s isolation from the rest of Maui.  The road opened East Maui to settlement, agriculture and tourism. The Hāna Belt Road is the best remaining intact example of [...]