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ADAPTIVE REUSE EFFORTS AT THE NAVY INCLUDE VINTAGE TOUCHES Our field services staff recently visited an adaptive reuse project at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam which demonstrated the Navy’s achievement in utilizing historic building for its current mission needs. Historically known as the Shell House, Building 434 in the Kuahua Naval Ammunition Depot historic management zone was built in 1921 to house ammunition before it was sent by rail to be loaded on ships. Kuahua stopped supplying ammunition in 1934 when the Lualualei Naval Ammunition Depot opened and most of the buildings were demolished. Those that remained—including Building 434—were converted to general storehouses. The adaptive reuse project placed a new use inside the historic exterior. It kept the original historic features, including structural steel trusses, terra cotta block walls and steel panel doors, while changing the non-historic interior to support the new functions. The design and construction team developed new construction techniques to reinforce the exterior walls so they could stand the weight of the new elements. One whimsical touch was the salvage and re-installation of the vintage signage used in a previous period. The hand-painted wooden signs supplemented the mass-produced and standardized signage in common usage today. The bold arrows for the fire extinguishers and light switches add personality that is part of the charm of historic places. The resulting “building inside a building” includes state-of-the-art systems to support the functions while still respecting and perpetuating the history of the past century. One of the Navy sailors working in the building told our staff that it is the finest facility he has worked in during his career. The adaptive reuse and rehabilitation project at Building 434 will receive a Preservation Award at the 42nd [...]

Kailua’s Boettcher Estate was wealthy clan’s escape By David Cheever Special to the Star-Advertiser March 6, 2016 There is an 80-year-old treasure of a public building on Kailua Beach that has largely been ignored for about a decade. It is the Ossipoff-designed residence of the Boettcher Estate that sits in the middle of what became Kalama Beach Park when the city bought the property from Mae Boettcher in 1978 for $1.5 million — about half the appraised value. It has always been a question of why in 1935 a fabulously wealthy Denver family bought 4 acres of prime land on Kailua Beach that spans the distance between North Kalaheo Avenue and the beach. Sure, the family could afford the $16,000 it paid for the sizable piece of property, but it may have been prompted in part by a traumatic family event in 1933. To better understand how it came about, one needs to go back to 1869, when a 17-year-old German immigrant named Charles Boettcher first landed in Wyoming to work in his older brother’s hardware store, and shortly thereafter made his way to the foothills of Colorado. It turned out that Boettcher was a business genius. He was great at selling hardware, expanding from Boulder to Denver and then to Leadville to take advantage of the silver boom. But while the prospectors at the time were climbing all over themselves up in the Colorado mountains to scrape up silver nuggets, Charles realized he could make much more money and take little risk by selling the miners blasting powder and the accompanying mining hardware, much of which he was manufacturing himself. He did that and that began his fortune. When silver went bust, Charles came [...]

May is National Historic Preservation Month and this year the Hawaii State Historic Preservation Division is creating a calendar of all preservation activities and events throughout the islands. To add your organization's event to the preservation calendar, contact Megan Borthwick at the State Historic Preservation Division by Friday, March 18.  Megan.Borthwick@hawaii.gov

We've been busy in the field supporting preservation efforts on a number of fronts!  Please check back throughout the month as we share the status of preservation projects statewide. Here's the latest from Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park on Hawaii Island: On January 30, Hawai‘i State Parks held a community meeting about the future of the park. Balancing Cultural Values, Historical Sites & Recreational Use State Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell said, “Kealakekua is one of the most culturally and historically significant places in Hawaii and the goal of this park planning is to balance the preservation of the cultural values and historical sites with the recreational use of the park, especially the very popular Kealakekua Bay.” Why We Were There Historic Hawai‘i Foundation attended the community meeting to learn more about each of the alternatives being considered and to hear from area residents, businesses and other stakeholders about current issues and ways to improve the management of the park. Historic Events Timeline Exhibit Popular with Area Residents One of the exhibits at the community meeting was a timeline of historic events from AD 900 through the present. The exhibit was one of the most visited, with area residents noting family ties to different events, people and places represented on the timeline. (See photo above.) Three Options Being Considered for Park The options include three alternatives, each with a different management focus, with specific recommendations for physical improvements, management and enforcement actions. Alternative A has a Recreational Focus; Alternative B is called Recreation & Historical Balance; Alternative C is Historical Focus. The Parks Division will also include a No Action alternative for comparison. Check back for updates!