Blog – Page 9 – Historic Hawaii Foundation

HHF and Realtor Hui Fill Information Gap for Buyers and Sellers of Historic Homes
HHF and Realtor Hui Fill Information Gap for Buyers and Sellers of Historic Homes

HHF and Realtor Hui Fill Information Gap for Buyers and Sellers of Historic Homes

New brochure and web page share facts and resources about historic home ownership Historic Hawai‘i Foundation receives numerous inquiries about historic properties from the public and realtors about buying, selling and owning a historic home. Frequently asked questions range from "Can I make changes to my house?" and "May I place solar panels on my roof?" to "How do I nominate my home for the Historic Register?" and "What is the process?". The number and frequency of questions suggested a need for easy-to-digest information, especially for the real estate market. In 2021 HHF reached out to members Sharon Au, Liz Bills, Gavin Hall, Dawn Marie and Doug Shanefield, who are all experienced realtors in Honolulu. We asked for their input on a suite of information resources that will encourage current homeowners and prospective homebuyers to keep (or add) a historic home to the State (or National) Register of Historic Places—and as a result, the Realtor Hui was born! The Hui met virtually and connected over email formulating new resources highlighting the benefits of having a home on the Register and clarifying often-held misconceptions about owning a listed home. The multi-phase project is underway with the first two pieces complete: a comprehensive brochure that is easy to share with clients, digitally and in print and a dedicated webpage on HHF’s website titled, "Your Historic Home". Visit the webpage to download the brochure and explore the facts, benefits, status and nomination process related to historic home ownership. The Realtor Hui will continue to meet and focus on the next phases of the project to establish a social media hub for realtors and historic homeowners and a certified continuing education course for realtors. We are [...]

HistoricHawaii2022-08-12T13:44:49-10:00April 14th, 2022|Categories: Blog|

Fort Kamehameha (2008)
Gallery
Fort Kamehameha (2008)

Fort Kamehameha (2008)

UPDATE: 2022 PUBLIC WELCOME TO COMMENT ON NAVY'S PROPOSAL TO DEMOLISH THE FT. KAMEHAMEHA HISTORIC HOUSING DISTRICT In a letter addressed to Dr. Alan Downer, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, Department of Land and Natural Resources and dated August 31, 2021, the Commander of Navy Region Hawai‘i initiated Section 106 Consultation for disposal of the Fort Kamehameha houses at Joint-Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH). Historic Hawai‘i Foundation (HHF) is engaged as a consulting party, along with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPD), Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and other parties. The remaining 33 houses are currently in a mothballed status. Navy states that this action was coordinated with the SHPD during the development of the Fort Kamehameha Environmental Impact Statement Alternatives for the Disposition of Fort Kamehameha Historic District Buildings and Structures by the Air Force in 2009. Lead and asbestos abatements were recently completed for 3 homes. Built in 1916, Fort Kamehameha was originally an Army Coastal Artillery Post. After World War II, coastal artillery became obsolete and most of the non-residential buildings were demolished. The remaining 33 homes stand as premier examples of the Bungalow/Arts and Crafts style of the era. Currently, Fort Kamehameha Housing Historic District consists of 48 buildings and structures that include officers’ housing, a chapel, bandstand, flagpole and abandoned gun batteries. The district also includes archaeological sites, a burial vault for reinternment of human remains, mature trees and landscaping in open green space and a circulation system of streets and sidewalks. The district was transferred from Army to the Air Force, then came under the Navy’s jurisdiction with joint basing in 2010. HHF added the district to the Most Endangered list in 2008 when the military moved out the residents, [...]

HistoricHawaii2022-07-20T13:44:44-10:00April 12th, 2022|Categories: Advocacy, Blog, MES Oahu|Tags: MostEndangered2008, Oahu|

HHF Seeking Donations of Art, Locally-Made Items and Gift Card Donations
HHF Seeking Donations of Art, Locally-Made Items and Gift Card Donations

HHF Seeking Donations of Art, Locally-Made Items and Gift Card Donations

Help Preserve Hawai‘i's Places by Making an In-Kind Donation to HHF's Online Auction Online Bidding Live 24/7 from 12:00 PM HST Saturday, May 14, 2022 through 12:00 PM HST Saturday, May 21, 2022 Historic Hawai‘i Foundation will hold an online auction from May 14-21, 2022 to raise funds for its education, assistance and advocacy programs. Help us make it an exciting success by donating an item or two, such as works of art, handmade crafts, gift cards to your favorite bakery or restaurant, or tickets to a concert or play. All proceeds from the auction will help preserve places that provide all of us in Hawai‘i with a tangible connection to our shared history and heritage--places that serve as invaluable touchstones for our communities. Donations of locally made items also serve to support local artists and businesses. For local businesses and artists, the auction is a great opportunity to promote your brand and highlight the unique goods and services you have to offer. The auction will be promoted to an audience of over 3,500 people. In addition, your act of generosity will be in the public eye with recognition on the auction site throughout the event. To make an in-kind donation, please contact Michelle, HHF's development assistant, by phone at (808)523-2900 or by email. We will coordinate with you on the pick up/delivery of items as needed. Mahalo for your consideration! The deadline to make an in-kind donation is April 15th. Popular auction items to donate: Art prints, paintings, ceramics, weavings, photography and other art Restaurant and retail gift cards Home decor like pillows, blankets or baskets Fashion for all ages Accessories such as hats, handbags and jewelry Sporting goods Tickets to theater or music [...]

HistoricHawaii2022-05-17T08:44:34-10:00April 5th, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: #Auction #HistoricHawaii|

Remembering Honolulu’s Hell’s Half Acre and Tin Can Alley of the 1880s – 1960s
Remembering Honolulu’s Hell’s Half Acre and Tin Can Alley of the 1880s – 1960s

Remembering Honolulu’s Hell’s Half Acre and Tin Can Alley of the 1880s – 1960s

If you follow the Rearview Mirror column in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, you're likely to be aware that columnist Bob Sigall regularly invites his readers to share their personal memories of places and times of yesteryear. Last week, Sigall issued a call for recollections about Honolulu's Hell's Half Acre and Tin Can Alley, two residential areas next to downtown Honolulu where about 17,000 people resided until the 1960s. The dense neighborhoods were filled with lower-income housing punctuated by chop suey houses, cafes, beer parlors, movie theaters, a dance hall and a variety of shops. From the 1950s the area fell victim to redevelopment, in spite of resistance by preservation groups led by Nancy Bannick who argued that the two areas were significant representations of Honolulu's unique history and culture. Rearview Mirror: Remembering Honolulu's Hell's Half Acre, Tin Can Alley By Bob Sigall 3/18/22: I'm sure most of my readers could point to where such O‘ahu neighborhoods as Waipahu, Pālama, Mānoa or Kapahulu are. But what about Hell's Half Acre or Tin Can Alley? Do you remember them? Eighty years ago, one-eighth of Honolulu's population lived in them, and most everyone else knew where they were. Rents there were cheap, and you could walk to a downtown job in five to 10 minutes. Ray Iwamoto asked me recently about the two areas. "I wonder if you could research exactly where Hell's Half Acre and Tin Can Alley were," he said. "I grew up on River Street near Hotel (Diamond Head of Nu‘uanu Stream), and I thought Hell's Half Acre was also Diamond Head of Nu‘uanu Stream. "I thought it might have been near Beretania and River and not in the Hall Street area. I also [...]

HistoricHawaii2022-05-17T08:47:03-10:00March 23rd, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: #Honolulu #historichawaii #rearviewmirror|

Job Opportunities Available Now at Historic Hawai‘i Foundation
Job Opportunities Available Now at Historic Hawai‘i Foundation

Job Opportunities Available Now at Historic Hawai‘i Foundation

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation currently has two part-time job openings that offer flexible hours, competitive pay and unique experiences. Please refer to the brief descriptions below and check out the links for further information and instructions to apply. Applications will be accepted via Bishop & Co. If you know of someone who might be interested, please share these opportunities with them! Historic Preservation Intern for Education Programs The Historic Preservation Intern will assist with organizing, facilitating and implementing Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s public education programs. These programs aim to build an ethic of preservation and promoting preservation solutions for community planning and development activities. Specific tasks may include supporting educational seminars, tours and events; researching and developing action alerts and community calls for action; developing written materials; assisting with video, website, social media and written communications; and developing public presentation materials. This temporary position will work 8-16 hours/week for 12-16 weeks. Start and end dates are flexible. The work location may be either remote via telework or in the HHF office in the Dole Cannery, Iwilei, Honolulu. The office is on a major bus line or validated parking is available. [Learn more] Historic Preservation Intern for Native Hawaiian Stewardship Program The NHO Program Historic Preservation Intern will assist with organizing, facilitating and implementing Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s Native Hawaiian Organization Stewardship Training Program. The ideal candidate must demonstrate ability to support and learn about program management and have interest in learning the concepts and principles of historic preservation for sustaining, protecting and supporting historic and cultural sites in the Hawaiian Islands. Knowledge of Hawaiian culture and traditions is required; familiarity with ‘Olelo Hawai‘i is advantageous. Some hours may be detailed to the U.S. Department of the Interior Office [...]

HistoricHawaii2022-05-17T08:44:59-10:00March 23rd, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: #HistoricHawaiiFoundation|

The Reuse Imperative: Older Buildings as Climate Assets
The Reuse Imperative: Older Buildings as Climate Assets

The Reuse Imperative: Older Buildings as Climate Assets

Image: The 1900 Kakaako Pumping Station which had stood in disuse for decades was revitalized in 2016 as the Nā Kūpuna Makamae Community Center. The project received a Preservation Honor Award in 2017 and is an excellent example of adaptive reuse in the Islands. Photo © Nan, Inc. 3/18/22: Jim Lindberg, a senior policy director at the National Trust, has written a strong case for utilizing building reuse as an effective tool to prevent climate change. Recent flash flooding and coastal erosion at home here in Hawai‘i underline the urgency for preventative action. Lindberg proposes actionable policy recommendations to spur discussion and innovation. His article is reposted here. Building reuse will be one of the topics explored as part of an upcoming Climate Action webinar series organized by the Sustainability and Climate Action Working Group of the Preservation Priorities Task Force, the National Trust’s collaboration with the National Preservation Partners Network. Read more about the April 12th webinar at the end of Lindberg's article. The Reuse Imperative By Jim Lindberg, Senior Policy Director, the National Trust for Historic Preservation The urgency of reducing embodied carbon emissions inverts common perceptions about older buildings and climate change. Rather than outdated structures that we hope to replace, older buildings should be valued as climate assets that we cannot afford to waste.” From “Avoiding Carbon: Mitigating Climate Change through Preservation and Reuse” in Issues in Preservation Policy: Preservation, Sustainability, and Equity. Last month’s report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that we are falling behind in the race against global warming. To avoid what one of the report’s co-authors describes as “a sub-optimal future,” we must use every tool available to reduce carbon emissions. One of those [...]

HistoricHawaii2022-05-17T08:47:25-10:00March 18th, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: #adaptivereuse #HistoricHawaii #savingplaces|

HPR’s The Conversation Takes a Historical Tour of Chinatown with Preservation Architect
HPR’s The Conversation Takes a Historical Tour of Chinatown with Preservation Architect

HPR’s The Conversation Takes a Historical Tour of Chinatown with Preservation Architect

This post is a transcript of the interview, "Leading Preservation Architect Takes Us on a Historical Tour of Chinatown" by journalist Noe Tanigawa which aired on Hawaii Public Radio's The Aloha Friday Conversation on January, 28, 2022. The transcript is printed with her permission. Noe Tanigawa: Glenn Mason is the principal at MASON Architects in Honolulu. They've got offices on Merchant Street and specialize in historic preservation. Mason is also an American Institute of Architects Fellow and has worked on many of Hawaiʻi's most important historic sites such as ʻIolani Palace and Kawaiahaʻo Church. He agreed to take us on a tour of Chinatown to open our eyes to some of its charms. Glenn Mason: We moved into Chinatown in 1982. When we moved there, (chuckles) I’m not sure it was at its nadir, but it was pretty low-down. About a year after we moved into Chinatown the last restaurant that was open in all of downtown Honolulu closed. And for one year there was not a single restaurant open in Chinatown or downtown at night. NT: Are you kidding?! Local architect Glenn Mason in front of Murphy's Bar & Grill © Noe Tanigawa, HPR GM: It’s hard to believe. This was probably ’83, maybe ’84. There were no restaurants open at night. None. Chinatown developed primarily because of the harbor. It was very harbor-oriented at the time it was developed. So, we are right…when you get to where Murphy’s is, that’s in Chinatown. NT: Ah ha. GM: So now we’ve just walked into Chinatown. (NT giggles) GM: Murphy’s has this--they’ve got all these Chinese pavers. They’re granite, they’re probably about four inches thick, set as pavement. These came over as ballast in ships [...]

HistoricHawaii2022-03-16T18:32:23-10:00February 4th, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: #Chinatown #HistoricHawaii #HPR|

Preservation Projects Awarded Grants from the Cooke Preservation Fund
Preservation Projects Awarded Grants from the Cooke Preservation Fund

Preservation Projects Awarded Grants from the Cooke Preservation Fund

The Sam and Mary Cooke Preservation Fund for Hawai‘i supports preservation activities and projects that help preserve and enhance historic places in Hawai’i for future generations. In the second half of 2021, these four projects were awarded grants from the fund. Adaptive Reuse Restoration Assessment and Production of Schematic Design for CW Dickey House, Waihe‘e, Maui The Hawai‘i Islands Land Trust (HILT) plans to restore the Plantation Manager’s House at Waihe‘e Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge for use as a cultural education center. The house was designed by architect C.W. Dickey in 1937 for the former Wailuku Sugar Company’s Waihe‘e Dairy as a beach cottage for the plantation manager. The 3-bedroom 2-bathroom home displays a classic example of the signature “Dickey Roof” and looks strikingly similar to the architect’s own home in Waikīkī. The house has been unused since 2004 due to its poor condition and is beginning to collapse. Waihe‘e Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Refuge is a 277-acre property located on Maui’s north shore. It is owned and maintained by HILT, which has restored a large portion of the land to serve as a native wildlife habitat, while also preserving the area’s significant archaeological and cultural features. The Refuge is thought to be one of the earliest sites on Maui, containing at least 93 archaeological sites ranging from the 10th century to the plantation era. Once populated with two thriving villages, Kapoho and Kapokea, the property contains loko i‘a, a fishpond, and several heiau. The sand dunes along the coast are geologically significant as the last remaining segment of dunes formed during the Ice Age about 20,000 years ago. The dunes are being preserved as a sacred site of Hawaiians burials. The restoration [...]

HistoricHawaii2022-02-24T08:52:24-10:00January 21st, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: #PreservationGrants #HistoricHawaii|

HHF Partner Spotlight: Dr. Ralph T. Kam
HHF Partner Spotlight: Dr. Ralph T. Kam

HHF Partner Spotlight: Dr. Ralph T. Kam

With the start of this year's Experts at the Cathedral Lectures just a few weeks away, what better time to introduce the key person who works "behind the scenes" to make it happen. Ralph Thomas Kam, PhD, Interim-Director of the Historic Preservation Graduate Certificate Program at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa has been responsible for planning the annual Lecture Series since 2019. Taking into consideration current events and historical milestones, Dr. Kam identifies a theme for the next series, then proceeds to recruit lecturers within academia and the broader community and finalize a schedule. This is not an easy task and we mahalo Dr. Kam for his gifts: his passion for sharing knowledge and ability to inspire others. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation: Please tell us about your personal connection to Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s mission of saving places. What is your favorite historic place that holds a special place in your heart? Ralph Kam: I have taught Introduction to Historic Preservation, Elements of Style, and the Historic Preservation Field Seminar, all courses fulfilling requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation in the American Studies Department of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. During a past field seminar, the class visited Kaniakapūpū, my favorite historic place. HHF: We have been partnering with UH for our Annual Experts at the Cathedral Lunchtime Series since 1986. Can you explain how this partnership started and what you have found most valuable? RK: The partnership began long before I started curating the series in 2019. In fact, Dr. William Chapman invited me to speak in 2009 when I delivered a presentation titled, “Kaula Lei: The Lei Sellers of Maunakea Street.” I truly value the passion for historic preservation shown by the [...]

HistoricHawaii2022-04-12T10:35:07-10:00January 20th, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: #HistoricHawaii #ExpertsLectureSeries|

Ala Wai Watershed Flood Risk Study Update and Community Engagement Schedule
Ala Wai Watershed Flood Risk Study Update and Community Engagement Schedule

Ala Wai Watershed Flood Risk Study Update and Community Engagement Schedule

Virtual Information Forum Regarding The Ala Wai Flood Risk Management Reevaluation Study Thursday, January 20, 12:00 - 1:00 PM Join the online webinar via Cisco Webex platform at: https://usace1.webex.com/meet/AlaWai 1/18/22: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in partnership with the City and County of Honolulu (CCH), will hold a virtual Information Forum for the community regarding the Ala Wai Flood Risk Management General Reevaluation (GR) Study to provide an update to the study, unveil new communication tools, and respond to questions and concerns brought up at the last round of public meetings held in November 2021. • Click here for the News Release on the Information Forum • Additional information regarding the study, the public engagement plan, and communication tools will be available at https://www.honolulu.gov/AlaWai. BACKGROUND and CONTEXT The previously released public engagement strategy included four engagement opportunities for the community throughout the study. The first round of community engagements for the general reevaluation study occurred on Nov. 10 and 13, 2021. The second round of originally-proposed engagements will discuss a more focused set of potential solutions under consideration at that stage; it is anticipated to occur during summer 2022 prior to the release of the Draft Report. The third round of meetings, currently slated for fall 2022, will discuss the Tentatively Selected Plan as presented in the Draft Report. The final round of originally-proposed meetings in 2023 will review the Recommended Plan prior to release of the Final Report. The public engagement strategy has been refined based on feedback received during the initial public workshops to provide additional opportunities for interested parties to provide input into the study process and the development of alternative flood risk management plans. Fundamental elements of the revised [...]

HistoricHawaii2022-03-16T18:31:37-10:00January 18th, 2022|Categories: Blog|Tags: #AlaWai #HistoricHawaii|