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Preservation Grant Supports Repairs at First Chinese Church of  Christ The church was founded in 1879 and granted a charter of incorporation by King David Kalākaua that same year. It was begun by immigrant Chinese Christians seeking to establish a church where services could be held in their native language and evangelize to the growing Chinese community. FCCC’s original sanctuary was located on Fort Street, between Beretania and Kukui Streets. As the Chinese community spread outside of Chinatown, members sought and found a new location for the growing congregation at 1054 South King Street on the old Grandville Hotel property across from McKinley High School.   The iconic sanctuary was designed by renowned Hawai‘i architect Hart Wood and constructed by contractor Teikichi Takahashi. The building was dedicated in 1929. The design blends elements of Hawaiian regional architecture, Christian elements and symbolic Chinese decorative motifs. A steep pitched tiled roof, heavy timber trusses, and interior walls of plaster over lava rock done in the Chinese method are other notable features. Wood designed two stained glass windows in the sanctuary: a three paneled rectangular window above the entry portal on the south makai wall and a grand circular rose window in the choir loft on the north mauka wall. A preservation grant from the Freeman Foundation, in cooperation with Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, supported the repair of the stained-glass windows as part of a larger master plan of historic preservation, renovation and repair of the entire church campus. The windows had issues of bowing, cracked stained glass, corrosion of metal frames and separation between the stained glass and supports. The grant enabled these problems to be addressed in a timely manner preventing major damage or irrevocable failure. "Challenges [...]

Meet HHF Intern Camille Dahmen!   Camille Dahmen graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with a B.A. in History and Political Science in May 2022. Camille began her internship with HHF in late June completing her HHF experience at the Preservation Honor Awards on October 20th. Her interests proved a natural fit for the world of preservation and her enthusiasm for Hawai‘i’s layered history was contagious! During her time with HHF, Camille helped at the Statues of O‘ahu Walking Tour in Waikīkī and the 2022 Preservation Honor Awards and participated in staff outings to view the historic Haleʻiwa’s interpretive signage project and tour the Liljestrand House in Tantalus, O‘ahu. (View photo gallery at bottom.) The interview below took place in October 2022.  An abridged version appears in the HHF November 2022 newsletter.   Historic Hawai‘i Foundation: Tell us a little about yourself- where are you from, what are your interests and hobbies? Camille Dahmen: I am from California and came to Hawai‘i to go to UH Mānoa. Originally, I came here to major in marine biology, but being immersed in the deep and profound history and culture here made me want to pursue my love and passion for history and political science. I have always been interested in history, playing sports like basketball and volleyball, reading and writing, trying new / fun food places, and going to the beach! HHF: You’ve been employed while interning. Tell us about where you work, what you do there and why it lights you up? Camille Dahmen: While interning at Historic Hawai‘i Foundation I have also been working as a docent at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum on Ford Island. The museum recently opened to [...]