Historic Properties

Address Farrington Highway at Waikele Stream Built 1939 Abstract Both are concrete deck girder bridges. The one over the stream has three spans with a combined length of about 130'. At the ends of the bridge the spans are supported on board formed concrete abutments. Two rows of four slender concrete columns carry the spans across Waikele Stream. The concrete parapets of the bridge are pierced to form balustrades with vertically oriented openings in the form of a thick cross (commonly referred to as a "Greek-cross void"), which was a standardized pattern in that period of Territorial Highway Department bridges.   The Waikele Stream Bridge and Bridge over OR&L Spur are significant for their associations with the development of the Waipahu community and the transportation history of the area. In addition, these bridges are good examples of concrete deck girder bridges of the late 1930s period. These bridges are associated with several important community improvement projects, the stream realignment and the construction of Farrington Highway, which greatly affected the history of Waipahu. 

Address Farrington Highway west-bound over Waiawa Stream Built 1932 Abstract This six-span, reinforced-concrete bridge is a continuous deck girder type, measuring 332 feet in length, about 34 feet in width, and approximately 30 feet in height above the stream bed.  The concrete parapets of the bridge are pierced to form balustrades with arched- topped openings.  This arched-top design was a standardized pattern of Territorial Highway Department bridges of the early 1930s.  The balustrades on this bridge are divided by stanchions into six segments, each about 20' long. Each segment has cast end pieces with a recessed panel; each pair of end pieces forms a stanchion.  The end segments of parapets are slightly curved as they approach the larger end stanchions. These end stanchions are rectangular, and have rectangular panels with an incised border.  The panels are inscribed "Waiawa" and, on the opposite end stanchion, "1932."   This bridge originally carried Kamehameha Highway to the Ewa Junction and represents a road-straightening improvement project that replaced an earlier, more winding, road segment and smaller bridge crossing of Waiawa Stream.  Merritt A. Trease was the design engineer.  This bridge carried Kamehameha Highway until the bypass was built in about 1940, when this bridge and road segment became an extension of Farrington Highway. Waiawa Stream Bridge is a good example of an early 1930s continuous deck girder bridge. Its relatively long length indicates the importance of this transportation link in the circle-island main road system.   This bridge is eligible for the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places because of its association with the development of the Waipahu community and the transportation history of the area. It is also eligible because it [...]

The Varsity Theater: What can we learn from this? The owners cited structural damage such as cracks, mold and a rusted pile as justification for demolishing a landmark of the community. From the public vantage point, it is difficult to know if the damage was significant enough to justify the demolition of the building, or if that was a rationalization that masked the true motives. All buildings need regular maintenance and period capital improvements to remain viable. Absent regular upkeep, significant one-time repairs and rehabilitation can compensate for incremental deterioration. Unsightliness can be reversed; dirt and mold can be cleaned; cracks can be repaired. The owners cited an unsafe building, but did not use evaluations by professional engineers and architects trained in preservation techniques, who could bring that perspective and expertise to the analysis. It may be that the damage was too great and the costs were too high; but it may not. Absent the analysis, it is unknown. Absent the building, it will never be known. What we do know is that the owner felt that the property was worth more without the historic building on it. Demolishing the architectural gem, filling our scarce landfills with its rubble (using fuel to transport it), importing more materials from elsewhere (more fuel) to build another building or pave a parking lot was perceived as a better fiscal decision than preserving, rehabilitating and using it. What can we do to remedy this? It’s too late for the Varsity Theater. But it need not be too late for other buildings in Mō‘ili‘ili, or Kaka‘ako, or Wai‘alae, or the other communities that have historic buildings that are part of the fabric of the street, [...]

What Is It? These four buildings next to the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa’s Campus Center constitute some of the oldest buildings on campus—their small size a reminder of how much the school has grown since its early days. One of them, the Engineering Materials Testing Laboratory, built in 1915, is predated only by Hawai‘i Hall. The buildings housed the Engineering School until 1959. Today, they provide a home for Ka Leo, UH’s student newspaper, the Board of Publications, Student Support Services, Duplicating Services and the now-empty Beau Press. What threatens it? A proposed $38 million expansion of the Campus Center that would include a fitness center and gym for students, as well as a heritage corridor commemorating the university’s 100-year-history. The footprint of the new complex, at least as it’s currently planned, lies directly over the historic quad, meaning the four buildings would need to be demolished to make way. Astrid Liverman, architectural branch chief at the state Historic Preservation Division, says, “It’s ironic that in order to build a Heritage Corridor, they’re going to remove the heritage.” What can be done? Because UH Mānoa is a state agency, it’s required by law to get the concurrence of the SHPD before starting any project that impacts historic property. Liverman has thus far opposed the idea of demolishing the Engineering Quad buildings, and says she’s holding out either for a revised plan that incorporates the four buildings into the new complex, or at least a compromise that saves some of the buildings. Kathy Cutshaw, the UH Mānoa vice chancellor for administration, finance and operations, is overseeing the project, but didn’t return our calls.

Address 2259 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI Built 1927 Designed By Warren & Wetmore Abstract The Royal Hawaiian opened on February 1, 1927.  At a cost of $4 million dollars, it was the largest construction project in the Pacific at that time. The architects were the New York based premier hotel designers, Warren & Wetmore, who were known for their other hotels including NYCs Ritz-Carlton, Biltmore, Belmont, Vanderbilt and Chatham hotels. Today, the Royal Hawaiian remains a landmark of the famous Waikiki beach. The land beneath the Royal Hawaiian is owned by Kamehameha Schools, a trust founded by Bernice Pauahi Bishop, heir to the Kamehameha dynasty, to support a school for the children of Hawaii. The hotel itself is owned by Kyo-ya Hotels and Resorts, which leases the land from Kamehameha Schools.  Marriott manages it under its current official name, "The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort." Learn about the Royal Hawaiian Hotel The history of the land Building the Pink Palace Room-by-Room look at the hotel Special thanks to Minatoishi Architects which provided photographs and information contained in this Royal Hawaiian Hotel feature.

Built 1921 Abstract The reinforced concrete bridge over Anahulu Stream is known as Rainbow Bridge for its distinctive double arches.  One of the most recognized symbols of Hale‘iwa, the bridge replaced an earlier wooden structure in 1921.

Address 1511 Nuuanu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96817 Built 1964 Designed By Minoru Yamasaki & Associates Abstract 587 apartments in two high-rise buildings are conveniently situated on an 8-acre site with view of the mountains and the ocean. The design was selected as part of a design competition.

Address 3588 Waialae Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816 Built 1936 Abstract The Queen Theater, near the top of Wai‘alae Avenue in Kaimukı, is a survivor from the golden age of cinema. Built in 1936, the 850-seat theater hosted everything from traveling vaudeville shows to 25-cent matinées. In later years, it became a second-run theater that hosted midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and then a XXX theater that was eventually raided by the police in the mid-1980s. It’s lain dormant ever since, but its fading art deco façade still tantalizes theater buffs and neighborhood activists. Lowell Angell, a local theater historian, says, “It’s still one of the few, if not the only, remaining theater facilities that could be renovated and put back into use.”   What threatens it? The reclusive owner of the Queen, Narciso Yu. It’s not that he wants to tear it down. Ginny Meade, executive director of the Greater East Honolulu Community Alliance, says, “Ciso used to tell me that he had a dream that it would be a theater again, and so he wouldn’t let it become a car parts store like the Cinerama.” But Yu has proved resistant to any other plans for the theater, including restoration. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to get a hold of him. “Everyone in the world wants to restore or purchase or do something with that place, and they all call me to find out what’s going on,” Meade says. These days, though, even she doesn’t know how to reach him.   What can be done? Not much, barring a change of heart on Yu’s part. Angell says cracking down on the landowner would probably not [...]

Address 1451 Queen Emma St, Honolulu, HI 96813 TMK (1) 2-10-019:014 Built 1961 Designed By Vladimir Ossipoff, Merrill, Sims and Roehrig, Harry Seckel Abstract The Pacific Club was founded in 1851 and was built in 1961. The design and plans were produced in association with the firm Merrill, Simms and Roehrig and Harry Seckel, with master architect Vladimir Oddipoff as the project leader. The restrained and precise spatial organization creates a natural flow between inside and out, achieving an open feeling to bring the building into close association with the club’s extensive garden and lawn areas. The structure is mainly steel with masonry bearing walls and a concrete foundation. The exterior walls are cement stucco, and inside the walls are paneled with koa. The Pacific Club houses a dining room, a restaurant-type kitchen, lounge and cocktail areas; a library, and a card room. Recreational facilities includes a swimming pool and tennis courts, and exercise and locker rooms are located on a lower terrace.  

Address 5839/5841 Kalanianaole Highway, Honolulu, HI 96821 Built 1922 Designed By The New York firm of York & Sawyer What is it? This fishpond in Niu Valley sits on what was once King Kamehameha’s kalo patch. Thanks to the freshwater artestian spring that feeds it, it was once one of Oahu’s most thriving and productive fishponds, housing ‘awa, ahole-hole, mullet and other favorites. Local residents may also know it as Lucas Pond, after the family that inherited the land from Kamehameha. What threatens it? Kalauha‘eha‘e was last used as a working fishpond in the mid-’90s. It became a casualty of the state’s Kalananiana‘ole Highway widening project, when roadwork disrupted the pond’s supply of fresh water. Since then, the state Department of Transportation, which bought the land containing the pond as part of the widening project, has kept the pond unused and off-limits to the public. As director Brennon Morioka points out, “The DOT is not a residential landowner. We’re highway owners.” As such, the department has been trying to dispose of the property, initially by planning a public auction. What can be done? Chris Cramer of the nonprofit Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center has been promoting the idea of instead transferring the fishpond to the University of Hawai‘i, specifically the Center for Hawaiian Studies, which could restore and use the site as an educational resource for its students. The DOT has so far been receptive to the idea, as long as it can receive fair market value for the lot (a federal requirement), says Morioka. In the event that UH does take over the property, it’s still going to require a lot of additional work. “The fishpond itself is [...]