Trends & Issues

On June 8, 2017, 140 stakeholders from 19 sectors representing 117 organizations participated in the Resilient O‘ahu Workshop at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center. The workshops goal: to welcome Honolulu into the 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) initiative pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation and begin the collective process of devising a “Resilience Strategy” for Oahu.  The newly established Office of Climate Change, Sustainability & Resiliency, created in 2016 when voters approved City Charter Amendment 7, is taking the lead in this effort which falls squarely within its mission to build partnerships to increase sustainability and address climate change on O‘ahu. 100RC was born out of the need for cities, where much of the world’s population resides, to be resilient enough to survive, adapt and grow regardless of increased acute shocks and chronic stresses. Shocks are defined as sudden, sharp events that threaten a city while stresses weaken the fabric of a city over the long haul. Honolulu workshop participants identified top shocks as infrastructure failure, hurricane and other natural disasters with top stressors being rising sea level, high cost of living/access to housing and overreliance on imports. As O‘ahu moves toward formulating a plan, it is important that cultural resources defined as: archaeological sites (surface and buried); historic buildings and structures; objects; districts; ethnographic sites and cultural landscapes be viewed as valuable assets that need protection under the resiliency strategy. Both shocks and stressors have the potential to adversely affect cultural resources by increasing risk of damage or destruction, limiting access to sites which can lead to a loss of connection to a place, culture and traditions and reduced visitation which impacts local business and economy as visitor interest and spending decrease. Resilience implies adaptability, [...]

By Tonia Moy Time and time again, you hear someone ask why anyone would want to keep an “ugly” building or a building that is dirty and clearly in need of work or such a simple, uninteresting building. I guess you could say we preservationists look at buildings through a different lens—a lens that can see the swan in the ugly duckling; the story in the simple lines; the book behind the cover. Looking past the years of dirt and neglect, it's our job as preservationists to teach people about the lessons learned from our historic resources. This is no doubt something we can always work harder on. Queen Emma Building, Downtown Honolulu Nuclear Reactor Building, University of Washington, Seattle For example, take the Queen Emma Building, aka the “pimple” building. While people may remember that building being named as one of the ugliest buildings in town in a Charles Memminger poll in 2005, the lens through which a preservationist will view the building is that it is a uniquely constructed building that had an artistically done brise soleil. While many people think the unusual way the bricks are protruding look like pimples, the story to be told is how the designer used standard concrete bricks in a very inexpensive way to form a decorative wall. The metal brise soleil provided screens on the south side, which today would garner ppoints for sustainability. It is like a Mid-Century Modern sculpture. Unfortunately, part of that sculpture, the brise soleil, was removed in 2011 in a previous concept to make a sleek glass box from the building, to make the building look like many of the contemporary buildings in town. Sometimes [...]

By Greg Werkheiser During 2016 the United States is commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the federal historic preservation program, created when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) into law. This year-long celebration has been dubbed Preservation50. It has united an unprecedented coalition of citizens who care about preservation and community to take stock of the past fifty years of preservation lessons and look towards shaping the next half decade. There is a surprisingly close association between American presidents and historic preservation. Thomas Jefferson is often called the Father of American Archaeology for his excavation of Indian mounds at Monticello in 1782, and his home and the University of Virginia that he founded are now World Heritage Sites. In 1858 George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon was the site of the first national preservation effort when the Mount Vernon Ladies Association formed in response to the estate’s poor condition. South Carolina socialite, Louise Dalton Bird Cunningham, traveling up the Potomac by steamer, was horrified by the neglect and approaching destruction of Mount Vernon, and wrote, “If the men of America have seen fit to allow the home of its most respected hero to go to ruin, why can’t the women of America band together to save it?” The influence of American presidents on the nation’s historic treasures has been felt since that time, particularly after Theodore Roosevelt signed the 1906 Antiquities Act into law. This legislation protected the archaeological relics in the West that recalled the thriving cultures of the first Americans, like the cliff dwellings of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. It also allowed presidents to create National Monuments to protect places as diverse and significant [...]

Cherished family heirlooms that survive a fire are often covered with soot and ash, requiring prompt and gentle attention to avoid further damage. The Heritage Emergency National Task Force, a coalition of 42 national organizations and federal agencies co-sponsored by FEMA and the Smithsonian Institution, offers these basic guidelines from professional conservators for those who are searching for, and finding, family treasures in the ruins: After a Fire Personal safety is always the highest priority when entering buildings damaged by fire. Never attempt to salvage belongings at the expense of your own safety. Wear protective clothing—especially gloves (nitrile or latex are preferred over cotton), face masks, and eye protection. Avoid breathing in or touching hazardous materials. Risks in fire-damaged areas can include particulates, exposed asbestos, lead-containing building materials (such as glass and lead paint), and chemical residues. If water has been used to put out the fire, mold may also be an issue and should not be inhaled. General Handling Advice Even though you will be sorely tempted, it is important to reduce the amount you handle or touch damaged items. The very fine particles in soot stick to everything and every touch will grind it further into the item you are trying to save. Take photographs of your damaged items and contact your insurance agency as soon as possible to start any claims. Soot and ash are very abrasive and will further damage items through scratching. If your items were exposed to both heat and water, they will be even more fragile. Lift your objects carefully and avoid weakened areas; for example, support ceramics from the base rather than lifting by handles. Wear nitrile or latex gloves when handling objects as the greasy residue [...]

By Megan Borthwick, Preservation Program Manager The Hawai‘i Historic Places Review Board was established in 1976 within the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes Chapter 6E, which describes the State’s Historic Preservation Program. The Review Board consists of 10 members and is comprised of experts in the fields of archaeology, architecture, history, sociology, and Hawaiian culture. Members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate to serve a specified term on the board. Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) §6E 5-5 lists the responsibilities of the Review Board, including reviewing the content of the State Historic Preservation Plan, and reviewing the state survey of historic properties. However, its primary role is ordering and entering historic properties onto the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places, maintaining the Hawai‘i Register, and evaluating and recommending nominations for the National Register of Historic Places. In order to fulfill its responsibilities, the Hawai‘i Historic Places Review Board holds public meetings approximately quarterly. Rules that govern procedures associated with the Review Board are found in Hawai‘i Administrative Rules (HAR) Title 13 Department of Land and Natural Resources Sub-title 8 Hawai‘i Historic Places Review Board Chapters 197-198. Once a nomination for the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places (the technical document justifying the historic property’s inclusion on the register) is complete, the nomination must go through a review and approval process. This process starts with the Architectural Branch staff at the State Historic Preservation Division. Once reviewed by the state architectural historians, the nomination is forwarded to the Hawai‘i Historic Places Review Board. Upon receipt of a complete and sufficient nomination, the Review Board must schedule a hearing. Prior to the hearing, nominators and owners must be notified by certified mail 45 days in advance, allowing [...]

By Megan Borthwick, Preservation Program Manager Historic Hawai‘i Foundation is a nonprofit, membership-based organization with a mission to encourage the preservation of historically significant places in Hawaii. Advocacy for historic preservation is a main strategy in accomplishing this goal. This means that we propose and support policies that promote preservation, and oppose actions that destroy or damage historic properties. Advocacy includes both policy or programmatic actions, as well advocating for specific places. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation encourages and supports the tax benefits available to historic property owners in Hawai‘i, and supports the historic preservation statutes and policies in the state. On the federal level, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation serves as a consulting party for federal projects that impact historic properties. We strive to protect Hawaii’s important places from inappropriate development and demolition, but we can’t do this alone. We often hear from community members about threats to historic places after it is too late to take action. Preservation is everyone’s kuleana and starts with caring about your community and the places important to you. Each person can act as an advocate for preservation. Here are five ways to act now: 1. Get Involved at the Policy Level Support through voting, signing petitions, and writing letters in order to pass or maintain local, state and federal policies that provide regulatory protection and tax incentives for historic places. If there is a historic property that you love and care about—be it an archaeological site, historic park, or historic neighborhood or district—the local, state, or federal policies that promote historic preservation often will provide assistance or protection to that site. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation submits testimony and speaks at legislative hearings to support the continuation of preservation policies and benefits, including [...]

By Megan Borthwick, Preservation Program Manager Owning and managing properties that include historic resources comes with a responsibility for stewardship of those historic properties. Historic and cultural resources provide the sense of place that connects people with their past, thereby serving the public interest. Though some historic and cultural resources may be located on private property, those resources should be managed for the public good. Stewardship of cultural and historic resources on public lands has been regulated in the United States since the turn of the 20th century with the establishment of the 1906 Antiquities Act. The act made it illegal to take or vandalize archaeological resources. Enforcement of the law fell to the managing agency, yet penalties of violating the law consisted of misdemeanor charges which could result in a small fine or a short jail time. It was not until the late 1970s, within the context of the environmental movement, that the Archaeological Resource Protection Act instituted higher fines and longer jail time for those who took or vandalized archaeological resources on federal lands. Within this same time period, the State of Hawai‘i established a statewide historic preservation law known as Hawai‘i Revised Statute Chapter 6E. In it, the State established its preservation policy and the State’s responsibility for historic and cultural resources. Much like the federal laws, protection of resources is largely limited to state-owned land. Chapter 6E states that it is “unlawful to take, appropriate, excavate, injure, destroy, or alter any history property or aviation artifact on land owned by the state, or in the case of privately-owned land, without the permission of that owner.” Private landowners are required to give the State Historic Preservation Division the opportunity to comment on [...]

By Kiersten Faulkner, Executive Director, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Like other professional fields, historic preservation uses both plain language and also terms-of-art that have specific meanings within the discipline. Some of the shorthand or jargon may seem familiar, but have nuances or implications that are important to describe a project or framework accurately. This helps ensure a consistent and credible approach based on professional standards and a common frame of reference. Some of the most common terms include: Eligible or Eligibility: a formal determination that is made by a qualified preservation professional about whether or not a property qualifies for designation on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the most frequently used standard to differentiate whether a property is “historic” or merely old. Significance: the intrinsic qualities that describe the historic importance or value of a property.  Significance is commonly referred to by the relevant section of the eligibility criteria for the National Register, which are: Historical events; Historical persons; Design patterns or construction; Data or information potential. Integrity: elements of a historic property that convey any or some of its significance. Integrity is not necessarily related to condition of the property, but assesses whether or not a “preservable” entity still exists that would be recognizable by the group that used the property historically. The elements of integrity are location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, association and feeling. Period of Significance: the timeframe during which the historic property acquired the qualities that make it historically significant. The period of significance is described with both beginning and ending dates. Decisions about treatment type and proposed alterations are based on the appropriate design or construction method related to the period.Character-Defining Features: the physical characteristics of the property [...]