Historic Hawaii Foundation and the Preservation of Hawaii’s Architecture

By Kiersten Faulkner, HHF Executive Director

The Hawaiian Islands experienced profound changes between 1939 and 1979, primarily from America’s entry into World War II and resulting effects from that historic event. The Territory emerged as the 50^th State, and saw dramatic shifts in political, economic and cultural norms. Concurrently, Hawaii’s main industry transitioned from large-scale agriculture to tourism. The population boom spurred related development so extensive that the only period in Hawaii’s history which may have experienced more dramatic change was the half century or so after the initial introduction of western culture in 1778.

By the late 1960s, many communities were experiencing the sudden and irreversible loss of touchstones of old Hawaii. There were proposals to demolish Iolani Palace to make way for a parking garage for the new State Capitol, along with urban renewal developments that devastated entire blocks of Chinatown and the Aala neighborhood. Highway projects threatened the plantation town of Haleiwa on Oahu’s north shore, and new suburban and resort developments were growing into agricultural areas and other previously-open landscapes.

In 1973, Hawaii’s advisors to the National Trust for Historic Preservation—Helen H. Cole and Charles M. Black—invited a team of national preservation experts to evaluate what was being done to preserve the architectural history of the Hawaiian Islands. Their tour concluded with a workshop held in June 1973 at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, at which time the team recommended that a statewide organization be established to initiate, coordinate and encourage preservation efforts. Planning began with application for nonprofit status, drafting of a charter and bylaws, selection of trustees and election of officers.

Historic Hawaii Foundation was incorporated in June 1974 with the mission “To preserve and encourage the preservation of historic buildings, objects and sites relating to the history of Hawaii; to promote an awareness of and respect for all that is historically significant and architecturally distinctive about our State; through these efforts, to keep alive and intact for the enrichment of present and future generations the inherent beauty of the Hawaiian Islands and its unique history in the development of the Pacific Basin.”

Within two years, the charter membership drive resulted in over 2,500 members. The concept of a membership-based organization was enshrined in both the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws, making it clear that the organization was founded by and accountable to a grassroots coalition of members.

As the statewide preservation organization dedicated to perpetuating the significant historic properties in the Hawaiian Islands, Historic Hawaii Foundation focuses on protection, advocacy, education, technical assistance and organizational sustainability.

One of the earliest initiatives of the new organization was to build a robust Hawaii Register of Historic Places, the statewide complement to the National Register of Historic Places. A concentrated effort to inventory, evaluate and nominate properties resulted in several hundred properties formally recognized for their historic significance and integrity.

The constitutionality of the process was challenged in 1979 when the owners of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel filed a lawsuit against the Hawaii Historic Places Review Board, opposing the constraints of historic designation and claiming the right to proceed with demolition of the iconic hotel. Through a precedent-setting ruling in 1983, the Hawaii Supreme Court determined that the Royal Hawaiian Hotel would not be listed on the State Register of Historic Places, but upheld the constitutionality of the state’s historic preservation law.

This early engagement set the stage for Historic Hawaii Foundation’s approach to issues over the years. Much of its ongoing work occurs on a public policy or systemic level: to advocate for laws and systems that promote preservation through planning, incentives, project review, environmental assessments and public awareness. HHF helped establish cultural resource commissions or historic preservation review commissions for each of the four local governments; promoted and saw approval of both statewide and county-level property tax exemptions for buildings dedicated for preservation; approval of a statewide tax credit for rehabilitation of historic properties; and systems to integrate chapters on preservation of historic and cultural resources into both statewide and island-specific land use planning documents and environmental assessments for specific projects.

In evaluating the most effective and impactful ways for conservation of architectural and other cultural resources, Historic Hawaii Foundation uses a model of change based on a formula provided by the Hawaii Community Foundation: If B leads to C and A leads to B, then logically A leads to C.

HHF has applied this in two simple ways to guide the organization’s work:

1. People save places they love (C) and they love places they know (B), therefore HHF helps people get to know places (A). These types of activities include seminars, presentations, tours, Story Maps and other public education events. These actions lead to people learning about and become attached to historic places, which then leads to a community ethic dedicated to saving historic places. This change model underscores the importance of education to build awareness, understanding and public support for historic preservation.
2. Places are saved for the enjoyment and education of current and future generations (C) when projects affecting historic properties avoid, minimize or mitigate adverse effects (B). Thus, Historic Hawaii Foundation actively reviews and comments on development projects with potential to affect historic properties (A) to voice ways in which the project can and should be altered to avoid the effect. This model of change gives HHF the framework for intervening and supporting preservation of specific sites, buildings, structures, objects and districts of historic significance.

HHF’s role in these processes is unique.  The organization is non-governmental, lacking the regulatory authority of governmental agencies. However, HHF has stronger and deeper community ties, built on a base of members and supporters, the relationships developed over some 50 years of its own history, and the moral authority as the voice for the places, culture and stories that matter in our state.

HHF applies a series of principles that guide our participation in actions to protect historic places:

1. Get the facts. What is the historic property, what makes it significant, what is the project and what is the proponent trying to achieve? Does the proposed undertaking endanger a historic resource and how can that effect be changed?
2. Be prepared. Be organized and responsive; identify the players and potential allies; understand the agency, community, stakeholder and regulatory concerns.
3. Be selective. Because there are limited people and hours in the day, use them on the right projects and at the right time.  We need to triage the projects that warrant our participation, based on the significance of the resource, the level of threat, the participation of other stakeholders or organizations, and internal capacity of time and personnel.
4. Be reasonable, but don’t be afraid to say no. Use experts, have the law on your side, work to find win-win solutions. But don’t underestimate the power of standing firm in protection of the historic resource.  There are usually alternatives that haven’t yet been developed that would protect the historic property and still achieve the project’s objectives.
5. Act with integrity. We strive to be consistent in our objectives and build credibility, trust and community support.  In the heat of discussions, it is easy to be drawn into personalities, but try to stay objective.
6. Document the agreement. The final written agreement needs to stand on its own. It cannot rely on institutional knowledge or relationship of the parties.  People move on, memories fade, and circumstances change.   Make sure the written document clearly explains the agreement without the need for interpretation.

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s impact continues to ripple, resulting in protection of historic bridges and railroads, rehabilitation of sugar plantation workers housing, and substantive mitigation measures in situations when the adverse effect cannot be avoided or minimized.  We feel that the results have been extremely positive, both in preservation of historic properties and in building the capacity of our organization and our partner groups.