“Hawai‘i’s Most Endangered Historic Places” The list of threatened historic properties is an annual program of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, in cooperation with the Hawai‘i State Historic Preservation Division and Honolulu magazine. The list highlights some of the best opportunities for preservation this year because the historic sites are threatened in some way, but still have opportunities for survival and reuse . Eight additions have been added to the list of most endangered historic places in Hawai‘i, bringing the list to a total of 74 since 2005.
Why does Historic Hawai‘i Foundation have an annual program to name threatened historic places? 1. Let community members know about places that are historically significant but that are threatened in some way. 2. Bring attention to these sometimes overlooked or forgotten areas to remind people of their history, how they relate to real people and events, and how they shaped and influenced both their generation and contemporary life. 3. Rally the community to take action to ensure these community landmarks are saved.
How are the Endangered Historic Places selected? 1. Historic Hawai‘i Foundation issues a call for entries to HHF members and the public. 2. A selection committee of experts from HHF, SHPD and HONOLULU review the nominations per the selection criteria. 3. A short list is prioritized for further research and review to confirm or remove the site. 4. The selection committee finalizes the list, notifies the sites and nominators, requests additional information or comment from stakeholders. 5. HONOLULU completes the research, writing, and photography for the feature article, published in the November issue.
What are the criteria for selection? 1. Is it a historic place? 2. Is it threatened? 3. Can it be saved with timely action? The committee also considers: Geographic diversity Period of significance or historic era representation Property type diversity Presence of advocacy or stakeholder groups Compelling call to action and relatibility
• Located in Ke‘ehi Lagoon, Mokauea is a tiny, 10-acre island. • In1830 King Kamehameha III declared Mokauea Island as a royal fishing site. • While only three families remain on the island today, as many as 14 families were temporarily evicted during World War II. • In 1975, the state again attempted to evict families to allow for an extension of the airport’s reef runway. After pushback, the families Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford were allowed to remain under a lease from the state that expires in 2043.
• The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has proposed building the Sand Island Ocean Recreation Park in Ke‘ehi Lagoon. • Which could include a marina of some 400 boat slips, a canoe pavilion and an activity center.
• Community groups, such as Mokauea Fishermen’s Association , would like the public to be more aware of the historic significance of the area in order to work with state lawmakers and DLNR officials to find a solution that would allow recreation to continue, but would also preserve and protect the island’s heritage and sensitive environment.
Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford
• Thomas Square is Hawai‘i’s first official public park, dedicated in 1850 by King Kamehameha III for British Rear Adm. Richard Thomas. • Historic design features include a central water fountain, radial coral pathways arranged in the pattern of the Union Jack and the Beretania Street Promenade, designed by landscape architects Catherine Jones Thompson and Bob Thompson. • The park was placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1972 based on its political significance.
• In his 2014 State of the City address, Mayor Kirk Caldwell listed the restoration of Thomas Square as one of his top priorities • While concrete plans have not been developed, one proposal discussed in April includes designing a bike path through the park, box planters and hard pathways. • The concepts were not based on restoring the features and characteristics from the historic period , but rather would erase most of the landscape architecture designed by Thompson and Thompson.
• The public should make its opinions known, and insist on a true “restoration” and not a radical redesign. • The city has made no decisions on Thomas Square’s future , but the public will be asked for its feedback during the various phases of planning.
• Also known as the Ernest R. Cameron House, Laulima was built in 1924 in the popular Beaux-Arts style in Makiki, and is one of the last remaining large estates in this once-affluent community. • With Makiki now teeming with condominiums and apartments, Laulima is one of the few remaining symbols of the Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford neighborhood’s historic character.
• Development based on overzoning. • The house is in good condition, but it is being sold by the Hawai‘i chapter of the American Association of University • Over the years, the home was used for community meetings, piano recitals and other public events. • Much to the dismay of preservation advocates, it is being marketed as a redevelopment opportunity.
• The best hope for the property is for it to be purchased by a person or organization sensitive to its historic nature. • Demolition or radical remodel would trigger an environmental review, with public comment opportunities. Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford
• After the original wood version of Castle Hall burned down in 1911, the school rebuilt it in 1913 as its new girls’ dormitory. • Both the original and replacement version were funded by Mary Tenney Castle, the wife of Samuel Northup Castle, founder of Castle & Cooke and original trustee of Punahou School. • While it is no longer used as a dormitory, the building has been at the center of hundreds of Punahou alumni’s academic careers.
• Punahou School’s board of trustees approved a master plan in May that sets the groundwork for demolishing the building to make space for a enlarged outdoor common area. • The building would come down in the final phase of its campus master plan, in about eight years, but planning, permitting and fundraising will occur earlier.
• School leadership needs to hear from constituents who are concerned with the loss of the school’s heritage and oppose the demolition. • The Punahou School campus, which includes Castle Hall, is designated on the National Register of Historic Places. Any plans to demolish a historic structure would trigger the requirement of an Environmental Impact Statement, which requires public input.
• The Bond Memorial Public Library served the people of the historic community of Kapa ‘ au for more than 80 years. • This tiny, cottage like building sits on land donated in 1927 to the then- Territory of Hawai‘i by Caroline Bond for the purposes of building a library. • Over the years, the 1,610-square- foot New England-style building, resembling a small house harkening back to Kapa‘au’s sugar-plantation era, has become Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford a familiar landmark.
• When the State Public Library System christened a new, modern library in North Kohala in 2010, the Bond Memorial Public Library building fell out of use. • Library officials are in the process of turning the land over to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which will then decide what to do with the property.
• Ultimately, it will be up to the state to decide what will happen with the property and the building that resides on it. • The North Kohala Community Resource Center has agreed to be the fiscal agent for a grassroots advocacy group that seeks to use the building as a history museum and visitor center to tell the stories of the area.
• A landmark along Kahekili Highway, the family services building at Valley of the Temples is one of the few remaining structures designed by resort architect George Pete Wimberly. • The building was designed to evoke a Native Hawaiian heiau, using the tools of modern Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford architecture, including its expressive skyward arch.
• Valley of the Temples, now owned by NorthStar Memorial Group, is considering demolishing the building to replace it with a mortuary and crematorium.
• Because the building is more than 50 years old, the state requires that a historic review be done prior to any demolition or redevelopment. • The property owners have committed to work with SHPD, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and other community stakeholders to design an appropriate and sensitive building that honors the original design features while updating the functions.
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