The list of threatened historic properties is an annual program of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

“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

• pportunities 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

were allowed to remain under a lease from the state that expires in 2043. Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford

• 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
• fficial 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
• pinions known, and insist on a

true “restoration” and not a radical redesign.

• The city has made no decisions
• n 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

• ne 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 neighborhood’s historic character.

Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford

• Development based on
• verzoning.
• 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

• pportunity.

• 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

• pportunities.

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

• f Samuel Northup Castle,

founder of Castle & Cooke and

• riginal 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

• utdoor 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

• ppose 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
• n 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 a familiar landmark.

Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford

• 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

• ver 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 architecture, including its expressive skyward arch.

Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford

• Valley of the Temples, now
• wned 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

• ther community stakeholders to

design an appropriate and sensitive building that honors the original design features while updating the functions.

• The Neal S. Blaisdell Center
• pened in 1964 as Honolulu’s first

convention center.

• Two of the three original

structures remain on the site— the Blaisdell Concert Hall and the Blaisdell Arena. At the time, the center was celebrated as the city’s first step toward becoming a major U.S. city.

• Over the years, the concert hall

and arena have hosted the Honolulu Symphony, Broadway musicals, college sporting events and major artists, including Elvis Presley’s 1973 “Aloha from Hawai‘i” concert.

Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford

• The property is threatened by

development.

• Now 50 years old, the buildings

suffer from deferred maintenance, and the city is creating a master plan based on recommendations from several community and private

• rganizations.
• With a rail station planned near

the center, the city is also under pressure to redevelop for transit. The city’s Department of Planning and Permitting says no decisions have been made about the site.

• The City plans to hold stakeholder

meetings and provide

• pportunities for community
• input. Members of the public

should make their opinions known.

• A landmark in the Kailua Village in

Kona, Moku‘aikaua Church enjoys the unique distinction of being Hawai‘i’s first church.

• Recently named one of America’s 11

Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Moku‘aikaua represents the “new” western architecture of early 19th-century Hawai‘i and is a symbol of Hawai‘i’s missionary past.

• Its roof and iconic steeple were built

with ‘ōhi‘a wood that had been cured in the ocean. Its walls are constructed

• f lava rock and mortared coral.

Photo: Courtesy of David Croxford

• While far from crumbling,

Moku‘aikaua is in need of major repair and restoration.

• The church suffered earthquake

damage in 2006, including large cracks in the south corner walls, which threaten its structural integrity.

• Salt air has also caused

deterioration in the building’s aging wiring and electrical system.

• Moku‘aikaua’s steeple is suffering

from termite damage and severe rotting.

• Civil engineers are helping the

church develop a plan to reinforce the building’s walls, replace its rotting beams and rebuild its steeple.

• Work would be done in three

phases, but Moku‘aikaua will need some $3 million to do it. Contributions to the capital campaign are needed.