A Long-Gone Waikiki Landmark

They don’t build them like they used to. This Waikiki mansion originally belonged to Big Five magnate James B. Castle, who had it built in the 1890s. At 155,000 square feet of beautiful beachfront property, Kainalu, as the estate was called, was one of Honolulu’s most lavish residences.

After Castle passed away in 1918, however, the place was just too big for his widow to live alone in, so she sold it to the Hawai‘i lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks for $155,000. (That would be $1.7 million in 2010 dollars, which seems an eminently reasonable price to us.)

The Elks, which had first set up shop in Hawai‘i in 1901, were able to pay off the mortgage in 22 years, thanks to vigorous fundraising efforts. These photos show Kainalu as it appeared during its lodge days. In 1956, the Elks leased part of the property to the Outrigger Canoe Club, which still occupies the space next to the lodge.

Unfortunately, the old, wooden Kainalu couldn’t last forever. The Elks tore down the aging structure in 1959, replacing it the next year with the lodge building that is still in use today.

The sign on the stairway here reads, "For members only, ladies not permitted above this floor."

All photos: Hawaii State Archives