From Our Files: What Honolulu Looked Like Between January 1930 and 1990

January 26, 2015

Katrina Valcourt,

Our History

In 1888, King Kalākaua issued a royal charter, commissioning a magazine. Then titled Paradise of the Pacific, this publication became HONOLULU Magazine, making it the oldest magazine west of the Mississippi.

1930

“The Natatorium … will give tourists and others an opportunity to see the future Olympic representatives of this island in action,” Paradise says. “Hawai‘i is planning to have a full team at the 1932 games!” Punahou alum Buster Crabbe, who went on to become an actor in more than 100 films, received the gold medal for the 400-meter freestyle swim at the ’32 Games. His most famous film roles included Tarzan and Buck Rogers.

1945

“If Pūowaina is a punchbowl, then Āliamanu is a salt bowl (Salt Lake), Lē‘ahi, a fish bowl (tuna) and Honolulu itself, a poi bowl.”

1950

Hawai‘i ventures into the wood furniture business, exporting koa, monkeypod, ‘ōhi‘a and other hardwood pieces, “carved and designed in the Hawaiian tradition.” It’s a promising new industry, Paradise says, which will “spread the story of Hawai‘i’s magnificent forests throughout the Mainland” and keep local money spent on furniture in Hawai‘i. “Some of these giant koa trees (on the Big Island) were standing when Captain Cook discovered the Islands,” says John Kretzu, manager and designer of Hawaiian Furniture Manufacturing. “Others were half-grown saplings when Kamehameha made his bid for power. They have been waiting these many years to make their contribution to our Island prosperity.”

1970

HONOLULU wants to help you lose weight with recipes for low-calorie desserts. Shown here are Pineapple Under a Cloud, Devonshire Non-Cream and a Julep Melon.

1990

The Newcomers’ Guide in HONOLULU delves into the history of Hawai‘i place names. Though all new streets are required to have Hawaiian names, many old ones, such as those named after navigators (Vancouver, Portlock), missionaries (Bingham, Richards) and merchants (Bishop, Cummins) stuck. “As the city continued to grow [in the 19th century], the practice of street name grouping became common,” HONOLULU writes. For example, streets in Wai‘alae and Kāhala are named after birds; in Waimānalo, fish. St. Louis streets are named after Roman Catholic bishops. The most intriguing area is the airport, with streets named by Mary Kawena Pukui for different types of clouds.


1915	1945	1980

Learn more about the evolution of covers in Honolulu Magazine and Paradise of the Pacific: 125 Years of Covers, available at shop.honolulumagazine.com.