Hawaii's Most Endangered Historic Sites

In an effort to preserve Hawaii’s unique heritage, HONOLULU Magazine, the Historic Hawaii Foundation and the State Historic Preservation Division have assembled this annual list of some of the state’s most endangered places. This year’s nominations highlight ancient landmarks—pre-Western-contact petroglyphs, the remnants of a prehistoric fishing community—and modern sites, such as the dozens of historic buildings, bridges and communities in the path of Oahu’s planned rail transit project. The sites are endangered for various reasons—some suffer from neglect, others from development, while a few are threatened by environmental factors. All of them represent important chapters in Hawaii’s rich past, and contribute to our sense of place and who we are as a community. 

Making the list does not guarantee protection or preservation; rather, our goal is to raise awareness of the sites’ vulnerability and inspire community dialogue. In the following pages, you’ll find this year’s most endangered historic sites, the stories behind what’s threatening them and what can be done to protect them.  You’ll also discover updates on last year’s endangered sites, including the IBM building, Fort Kamehameha and the auwai of Nuuanu Valley.
 

Alekoko Pond (Nawiliwili, Kauai)

What is it?

Located adjacent to Huleia National Wildlife Refuge on Kauai, Alekoko Pond, also known as Menehune Fishpond, is thought to have been built approximately 580 years ago. Legend has it that the Menehune built the fishpond overnight, meticulously assembling the 900-yard lava-rock wall that bisects a bend in Huleia Stream. The wall, which is about 5 feet high and 2 feet wide in some places, was designed to allow larval fish in while keeping adult fish from escaping, providing food for the local community, and making the pond one of the best remaining examples of ancient Hawaiian aquaculture.
 

What threatens it?

Alekoko, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, has fallen victim to both nature and neglect. Red mangrove trees, an invasive species, have set down branching roots along the wall, pushing rocks into the pond. Sediment from the adjacent stream is also an issue. “Little by little, every winter, with the floods, the Alekoko is filling up with soil and no one is removing it,” says Department of Land and Natural Resources aquatic biologist Donald Heacock, who is also the co-founder of the Nāwiliwili Bay Watershed Council and the owner of the property next door to Alekoko Pond. If Alekoko is not properly maintained, says Heacock, it will disappear in 30 to 40 years as a result of eutrophication, a natural process that occurs when aging lakes or ponds gradually build up concentrations of plant nutrients, which, in increased amounts, speed up plant growth and kill off the pond’s animal life.
 

What can be done?

The Okada family of Honolulu’s Okada Trucking Co. owns the 102-acre parcel on which Alekoko Pond is located. The family attempted to sell the property for $12 million in 2005, but had no takers. The property is not currently for sale, and the Okadas have not publicly indicated what they intend to do with the estate.

Several community groups, including Heacock’s Nāwiliwili Bay Watershed Council, are interested in preserving Alekoko. “Nāwiliwili [Bay Watershed Council] has drafted a letter to the owner to look into leasing the pond in order to restore it,” he says.

Alekoko is also on Kauai Public Land Trust’s radar. “We hope to begin looking at it seriously next year,” says executive director Jennifer Luck, who would like the trust to acquire the property, but feels, given the current economic climate, a conservation partnership with the Okadas is more likely. “As far as what’s best for the property,” says Luck, “it would be ideal to get outright ownership. But we’ll be reaching out to the landowners to see if they’re willing to sell or entertain the idea of a conservation project. [The Okadas] would receive a lot of tax benefits, and it would make it easier on the community and the Land Trust.”

The 33 historic structures in the path of Honolulu’s Rapid Transit Project (Kapolei to Kakaako, Oahu)

What is it?

The 20-mile elevated rail line will connect West Oahu with downtown Honolulu and Ala Moana Center once it’s completed in 2019. The Historic Hawaii Foundation (HHF) has identified 33 historic sites between Ewa and Kakaako that will be impacted, with potential outcomes ranging from demolition to being transformed into a rail station. These sites include the Aloha Chapel, designed by renowned architect Vladimir Ossipoff; CINCPAC, the headquarters for the Commander in Chief, Pacific Command; and the Dillingham Transportation Building.
 

What threatens it?

Given the scale of the project, Honolulu’s rail transit system will profoundly alter the face of the communities through which it passes. “Although the Historic Hawaii Foundation supports improved transportation options for Honolulu,” says executive director Kiersten Faulkner, “we remain concerned that the proposed system will have negative impacts on dozens of historic sites along the route. The adverse effects on over 30 historic properties, including at least three historic districts, will fundamentally change the cultural landscape of Oahu and forever diminish the civic experience in Honolulu’s historic areas.”
 

In its defense, the Department of Transportation Services issued the following statement: “Various alternatives were considered before the selection was made of the currently proposed system and alignment. One of the considerations used in the evaluation of the alignments was impacts to environmental resources, such as historic resources.”
 

What can be done?

According to the DTS, “an agreement to minimize or mitigate the project’s adverse impact on the above historic resources is presently being developed.” Of the 33 identified historic sites, the rapid transit project will affect only the Afuso House, Higa Fourplex, Teixeira House, Lava Rock Curbs, Kapalama Canal Bridge, True Kamani Trees and the Chinatown Marketplace. The effect on the remainder of the 33 resources will be “on setting, feeling and association.”

Anyone interested in giving their input on the future rail-station designs can attend one of the Rail Station Community Workshops. The city held its second workshop, for the Pearlridge rail station, last month. For updates on future workshops, visit www.honolulutransit.org.

Haliimaile Stables (Haliimaile, Maui)

What is it?

The stables, which are located across from the Haliimaile General Store restaurant, were built around 1920 as part of the old Haliimaile plantation village. “The stables were built before my time,” says Eddie Ceballos, who worked as a field hand and service station attendant for Maui Pineapple Co., now Maui Land & Pineapple Co. (ML&P), for 50 years. “The stables were for the mules and horses, which were used to cultivate and plow between the pineapple lines, to keep the weeds down.”

“When I was cognizant of them, it was just past the time when they had been used for the mules and horses,” says Mary “Maizie” Sanford, whose grandfather and father owned and operated Maui Pineapple Co. “I think they were just being used to store different kinds of machinery and vehicles. They’re very picturesque, with all those beautiful trees around them. It would be a shame to lose them.”
 

What threatens it?

In May 2008, ML&P submitted a building permit application to demolish the stables. When contacted for additional information regarding the demolition and any future plans for the site, ML&P declined to comment.
 

What can be done?

Because the demolition seems to have been kept fairly under wraps, no one is currently working on an alternative solution. However, Nancy McMahon, the deputy state historic preservation officer for the State Historic Preservation Division, would like to see that the stables remain standing. “I think adaptive reuse for vendors or crafts would be ideal,” says McMahon. But without a community alternative to demolition or the cooperation of ML&P, the stables will likely be destroyed.
 

Luahiwa Petroglyphs (Kealiakapu ahupuaa, Lanai)

What is it?

Located on a difficult-to-find, 3-acre section of land in central Lanai, Luahiwa is one of Hawaii’s most significant kii pohaku, or petroglyph, complexes, with close to 1,000 ancient stone carvings etched into the sides of boulders scattered across the slope. According to Kepa Maly, the executive director of the Lanai Culture and Heritage Center, 95 percent of the drawings are of pre-Western-contact forms, including canoes, human shapes, animals, dogs, turtles and processions of men. “The other interesting thing about the complex,” says Maly, “is that you can see that it has been used generationally. When one set of images were beginning to fade out due to centuries of exposure to weather, new images were put above them. You can still see the juxtaposing of image over image.”
 

What threatens it?

There are several environmental factors: A fire in October 2007 burned through the region, cracking the rocks; soil erosion resulting from the removal of vegetation has undermined the stones. Then there’s the human factor. In recent years, one of the ancient dog images was redrawn as a deer with antlers. People have also crudely carved their names into the boulders, while others have used acrylic, chalk or wax to make the carvings more visible for viewing and recording.
 

What can be done?

Maly would like to establish an area for a boardwalk that leads to a viewing platform outfitted with interpretive signage. This setup would ensure that visitors could still get a glimpse of the ancient stone carvings, and diminish the potential for additional damage. Maly would also like to secure funding for habitat stabilization, including the eradication of non-native guava, California grass and lantana and the slow transition to native clump grasses.

Unfortunately, there are currently no plans to do any of the above. Maly has met with members of the Lanai Archaeological Committee to formulate a plan for stabilization and stewardship, but nothing has been finalized. Should they settle on a solution, their plans need to first be approved by Castle & Cook, which owns the property. And with a tough economy and fewer grant dollars, funding is an issue.
 

Chapel at Kapiolani Community College (Honolulu, Oahu)

What is it?

The white chapel located on the Diamond Head side of the Kapiolani Community College (KCC) campus has always stood out from KCC’s low-lying, 1980s architecture. Built in 1925, the chapel hosted church services for the Fort Ruger military community, Oahu’s earliest U.S. Army coastal defense fortification, established in 1909. “People feel that [the chapel] is an important structure,” says Carol Hoshiko, KCC’s dean for Culinary, Hospitality and College Advancement. “It’s different from the rest of the buildings. It’s an older building, and reminiscent of times before.”

Since KCC took up residence at the base of Diamond Head Crater some 35 years ago, the chapel has served strictly as an educational facility, housing continuing-education classes, such as taiko classes taught by Kenny Endo’s Taiko Center of the Pacific, community service functions and large gatherings. “There is not an overabundance of large areas to meet in [at KCC],” says Hoshiko, “and the chapel offers that.”
 

What threatens it?

According to Hoshiko, the chapel is structurally sound, but is in need of a little TLC. “It is currently on our repair-and-maintenance list,” she says. “There are 34 projects on this campus for repair and maintenance that we’re hoping will be done at some point. The chapel is No. 9 on that list.”

KCC has invested money in the chapel’s upkeep, most notably in the early to mid-1990s, when KCC conducted $125,000 worth of interior work and $150,000 for paint stripping, repainting and re-roofing. The improvements have made a huge difference in the chapel’s usability, says Kenny Endo, who has been practicing taiko there since 1990. “In the early years, half of the roof leaked so badly that the chapel would fill with two inches of water,” says Endo. “The floor was so messed up we had to wear shoes or protective footwear. One of the first things [KCC] did was fix the roof, and that helped. Then, later, they fixed the floor. [The chapel’s] really a lot more usable now.”

The chapel currently needs approximately $571,000 worth of refurbishment work, including a new paint job, and some roof and interior repairs.
 

What can be done?

Hoshiko was unable to provide a time frame for when the chapel would be refurbished. “I believe the community members, the Historic Hawaii Foundation and KCC can work together to garner support and resources for the chapel to be repaired and maintained in good condition,” Hoshiko says. She’s also interested in forming a Friends of the Chapel group that would bring together representatives from the community’s public and private sectors to help raise funds and develop a collaborative plan for the chapel’s future. Anyone interested can call 734-9567.

Haleiwa Residences (Haleiwa, Oahu)

What is it?

Built in the early 20th century, these four residences located on Kamehameha Highway in Haleiwa are some of the few remaining plantation-style homes along the historic town’s main thoroughfare. “This property represents a piece of Old Hawaii plantation architecture, and part of that adds to Haleiwa’s charm,” says Antya Miller, a member of the North Shore Neighborhood Board.
 

What threatens it?

Owner Scott Wallace, who purchased the houses a couple of years ago, hired Plan Pacific, a Honolulu-based planning firm, to assess the physical condition of the homes for historic preservation or adaptive reuse, and to then devise a plan and request the necessary zoning change from a residential to a business district. Plan Pacific’s assessment was not in favor of historic preservation. “It would cost a lot [to preserve them],” says Plan Pacific president John Whalen. “The problem was for years the houses weren’t well-maintained. They were in a cosmetic way, they looked OK, but some big issues weren’t addressed. There are cesspool problems, termite damage, basic plumbing and electrical problems. They’re still habitable, but they’re reaching a point where they’re not going to be.”

 Plan Pacific has devised a plan for a single-story commercial building fronting Kamehameha Highway and three live-work units placed behind it. Because the property is located within the Haleiwa Special District, both the live/work units and the commercial building will have to adhere to the district’s strict design guidelines.

While that’s all fine and good, says Miller, she doesn’t believe that the original charm and character of the houses could ever be replicated. “The primary reason that most of us want that property preserved is it’s unique in Haleiwa town,” she says. “There are hardly any of those plantation-era homes or cottages left. We want to retain what makes our town unique and interesting to people as well as retain our heritage for us and for our children.”
 

What can be done?

The property will be going up for its final zone-change approval this month. After that, the project will need to receive a Special Management Area permit and Haleiwa Special District permit, both of which require more detailed plans. Whalen was unable to give a specific time frame for when this process may be finalized.

In the meantime, concerned local community groups and residents have been fighting the houses’ demolition. “I’m not necessarily opposed to the rezoning per se,” says Laura Couch, a neighboring property owner and real estate litigator. “But in a perfect world, I would like to see those structures renovated to house small businesses that would not impact the neighboring residences. Just because [the homes] are in poor shape doesn’t mean they can’t be fixed up.”

Couch encourages people to voice their concerns at neighborhood board and City Council meetings, or to write the neighborhood board, zoning committee, City Council or the developer. “Anybody can write and tell our elected officials how we feel,” says Couch.

Waimano Ridge (Pearl City, Oahu)

What is it?

Located on approximately 265 acres of land above Pearl City residential neighborhoods, Waimano Ridge was home to the Waimano Training School and Hospital (WTSH), an institutional incarceration facility for people with developmental disabilities. Established in 1919, the hospital, which was originally known as the Waimano Home for the Feebleminded, was shuttered in 1999 following years of rumors about dingy conditions and questionable patient treatment.

Today, Waimano Ridge is a medical facility in transition. It currently hosts a number of state organizations and programs: The old Waimano Training School and Hospital was renovated and is being used by the Department of Public Safety. Other buildings house Department of Health (DOH) offices, the DOH Laboratory facility, Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant offices and a juvenile sex offender program. “[Waimano Ridge] is definitely being used, which is appropriate given our terrible economic situation,” says DOH director Dr. Chiyome Fukino.
 

What threatens it?

Following the hospital’s closure, its support buildings, the oldest of which were built in the mid-1930s, and the newest of which, Hale Aloha, was built in 1977, languished into disrepair until the Department of Health decided to transform Waimano Ridge into a modern medical community.

Bringing the site up to code, however, has required significant updating. A survey of Waimano Ridge’s facilities, which were built of wood, concrete or concrete block, showed that roughly half of the buildings were suitable for long-term continued usage, while 12 buildings built between 1936 and 1954 have been earmarked for demolition. “Their time has come,” says Fukino. “A number of the very old buildings, the roofs are caving in, the sides are caving in. Almost all of them are wooden structures or corrugated metal structures that are beyond repair. Those will be demolished.”
 

What can be done?

At the time this issue was going to press, the Department of Health was sending out RFPs for the demolition of the 12 buildings. The Historic Hawaii Foundation (HHF) is holding out hope that the buildings can be preserved. “Although the plantation vernacular cottages are the victims of deferred maintenance and present significant repair challenges,” says HHF executive director Kiersten Faulkner, “the later concrete buildings are still sound and could be rehabilitated. The history of all of Hawaii’s citizens should have a place in our collective recollections, including the memory of people with developmental disabilities who were housed here.”
 

Lapakahi (North Kohala, Hawaii)

What is it?

This privately owned, 17-acre coastal property is situated along the southern point of Lapakahi State Historical Park, which surrounds the estate on three sides. “For some reason,” says Lea Hong, the Hawaiian Islands program director for the Trust for Public Land (TPL), “there was this 17-acre thing that was carved out from the park and passed down through private owners.”

Archaeological research of the property has shown a concentration of prehistoric sites that were likely the remnants of a fishing community that appeared around 1300 A.D. “Lapakahi demonstrates the way of life of the normal, common folk,” says Hong. “It’s an incredible historical park for that reason.” There are approximately two dozen historical sites there, including agricultural features, such as animal pens and water catchments, as well as the remnants of habitation complexes, including residential compounds, burial platforms, fishing shrines, a canoe house and grave sites.
 

What threatens it?

Current owner Robert Reish, a retired United States Air Force pilot, purchased the property in 2002 with the intent of building his family residence and several structures that would be available for use for cultural activities by the local community. According to Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) building guidelines for conservation lands, Reish is allowed to build a 5,000-square-foot residence. However, Reish’s plans for additional community centers—a 150-foot canoe house and a training area for the Hawaiian Lua Warriors—were not allowed. “My goal was to build a home and to offer the property to the Hawaiian community to use it for different activities,” says Reish. “Unfortunately … the Department of Land and Natural Resources said we couldn’t conduct Hawaiian cultural activities on land designated as a conservation resource.”

The property, which has been unused for the past seven years, has nearly bankrupted Reish, and he sees no other option than to part ways with it. “It’s been years,” says Reish. “We want to move on and purchase a property where we may invite Hawaiian cultural groups onto our land for their use.” In the meantime, the archaeological sites continue to be exposed to the elements, and are being toppled by kiawe trees. People have also been using the property to dump their trash. “Unless this site can be purchased, added to the Lapakahi State Historical Park and properly managed, these sites may be lost forever,” says Hong.
 

What can be done?

Reish entered into an agreement two years ago to sell the property to the Trust for Public Land, and recently extended his contract until June 2010. That gives TPL, which has already raised $1.25 million—half of what the property was appraised at—more time to secure additional funding.
 

UPDATES 

By Lorraine Jonemann and Jenny Quill
 

Ewa Field  | Ewa, Oahu

“Not much has changed in the past six months,” says historian John Bond, whose attempts to set up meetings with the property owner/developer, Ford Island Properties, a subsidiary of Hunt Development Group, have been met with silence. Assistance from the Navy or DLNR has been in short supply as well. Bond is, however, hoping to move forward with this year’s Ewa Field Commemoration event on Dec. 6 and 7.
 

Fort Kamehameha  | Hickam Air Force Base, Oahu

This past August the Air Force announced its plans to demolish 30 of the houses, the chapel and flagpole, and possibly cut down mature monkeypod trees and landscaping. The Air Force would preserve just three houses, the Battery Hawkins annex, a general storehouse and bandstand, unless the right conditions were met, in which case the Air Force would allow the structures to be removed instead of destroyed. To complicate matters, the State Historic Preservation Division is no longer able to enter into a long-term lease of the property due to budget issues. As a compromise, the Air Force has offered to document the site prior to demolition. “The Historic Hawaii Foundation has questioned the Air Force rationale for the need for the project,” says executive director Kiersten Faulkner, “including asking for its cost estimates comparing the different scenarios, to which the Air Force has not responded.”
 

The IBM Building  | Honolulu, Oahu

This Vladimir Ossipoff-designed building in Honolulu’s Kakaako community is still slated for demolition as part of General Growth Properties’ (GGP) Ward Neighborhood Master Plan, a 60-acre, mixed-use development consisting of housing, retail, dining, office and community space. However, GGP’s financial woes—the company filed for bankruptcy in April of this year and put the Ward property up for sale—will most likely prevent the company from moving forward with its plan anytime soon.
 

The Kalauhaehae Fishpond   | Niu Valley, Oahu

According to Chris Cramer of the nonprofit Maunalua Fishpond Heritage Center, the fishpond is still the property of the Department of Transportation (DOT). “It’s safe with them right now,” he says. In the meantime, the local scientific community has been talking with the DOT about setting up a restoration day, which would include cleaning and replanting of native plants. “We’ve contacted [the DOT] about doing that, and they’re moving it through their channels to see what kind of waivers need to be done.” All in all, he says, the DOT has made a “good faith effort” in working with the community.
 

Maui Jinsha Shinto Shrine  | Pauk-ukalo, Maui

As of press time, there were no up-dates available regarding the shrine’s restoration.
 

St. Sophia Church   | Kaunakakai, Molokai

When we spoke to Frank Skowronski of Territorial Architects in late July, he was prepping a building permit in hopes that the upcoming Blessed Damien Church will be completed by 2011. As for the relocation of Saint Sophia Church, the odds are slim to none. “The termites, weather and multiple renovations have taken their toll on the church. Moving the structure without damaging it seems unlikely,” said Skowronski. But the architect says he plans to incorporate the history of the original church and of the site within the Blessed Damien Church.
 

Coco Palms Resort   | Kapaa, Kauai

Last spring, the Kauai Planning Commission awarded Coco Palms owner, Phil Ross, a three-year extension on all his permits, pushing the project’s targeted completion date from 2010 to 2013. But the Coco Palms is far from regaining the shine of its glory years. Ross still doesn’t have enough investors. The extension also came with three strict conditions (include cleaning and restoring the coconut grove) that must be completed within six months of the April hearing.       
 
 

Engineering Quad  | UH Manoa Campus, Oahu

Two of the original four endangered buildings will be incorporated into the new recreational center. Eric Crispin, associate vice chancellor for financial and physical resources management, told us that buildings 31 D (commonly known as the Ka Leo building) and 31 C will be saved in a compromise that he called “reasonable and workable.” The decision was reached last spring by the design team, the campus center students and the SHPD. Construction is scheduled to start in 2010.
  

The Auwai of Nuuanu Valley  | Nuuanu, Oahu

The Nuuanu Valley Auwai Study Group is maintaining its efforts to upkeep these traditional Hawaiian ditches. “Every auwai has one more luna wai or supervisor responsible for its maintenance,” says Shannon Wilson. The group also tries to raise awareness through its monthly meetings and is planning a fundraiser at the Queen Emma Summer Palace in October. “We hope to put a section of the auwai system on the National Register and to extend our educational outreach and explain the historic significance of the system,” says Wilson.                 
 

Jenny Quill is a Honolulu-based freelance writer. Her last piece for the magazine was “The Dollars and Sense of Paying for Private School.”