Kaka‘ako is Not the Only Place Where You Can Live in a Luxury Condo

Before the towers started rising, there were luxury options right downtown.

June 24, 2016

Rachel Ross,

Capitol Place.

Photos: Diane Lee

The Pinnacle Honolulu.

If you work in downtown Honolulu, as so many of us do, you probably sometimes see lucky noncommuters. They walk along at a leisurely pace toward the office, coffee in hand, no gym bag for later bogging them down. They don’t pay for parking, they don’t spend 15 minutes on Bishop Street inching their way from Beretania to King Street at 7:59 a.m., and they always walk through the office door right on time.

With all the hoopla surrounding new construction of high-end homes in Kaka‘ako, many overlook the early adapters of urban luxury living in Honolulu. In 2008, both Capitol Place and The Pinnacle Honolulu came to market. Beautiful views, luxury finishes, and you walk right out the door onto Bishop Street. No need to worry about construction trucks or trolleys full of shoppers.

We’ve shopped around the two buildings to see how they’ve filled out since that time and found that they’re now inhabited by a disproportionately high percentage of medical professionals. Not surprising, as living three blocks from Queen’s Medical Center sounds pretty appealing. The rest of the residents are a mix of downtown workers who enjoy the amenities of luxury living and the quick walk to work.

“I love the building, and especially the way the location makes it easy for me to be social,” says Capitol Place resident Dr. John Magauran. “I walk to my favorite Chinatown restaurants to meet friends after work. It’s easy to drive places as well, if I leave through the back exit of the building, I am on H-1 or the Pali and can even be in Kailua in 12 minutes.”

Currently, there are three listings at The Pinnacle Honolulu, including a three-bedroom, three-bath distressed property priced at $899,999. The high price in the building is $2,388,000. At Capitol Place, you get a lot more choices, with 11 units listed with a price range of $568,000 to $1,299,000.