What Honolulu Looked Like Between August 1949 and 1979

Our History 

 In 1888, King Kalakaua 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.

1949

The Veterans Village is completed in Palolo Valley. Just over 14 acres, the land is subdivided into 86 house lots, ranging in price from $7,500 to $14,000. Paradise says that “Dreams come true” for veterans after a three-year push and $1.5 million investment. In 2014, many of these quaint redwood homes have been replaced by large two-story houses that sell for upward of a million dollars.

1949

Hawaiiana, the travel supplement of Paradise of the Pacific, offers some guidance for learning to speak Hawaiian: “As one textbook says, ‘a vigorous play of the various organs of speech is required. The lips, the tongue, the throat, the teeth are all brought forcibly into use when Hawaiian is spoken.’ We might add—and hands, arms and eyes!”

1954

Mainland developers Paul Trousdale and Clint Murchison are granted a long-term lease to transform the heart of Waikiki.  Their envisioned “new look” for the Queen Emma estate? Three major hotels, several apartment and office buildings, and a solution to the traffic problem: a one-way street system for entering and leaving Waikiki. “Kalakaua Avenue would be one-way going Diamond Head, and Kuhio Avenue one-way going ewa. This would cut traffic in half. By prohibiting parking on the makai side, the beach vista would be opened to the public, like that of Rio de Janeiro and other famed beach cities.”

1959

Duke Kahanamoku takes two University of Hawaii summer school students for their first catamaran cruise. Each summer, 7,000 Mainland students flock to Hawaii to take summer courses in ukulele, swimming, surfing and orchid growing and hula.

An airline ticket from Honolulu to California costs $99. In 2014, it can range from $260 to $600.

1979

Home-grown garden goodies are made possible with seeds from the horticulture department of the University of Hawaii’s School of Tropical Agriculture. “The prices are right: 50 cents for a home garden package for most vegetables,” HONOLULU writes. The seed lab is still going today, offering a wide variety of vegetable seeds ranging from $1 to 3 per packet. Pick up some Manoa Sugar Chinese Peas, Hawaiian Super-sweet Corn, or Waianae Kai Choy, to name a few. ctahr.hawaii.edu/seed

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

1954	1959	1979