The Historic Hawaii Foundation (HHF) announces that several preservation projects have been awarded funding from HHFs Hilo Preservation Grant Program. The growing list will help achieve the overall goal of improving the appearance and longevity of Hilo’s historic waterfront and downtown area.
Each project illustrates how historic preservation can be utilized as an effective mechanism for enhancing the town’s unique sense of place and supporting improved societal relationships.
Beatrice Lau Building, 114-116-118 Kamehameha Avenue (c. 1904)
Built in 1904, the Beatrice Lau Building has survived both the 1946 and 1960 tsunamis. It offers retail and office spaces along the scenic Hilo Bayfront. It was owned previously by its namesake, Beatrice Lau, and the Hiromi Yamanaka family.
Through this grant, the rusted, leaking corrugated metal roof was replaced with a comparable material that retards the effects of sulfur dioxide, a volcanic compound that causes metal corrosion. Hurricane clips were also added to the roof to prevent damage from severe weather. This project preserves a historic building in a high-traffic section of Hilo.
Hilo Plaza Building, 180 Kino‘ole Street (c. 1967)
This commercial retail and office building is home to Hilo’s first elevator installation. The current property owner envisions a return of mom-and-pop-store retail to the area and office space for kama‘āina businesses. Grant funds will be used to repair and repaint the exterior and common areas of the building.
Kalākaua Park, 136 Kalakaua Street (c. 1877)
For over a century, Kalākaua Park has been Hilo’s Town Square. The sundial donated to the people of Ka Lani Kāwika Kalākaua (King David Kalakaua) remains to this day. For decades, it was the timepiece by which others were set. Under the influence of the New England missionaries, it evolved into a tropical version of a New England town square. By the late 1800s, the area was the site of Hilo’s first sheriff’s office, courthouse, and other civic buildings. The area was dedicated as a park in 1877.
This project will repair and restore the 1930s stonework amphitheater and boundaries, and reinstall interpretive signage, aiming to restore the site’s original landscape and stature as a welcoming gathering place.
For further information about the project, please read HHF’s blog post: https://historichawaii.org/2021/07/15/kalakaua-park.
East Hawai‘i Cultural Center, 141 Kalākaua Street (c. 1932)
The former Hilo District Courthouse and Police Station, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places with periods of political and government significance between 1925-1949. It was designed by Frank F. Arakawa, deputy county engineer of Hawai‘i County and one of the first Nisei to graduate from Stanford University with a degree in civil engineering. For the past four decades the historic building has been transformed into the East Hawai‘i Cultural Center, a vibrant gathering place and showcase of the arts and culture.
This grant supported termite eradication, bee removal, repair of a leaky roof and broken step on the lanai, and installation of new signage. Beyond these physical improvements, EHCC reported the grant “proved to be a catalyst…we inspired other donors to contribute funds and were able to complete additional improvements.”
Pacific Building, 110 Kalākaua Street (c. 1922)
The main building, built of concrete, was originally the Pacific Hotel with the hotel desk and commercial businesses on the ground level and hotel rooms on the second floor. The warehouse and wing were added later. The Hilo Library was a tenant in 1924 and in 1929 a bakery moved in at the corner of Kalākaua and Keawe. Today, situated in the downtown Hilo Commercial District (CDH), a special mixed zone district, the commercial property is envisioned as a community gathering place with local businesses and residential dwellings upstairs, where people can meet, eat and shop.
Grant funding will repair and rehabilitate the façade of the building. The scope of work includes: termite eradication, repair/replace wooden louvered venters, repair/replace the exterior canopy, repair walls and siding, replace doors, and repaint the exterior.
Smallwood Building, 64 Mamo Street (c. 1946)
The two-story building, built in 1946, is one of the oldest buildings in the area that survived the devastating tsunami that struck Hilo Bay in 1960. The building provides space for local small businesses at street level and residential apartments on the second floor.
The grant will fund the replacement of the leaking roof, restoration of windows, installation of awning ceilings, and repainting of the building exterior.
Through a partnership with preservation funders, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation has established the grant program to support preservation and beautification projects in historic Downtown Hilo on Hawai‘i Island.
The Hilo Preservation Program provides grants for the preservation, rehabilitation, restoration and beautification of historically-significant buildings and structures located in the core downtown area of Hilo. The program supports historic preservation as a mechanism for building community, enhancing Hawaii’s sense of place, and support for improved societal relationships.
The overall goal is to support projects that improve the appearance and longevity of Hilo’s historic waterfront and downtown area.