Hotel St. named for which hotel(s)?

[Linkmeister]

I don't know why this popped into my head, but it did. The Alexander Young Hotel was on Bishop Street, so that was probably not it.

Anybody have a guess?

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: Hotel St. named for which hotel(s)?

To quote Sara Palin - "all of them"?

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: Hotel St. named for which hotel(s)?

Before Keeaumoku Street.

[1stwahine]

Re: Hotel St. named for which hotel(s)?

heheheh...

Ok. Many, Many years ago, the buildings were mostly prostitute rooming houses. Majority --- the whole street. They used to wait foa the sailors or the sailors used to be in line and the matrons used to call them up when their chance came.

The Red Light Zone. From River Street to Nuuanu - Hotel Street.

Believe me or not.

Auntie Pupule

[Linkmeister]

Re: Hotel St. named for which hotel(s)?

That sounds halfway reasonable, Auntie. I'm sure some amateur historian will come along and tell us the facts for sure.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Hotel St. named for which hotel(s)?

I don't know why this popped into my head, but it did. The Alexander Young Hotel was on Bishop Street, so that was probably not it.

Anybody have a guess?

The Alexander Young Hotel took the entire block of Hotel, Bishop, King and Alakea.

[Kimo]

Re: Hotel St. named for which hotel(s)?

If memory serves (sometimes it doesn't) I recall that the current Hawaii State Art Museum, formerly the Hemmetter Building (also known as No. 1 Capitol District, formerly the Armed Services YMCA - was once a hotel, and (stretching here) I believe it was called the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

Just checked google - turns out the memory's not so bad:

1872 Hawai‘i's first hotel, the Hawaiian Hotel opens on this site. A popular social setting for guests of royalty and visitors to O‘ahu, it is later known as the Royal or Old Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

1917 The hotel becomes the Army and Navy YMCA. It houses almost 25,000 young men stationed here during World War 1.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Hotel St. named for which hotel(s)?

I don't know why this popped into my head, but it did. The Alexander Young Hotel was on Bishop Street, so that was probably not it.

Actually, one side of Alexander Young was fronted by Hotel Street. However, Hotel St. already had its name before A.Y. was built in 1903. I don't know exactly when Hotel St. was named, but I know that there are references to it that goes back to the 1800s.

1872 Hawai‘i's first hotel, the Hawaiian Hotel opens on this site. A popular social setting for guests of royalty and visitors to O‘ahu, it is later known as the Royal or Old Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

The dating on the Old Royal Hawaiian Hotel is correct, but I don't think it was the first hotel on the island. The Hawaiian Annual of 1910 (archived on Google Books) makes reference to Warren Hotel, which was established sometime in the early 1800s. And yes, it was built next to what would eventually be known as Hotel St. As the property changed ownership over the years, it was subsequently re-named Canton Hotel, and still later, Eureka Hotel.

http://books.google.com/books?id=R-s...hawaii&f=false

Could this Warren Hotel, in fact, be the reason for the naming of Hotel Street? I think it could be.

One other thing to note. The Hawaii State Art Musuem bldg. on the corner of Richards and Hotel is NOT the original Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The old hotel was a wooden building that was demolished in 1926.

The Alexander Young Hotel took the entire block of Hotel, Bishop, King and Alakea.

A.Y. did not take up that whole block. Not quite.

Before A.Y. was demolished in 1981, it shared the block with what was originally known as Pacific Tower (now known as American Savings Bank Tower), with the highrise standing on the corner of King and Alakea, while the parking garage occupied the corner of Alakea and Hotel.

After A.Y. was razed, its footprint was taken up by Pauahi Tower and Tamarind Park.

[Kimo]

Re: Hotel St. named for which hotel(s)?

Thanks, FM, for the clarification on the original wooden Royal Hawaiian Hotel building . . . I did notice that when I went back to read more. Also interesting add-ons about the other hotels.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: Hotel St. named for which hotel(s)?

As to what was the very first hotel in Hawaii, the definite answer may never be known. But here's a couple of interesting essays from the Hawaiian Historical Society website on some early hotels that have been documented.

http://www.hawaiianhistory.org/moments/restaurt.html

“Eating out” in early Honolulu mostly meant a meal at a grog shop, tavern, or boarding house. In 1811, for example, Francisco de Paula Marin, who lived in a stone house near the foot of Maunakea Street, used this building both as his residence and as a boarding house and hotel, where foreign merchant captains often took their meals.

Before 1820, Joseph Navarro’s Hotel, at Merchant and Nu‘uanu, offered food as well as drink, although mostly the latter.

Major William R. Warren outdid all his rivals in fame as a restaurateur. He entered the hotel business in 1817 and offered a July 4th dinner the following year. One prominent citizen reported having dined there on turkey on December 31, 1826. Major Warren’s Hotel was located on Hotel Street between Fort and Nu‘uanu.

http://www.hawaiianhistory.org/moments/frsthotl.html

In 1837, a prominently displayed ad in the Sandwich Island Gazette newspaper of July 1st, extended an invitation to visit the new “HOTEL AT WAITITI”—as “Waikiki” was then sometimes called. The exact location of this first hotel was not given, nor do we know much about its proprietor beyond his name, John Mitchener.

[68-eldo]

Re: Hotel St. named for which hotel(s)?

Place Names of Hawaii simply says Hotel St. was named in 1850.