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Urban Fossil?

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  • Urban Fossil?

    On the heels of Kalihiboy's question of what used to be where Waikele Premium Outlets now stand, I offer my own question, prompted by this visual currently standing at the corner of Fort Street and S. King Street in downtown Honolulu:



    A drab grey concrete cube attached to Pioneer Plaza and abutting S. King has been on the market for ages, and was recently gutted, presumably to finally make way for a new tenant. But as you see above, it looks like in the process, they've revealed the shell of an older, red brick building inside the east wall.

    I'm not sure if the red brick building -- which looks like it was three stories tall with a sloped roof, much like a lot of the older buildings on nearby Merchant Street -- ended up inside the shell of the newer concrete structure, or if we're just seeing the "shadow" of an older building that used to stand against what's now the wall of Pioneer Plaza. I'm thinking that it's the former, though, 'cause the floors of the red brick building line up with the current floors of the newer one.

    So, old-time Honolulu nostalgists... Does anyone remember what used to be there?

  • #2
    Re: Urban Fossil?

    Step 1: figure out when Pioneer Plaza was built.

    From this site: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=128821
    Floors (OG) 21
    Construction end 1978
    Last reconstruction *
    UFA *


    Building in General
    Type of construction high-rise building
    Main usages
    *
    Architectural style *
    Status completed

    Companies involved in this Building*
    architect: Architects Hawaii, Ltd.

    Other firms: Pacific Construction Company, Ltd. [Fletcher Pacific Construction Company], Englekirk Partners, Inc., Frederick H. Kohloss & Associates, Continental Mechanical of the Pacific.

    So an enterprising reporter might call Architects Hawai'i and ask what was there before they designed the new building.

    I got here in 1978, so I don't have any memory of what was there before then.
    http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/

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    • #3
      Re: Urban Fossil?

      I have been here since the summer of 1979 but I sort remember that the King Theater being around that area. I only been to that place once for the showing of Escape from New York.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Urban Fossil?

        That reminds you of Escape! Kurt Russell!
        That reminds me:
        I used to hang at a bar/restaurant in on 3rd st promenade S.M.
        Lagos.
        he and his wife Goldie Hawn would sit about three feet from me in a kinda private corner...

        Corner!
        that reminds me. We lived in a house on the corner of Aalapapa and Pokole Way lanikai in da 60's

        the 60's! that reminds me. We lived off kalaheo and then later, Hele St Keolu Hills before that!

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Urban Fossil?

          Originally posted by helen
          I have been here since the summer of 1979 but I sort remember that the King Theater being around that area. I only been to that place once for the showing of Escape from New York.
          Yeah, that sounds right. Across from Liberty House. I got here in March '78, so if the building was completed later that year I might have seen the theater before it was demolished/enclosed or whatever.

          I'm ignoring Kimo, who seems to be snarky tonight.
          http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/

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          • #6
            Re: Urban Fossil?

            Originally posted by Linkmeister
            I'm ignoring Kimo, who seems to be snarky tonight.
            What do you mean tonight?

            A pity, though. Of all things, some random Googling turned up this earlier thread right here at HawaiiThreads.com, discussing a lot of old places... many of them right around the spot pictured above. King Theater, the original Liberty Grill, Swanky's, a giant Japanese department store that Kimo even mentioned having footage of...

            Maybe 1stwahile will know. I do think it's interesting that there's a chance that the old building at that location wasn't torn down, but was actually "swallowed" and built over by the building that's there now.

            Where exactly was the King Theater? This historic write up of the early Hawaiian press notes that the King Theater actually sat where an old press building stood previously.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Urban Fossil?

              King Theater was directly across King St. from Liberty House. Had some fun times taking my daughter & her friends there when they were small kids.
              "Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be."
              – Sydney J. Harris

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Urban Fossil?

                From Pz's description of hi pic and location. If it's directly across Macy's then it's where King Theater used to stand. There was a building in the corning of Bethel and N. King. Adjacent was the King Theater Building which also housed a small diner in front.

                Auntie Lynn
                Be AKAMAI ~ KOKUA Hawai`i!
                Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Urban Fossil?

                  Well, Macy's spans the whole block along S. King between Bethel St. and Fort St. on the mauka side. On the makai side, from Bethel St. moving east, there's a small, old building right on the corner, a Bank of Hawaii parking garage, and then Pioneer Plaza -- which has the concrete cube annex pictured above. Basically, the mysterious building-in-a-building is at the corner of S. King and Fort St.

                  From 1stwahine's description, it sounds like this structure might be what housed the diner "in front of" King Theater. Was that diner building red brick and three stories tall, perhaps?

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                  • #10
                    Re: Urban Fossil?

                    Originally posted by pzarquon
                    Well, Macy's spans the whole block along S. King between Bethel St. and Fort St. on the mauka side. On the makai side, from Bethel St. moving east, there's a small, old building right on the corner, a Bank of Hawaii parking garage, and then Pioneer Plaza -- which has the concrete cube annex pictured above. Basically, the mysterious building-in-a-building is at the corner of S. King and Fort St.

                    From 1stwahine's description, it sounds like this structure might be what housed the diner "in front of" King Theater. Was that diner building red brick and three stories tall, perhaps?
                    Hmmmmm...the diner was located on the right side facing King Theater from King Street. The building was big. There was an Insurance Company located next to King Theater for many years where Pioneer Plaza is now.

                    This is bugging me. I'm going Downtown today and go look.

                    Auntie Lynn
                    Be AKAMAI ~ KOKUA Hawai`i!
                    Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Urban Fossil?

                      Beyond my suggestion to call the original builders/designers, you know who else might be interested? Bob Krauss.
                      http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Urban Fossil?

                        Originally posted by Linkmeister
                        Beyond my suggestion to call the original builders/designers, you know who else might be interested? Bob Krauss.
                        tHE original builders/designers is makidiedead by now.

                        Yeah, Bob Krauss is good idea.

                        Auntie Lynn
                        Be AKAMAI ~ KOKUA Hawai`i!
                        Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Urban Fossil?

                          Originally posted by 1stwahine
                          tHE original builders/designers is makidiedead by now.

                          Yeah, Bob Krauss is good idea.

                          Auntie Lynn
                          Auntie, see my first post above. I meant Architects Hawaii or Pacific Construction.
                          http://www.linkmeister.com/wordpress/

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Urban Fossil?

                            Originally posted by Linkmeister
                            Auntie, see my first post above. I meant Architects Hawaii or Pacific Construction.
                            Ooops. My Bad. I apologize Linkmeister. You da man!

                            Auntie Lynn
                            Be AKAMAI ~ KOKUA Hawai`i!
                            Philippians 4:13 --- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Urban Fossil?

                              Originally posted by Linkmeister
                              Beyond my suggestion to call the original builders/designers, you know who else might be interested? Bob Krauss.
                              Indeed. But it's fun to try and puzzle this odd "fossil" on our own, first!

                              For what it's worth, from what Aunty Lynn noted above, I don't think the mystery building I'm asking about is where the diner was, since I'm guessing the mystery building is actually to the left of where King Theater was, not to the right. Here's another shot of the mystery building, as taken from across the street looking southeast. No sign of the red brick core from this angle.



                              From her description of the diner being on the right of King Theater and on the corner, in fact, I'm wondering if the diner may have in fact been inside the McCandless building (at the corner of Bethel and S. King), which is still standing today. 925 Bethel, home of the Group 70 International architecture firm and other small businesses.

                              Here's a neat write-up on the McCandless building in the Star-Bulletin. Since it's been there since 1906, it was there when Aunty Lynn was wandering about, too. Did you know it was originally two stories, then four, then five? Looking at the building today, as the write-up notes, it's pretty obvious.

                              Anyway, the write-up also includes a photo of the McCandless building from the 1920s, and it shows a shorter building next door -- where the Bankoh parking structure now stands. Now, was that the King Theater? Because if not, and if the King Theater was indeed "across from Macy's," maybe the mystery building was the King Theater!

                              Here's a shot from about fifteen minutes ago, looking east down S. King at the makai side of S. King between Bethel and Fort streets.



                              Basically, there seems to be only three makai "lots" fronting S. King between Bethel and Fort. Today, as you go down S. King Street, those lots are occupied by the McCandless Building, Bankoh parking, and then the mystery building (attached to Pioneer Plaza). So the question is, what was that last property back in the day?

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