Urban Fossil?

[Linkmeister]

Re: Urban Fossil?

The photo of the McCandless building in the S-B story Pzarq posted is captioned "Hawaii State Archives." Here's the website for the archives; I tried a quick search of the photograph collection, but either I didn't construct the search properly, photos aren't indexed online, or there's some other problem.

http://statearchives.lib.hawaii.edu/

[1stwahine]

Re: Urban Fossil?

Thanks for the pictures!

K-den. The diner was part of the MaCandless Building cause there was a small alley between the theater and the diner.

The Theater was located where the Parking Lot is now.

The building in question in my opinion ~ I Dunno!

I asked my MAMA. She said she can't remember dat far back. She makule already. She told me, "Wat! You no moa nuttin betta else foa do? Wash clothes!!!!"

Too Funny. Happy Aloha Friday Everybody!
I hope this get's solved by today cause going badda my pUpule mind!!!!

Auntie Lynn

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Urban Fossil?

Wasn't the Alexander and Baldwin building around there?

[Linkmeister]

Re: Urban Fossil?

Wasn't the Alexander and Baldwin building around there?

The A&B building's at 822 Bishop Street, makai of the building Pzarq's trying to figure out. If you watch the News Hour on PBS you'll see a lovely pic of it, since A&B partially underwrites the show.

[pzarquon]

Re: Urban Fossil?

So wot, Aunty, you give up?

I couldn't get much out of the state archives web search either, Link -- lots of results for "King," none for "Theater" or "Theatre." I guess I could try and visit the archives themselves on the grounds of 'Iolani Palace... haven't been there since Bev Keever's public records class a decade ago!

Wasn't the Alexander and Baldwin building around there?

Unless there was another Alexander and Baldwin Building, I don't think so. The Alexander and Baldwin Building I know is two blocks east and a block makai on Bishop Street.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Urban Fossil?

Oh well the only building I was ever fond of was the Alexander Young Building/Hotel. That was my stomping grounds as a child in the 60's. My dad was part of the building's maintenance crew and I would play inside it's marbled halls from morning to early evening while my dad worked.

The basement was incredable with many underground levels. But that's another thread.

[1stwahine]

Re: Urban Fossil?

So wot, Aunty, you give up?

Eh, no need shout. I give up.

I makule already. I brains ova work. I was busy posting Hawaiian Foods on da odda thread.

And I not going even start on his request foa cake noodles!

Auntie Lynn

[Linkmeister]

Re: Urban Fossil?

Oh well the only building I was ever fond of was the Alexander Young Building/Hotel. That was my stomping grounds as a child in the 60's. My dad was part of the building's maintenance crew and I would play inside it's marbled halls from morning to early evening while my dad worked.

The basement was incredable with many underground levels. But that's another thread.

The AY building was notable for me mostly because there was a great bar called Boyd's on the ground floor. Remember that torpedo that made the rounds of various watering holes and other locations for a while in the late 70s-early 80s? For a while it was stuck in the wall of Boyd's.

Bobby Acoba bartended there for a while.

The place ran half the length of the building, but it was only about 20 feet wide, and the bar took up half the width.

[1stwahine]

Re: Urban Fossil?

The AY building was notable for me mostly because there was a great bar called Boyd's on the ground floor. Remember that torpedo that made the rounds of various watering holes and other locations for a while in the late 70s-early 80s? For a while it was stuck in the wall of Boyd's.

Bobby Acoba bartended there for a while.

The place ran half the length of the building, but it was only about 20 feet wide, and the bar took up half the width.

Eh, You going wayyyyyy...back!

Do I know you?

hahahahahahaha

Auntie Lynn

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Urban Fossil?

I remember the Hob Knob Restaurant on the corner of Hotel and Bishop. As a matter of fact my dad still has some of the Oneida silverwear from that restaurant after it closed down and the owners left everything behind.

When they tore down the Makai wing to make way for the Pacific Trade Center, my dad recycled a lot of the marble and the cinder smoke stack. Our old house at 5123 Kiluaea Avenue has probably what is left of the Alexander Young Building. our front door was lined with the facade from one of the lounges, the kitchen table is made of solid marble from the fifth floor walls and the cinder walkways out in the back yard is from the cinder smokestack incinerato that stood in the back parking lot that is now the parking garage.

The patio door is from the Aloha Airlines office that was on the ground floor. And in the dining room my dad salvage the 3/4" thick grand piano shaped glass table that graced the lobby of AYB. At our marbled wetbar stands two plaster sconches that came from Boyd's along with the bar lights that graced the establishment. All the glass in the house came from AYB as well as th copper chandellier hanging inside the master bedroom.

Our house on Kilauea Avenue in Waialae Nui Valley is virtually what remains of the Alexander Young Building. I told the person who bought our home that this house has priceless artifacts from AYB and it should be treasured not demolished when that time is considered.

[pzarquon]

Re: Urban Fossil?

I guess I could try and visit the archives themselves on the grounds of 'Iolani Palace... haven't been there since Bev Keever's public records class a decade ago!

All right. Jason, lord of the archives, was quite helpful. He reminded me that photo archives are basically boxes of unsorted photos, and finding the specific corner I was looking for would take some time. So I opted for old tax map microfiche, and he quickly found one of the block in question from 1959.



I'm not sure if this will make the hunt easier or muddy the waters, but there you go. The McCandless Building is there. The large lot next door (which shows several owners of the years) must be the King Theater lot. After that, two narrow lots, one owned by the E.S. Cunha estate, and the other by Honolulu Gas. Co. A gas station, perhaps? Finally, several lots that make up today's Pioneer Plaza. And there's a lot of information jumbled and blurry in there.

I think the mystery building might have been what stood on lot B1 as indicated on the tax map, fronting S. King, between the Honolulu Gas Co. lot and a tiny square lot owned by the C. Brewer Estate at the very corner (a spot that I think is just sidewalk and a grassy planter today). But all the map tells me is that it was 2,542 square feet and owned by Cooke, Limited. Not what businesses were in there.

If it helps, Aunty Lynn, on the Fort Street side of the mystery building, the map shows some tenant names in lot B3 -- Trust Federal Savings & Loan, Inter Island Travel Service Ltd., and Hap Law (?).

And, here are a couple more shots of the mystery building, showing its location relative to Pioneer Plaza and to Macy's (formerly Liberty House).

[1stwahine]

Re: Urban Fossil?

Great work Pz!!!!

It struck a chord. I remember the large planter outside of the building fronting either the Trust Federal Savings & Loan or Inter Island Travel Service Ltd. The Hap Law Office must have been located upstairs. Gosh, it seems like yesterday.

Auntie Lynn

[Linkmeister]

Re: Urban Fossil?

The large lot next to the McCandless building shows a string of owners. The bottom one is Von Holt Co., Ltd. Front page of a Google search shows a link to Hawai'i stamps of various sorts; one of them is from Von Holt & Heuck (scroll 3/4 way down)

http://www.hawaiianstamps.com/hactwot.html

Nothing turns up doing a Google search for the term von holt & heuck, though.

Hmm. Looking further at that map, the next lot over says Cunha. Wasn't there a little narrow shopping arcade called Cunha Shops or Arcade or Galleries in that area way back when?

[pzarquon]

Re: Urban Fossil?

Hmm. Looking further at that map, the next lot over says Cunha. Wasn't there a little narrow shopping arcade called Cunha Shops or Arcade or Galleries in that area way back when?

You're absolutely right, Link. That alley is still there (the mauka entrance almost visible in this shot), still called Cunha's Alley, recently renovated to house many more restaurants and stores. It runs all the way through Pioneer Plaza, right about where, on the map, you see lots listed with "S. Cunha Est." at both Merchant and King street ends (though "R.E.R. Strauch" sits right in the middle).

So lot B1, attributed to "Cooke, Limited," is definitely the site of the red brick "fossil." I'm sure someone's going to remember what was there eventually.

[Palama Kid]

Re: Urban Fossil?

I've really been enjoying reading all this.

And since I sold the Star-Bulletin on Fort / Beretania (kitty-corner from the fire station) and also on King / Alakea (in front of Finance Factors), and delivered the Star-Bulletin and the Hawaii Times between Nuuanu Avenue and City Hall in the 1950s (of course, not all at the same time), you would think I would know, huh?

Well, sorry; my memory fails me. My recollections only go so far as to remember the King Theatre kitty-corner from Liberty House. IOW on the makai / Diamond Head side of Fort / King . . . not on the corner, but a few doors down from the corner. Bishop Trust used to be on the far end of this block. As for the other businesses on that block, I got nuttin.

FYI King Theatre is where I saw John Wayne in "Flying Tiger."

That's all, folks. I may be all kapakahi, but that's what I recall.