Historic Honolulu

Aloha Tower

  I had a guest on one of my tours the other day ask me if there were any photogenic buildings in Honolulu. I actually had to think about it a little. So I decided to do a bit of exploring around town and these are a couple examples of what I found.
  The aloha tower has been standing watch over Honolulu's busy piers since 1926. It is kind of like our Statue of Liberty. It was the tallest building in Hawaii for four decades and has greeted hundreds of thousands of visitors to the islands as they first stepped foot onto Hawaiian soil. Now it houses two restaurants and is being remodeled as dorms for Hawaii Pacific University.

St. Andrew's Cathedral

   St. Andrews Church/Cathedral is a beautiful old church built in the Anglican tradition at the behest of then King Kamehameha IV and his wife Queen Emma. It is one of only four cathedrals in the Hawaiian Islands.

Downtown Honolulu

    Downtown Honolulu is currently evolving from a seedy night out for sailors to a boutique restaurant and culture area. Fine food, shopping, and historic buildings mix with sky scrapers and a flourishing China town. One of those historic buildings is the Hawaii Theater. This interesting building opened in 1922 as was boasted to be on par with fine theaters in San Fransisco and beyond. It slowly feel into disuse and disrepair during the 70's and 80's until finally closing in 1984. However the theater reopened in 1996 after concerned citizens banded together to raise money for the restoration effort. Now it is again a popular venue for stage shows and concerts. 

Hawaii Theater