X MARKS THE SPOT
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Dole Cannery was converted to retail and office space with a historic theme.
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Complex preserves cannery’s story
Finding the Dole Cannery used to be simple. Look for the giant pineapple water tower, and the cannery was underneath. Designed and erected in 1927, it was one of the tallest structures on Oahu, held 100,000 gallons of water and weighed 30 tons. In the shadow of the great pineapple, generations of Honolulans were introduced to assembly-line labor during summer vacations.
But in 1991, Dole disassociated itself from its food line, and subsidiary Castle & Cooke took over the cannery. Despite a preservation award by the Historic Hawai'i Foundation to pay for its long-term care -- rust never sleeps! -- Dole's pineapple tower went to the Final Harvest in 1993. The spiky top was saved, and the tower's shadow was painted on a wall.
STAR-BULLETIN / 1968
The Dole Pineapple water tank, erected in 1927 at the Dole Cannery in Iwilei, got a new coat of green and yellow paint in 1968. The landmark tower was torn down 25 year later. All that remains is a shadow of the tower painted on a wall.
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The cannery itself at 650 Iwilei Road was converted into a retail and office complex. Exhibits and memorabilia scattered throughout the walkways help preserve the Dole story.
In case you're wondering, James Dole, "The Pineapple King," was indeed related to Hawaiian Republic president Sanford Dole, being his Massachusetts-born cousin.
As a student, James began saving his money, and when he had $16,240, he moved to Hawaii and created a financial empire and one of the greatest agricultural businesses in the world.
He is buried on Maui, overlooking the Dole-owned island of Lanai, which, for a time, produced virtually all of the world's commercial pineapple crop.
"X Marks the Spot" is a weekly feature documenting historic monuments and sites around Oahu. Send suggestions to
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