CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
A carpenter bee visits a water lily bloom at the Apuakehau water pond in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center's Royal Grove. Cultural Director Manu Boyd noted the pond is named for the ancient tributary created by the Manoa and Palolo streams at Helemanu.
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Concrete jungle reborn
The 310,000 square-foot building once affectionately known as the "fortress" for its formidable concrete facade is undergoing a makeover and is showing signs of a lighter, brighter new presence.
Patches of green within the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center can now be seen from Kalakaua Avenue, as can the Royal Hawaiian Hotel -- which had been largely blocked since 1979, when the shopping center went up on six acres owned by Kamehameha Schools.
Royal Grove
Grand opening: Noon to 7:15 p.m. next Friday
Place: Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center
Admission: Free; parking validated with a purchase from the center
Also: The Kahikuonalani Arts Festival features work from local artists, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 17 and 18. Parking is $5 for eight hours, with validation from information booth.
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Cultural Director Manu Boyd says the center, called Helumoa in Hawaiian, took its style cue from buildings of distinction at that time. "That style of architecture was brutalistic," Manu said.
Indicative of the center's new look is a ethnobotanical garden, the Royal Grove, in an open common area between two buildings. The grove's official grand opening is next Friday, coinciding with the 171st birthday of King Kalakaua.
The center's cultural and educational roots have been given more prominence in this incarnation: The grove contains more than two dozen native Hawaiian plants, such as kalo (taro), 'uala (sweet potato) and 'ulu (breadfruit), with some replanted from other Kamehameha Schools properties. The 33,000-square-foot green space, with a pond at the makai end, also contains more than a dozen niu (coconut trees).
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
Caden Ingalls, 4, inspects the Apuakehau water pond at the makai end of The Royal Grove. Except for the water lilies, all plants are native Hawaiian flora.
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The center's redevelopment, due to be complete next spring, is in step with recent mall sprawl trends -- concrete portions, such as the four levels of drawbridgelike paths linking buildings, have been removed to open up the space, and common areas have been re-imagined as resting spots amid green landscaping.
Hula performances and musical acts will take place in the grove, with announcements made in both English and Hawaiian, Boyd said.
"We are an entertainment, dining and shopping center. We are not trying to disguise ourselves as an educational center. But cultural interpretation and a cultural presence can coexist within this Hawaiian center. ... There's been a disconnect."
The Royal Grove honors figures with a connection to the property, such as Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop; Helumoa is part of her estate. Next month a statue in her honor, designed by Kamehameha graduate Sean Kekamakupa'a Ka'onohiokalani Browne, will go up in the grove.
"We made an effort to connect with the specific culture of this particular property," said Boyd. "We wanted a thoughtful presentation."
CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM
An aerial shot of the Royal Grove shows how adjoining shops and restaurants will overlook the live entertainment area. New to the shopping center, in the background, is Satura Cakes, and to the right of it, the retail shop kate spade. The shopping center has remained open during the two-year renovation process; 110 retail stores and 10 anchor restaurants have inked leases.
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COURTESY ROYAL HAWAIIAN SHOPPING CENTER
An artist's rendering of the new Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.
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