HISTORY
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The historic Hickam Air Force Base watertower peeks from between the trees in the base's Historic District.
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Salute to the past
Hickam's Historic District is filled with homes built in the 1930s and '40s that will be renovated
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On a weekday afternoon, little activity is visible on Signer Boulevard, a tree-lined street where only the occasional jogger ambles by or a maintenance crew worker blasts monkeypod droppings from the sidewalk with a leaf blower.
There's little sign that the quiet roads running throughout Hickam Air Force Base's Historic District will soon be abuzz with the activity of workers who will make their way across the community, renovating homes that date to the 1930s and '40s.
The district is part of one of the largest military housing renovation projects in the nation, and might be considered the crown jewel of housing on base.
Designed by Capt. Howard B. Nurse, neighborhoods in the French-influenced Historic District were laid out in "garden city" fashion along 243 acres between 1937 and 1941. Side streets of single-level and split-level homes fan out in spokelike fashion from avenues such as Signer, one of the major roadways bisecting the community. Nurse also designed the former Hamilton Air Force Base, in Novato, Calif.
"Smaller 'garden city' designs can be found elsewhere (on U.S. military bases)," said Julianne Polanco, director of cultural resources for Actus Lend Lease, the company overseeing the project. "West Point has one area ... but there's nothing of this size elsewhere. It's the largest contiguous neighborhood in size and design."
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Homes in the community are being renovated to restore the look and feel of the era in which they were built -- the late 1930s and early '40s.
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Twenty-four homes in the Historic District, each with a different floor plan, will be restored to their original appearance to serve as models -- with allowances made for dishwashers, garbage disposals and other modern amenities. These select homes are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and are up for consideration for the Hawaii Register of Historic Places.
"They are fully functioning homes," said David Falls, project director. "They will be restored as much as possible to their original condition while being made more livable."
Renovation of more than 400 other homes in the Historic District will follow, although not to the same level of historic accuracy.
Actus Lend Lease will not only repair or replace homes, but will also maintain and manage the homes afterward. Actus will essentially serve as landlord until its contract expires in 2055. The company has a similar 50-year contract with Army Hawaii Family Housing.
Other communities set for renovation include Hickam's Onizuka Village, built in the 1970s, as well as a handful of '90s-era homes at Bellows Air Force Station in Waimanalo. Work on the three areas will be completed by 2013. Work on the Hickam communities of Earhart Village and Hale Na Koa began in 2005 and will wrap up by January 2010.
JACQUELYN CARBERRY
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Walking through the neighborhoods of Hickam Air Force Base's Historic District is like taking a step back in time.
Signs of the community's 1930s and '40s design heritage are present: Outside are tile roofs, stucco walls and original wooden latticework covering heavy wooden doors. Inside are patterned ceramic bathroom floor tiles, stained concrete floor finishes and Corinthian-style metal railings, to name a few details.
"It's an extra-special area," said David Falls, project director for Actus Lend Lease.
Renovation of the historic homes is a six-year project for Falls' company, following Hickam Community Housing's directive that the work blend in with the original designs wherever possible.
Julianne Polanco, director of cultural resources for the project, understands the appeal of older homes.
"I'm often asked why would anyone want to live in a restored home when there are brand-new homes available," she said. "People spend their entire lives wanting to live on a particular street or in a particular neighborhood, and this is living in a piece of history. It's part of a lifestyle. It is extremely attractive, especially to people who defend our country, to be given an opportunity to live in a piece of history."
Worth noting is that the community's layout included residences for both junior enlisted and senior-ranking officers from the beginning, said Polanco. "It's an integrated neighborhood," she said. "It raises the bar on society with majors living on one side of the street and juniors on the other."
The homes comprise 33 floor plans, from duplexes to single-family homes, with the most common being "type 6" duplexes for junior enlisted and three-bedroom single-family homes.
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Tree-lined streets in Hickam Air Force Base's Historic District add to its restful sense of community.
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DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The homes will undergo a six-year renovation project beginning in a couple of months. The trees will not be touched.
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For its age the district is "incredibly intact," said Bryan Flower, Actus' historic preservation specialist. "It really has not changed much, and is still being used as housing."
For the first time since the homes were constructed, they are under the care of a private entity, Actus Lend Lease, which is contracted to renovate and maintain 2,474 homes on Air Force properties. The Historic District alone will account for $140 million in construction contracts.
Virtually all U.S. military bases have entered into privatization since 1996, Falls said. Previously, the federal government operated and maintained base housing, with conditions varying throughout the country, he said.
The art deco-influenced Historic District is home to an estimated 1,800 people. Most will remain in their homes during renovation.
Many of the homes will be expanded, with bedrooms added to smaller homes, and the "type 6" duplexes gutted and converted to single-family residences. Once the project is completed in 2013, 439 residences will be left, down from the current 623.
"It's very quaint but small," Actus spokesman Ryan Mielke said of the current homes. "We will be maintaining the look and feel."
Most of the work will be on interiors. The first 24 homes being renovated -- meant to be models for the neighborhood -- will be restored as closely as possible to their original forms, including authentic materials. The search for these historic materials presents an additional challenge: Some will be salvaged from neighboring homes.
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Among challenges of restoring the homes is matching such period details as the original tile work in the bathrooms.
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DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Project manager David Falls stands between the screen door and entry doors of one of the historic homes. Many of the homes have the U.S. flag hanging out front.
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The 24 model homes were chosen to represent an array of floor plans but also based on their condition and the amount of original historic material they contained, said Falls.
In instances where authentic materials such as light fixtures and faucets are not available, replacement items similar to the originals will be used, he added.
Other work in the Historic District includes new electrical wiring and air conditioners and the removal of various additions installed over the decades, such as screened lanais. Similarly the old Tradewinds Enlisted Club, one of the few nonresidential buildings located within the district, will be getting a "make-under." Incongruent additions will be removed from the community center, and the building will be returned to the look of the previous era.
"These are solidly built homes that are useful and attractive and have historical significance," said Falls. "Historical places add a whole new level of satisfaction (to the project and in) preserving the legacy. It's a window into the past."
DOCUMENT COURTESY OF THE
15TH AIRLIFT WING HISTORIAN OFFICE
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