A pair of charming old buildings on Mission Lane intrigue Hilkka Easterwood of Honolulu. Called The Elizabeth Building and The Mews, they date at least to 1916; old enough, mused Easterwood, to possibly have historical significance. Much history behind
Mission Lane buildings
Charm isn't enough. Neither building is a registered historical structure, says Carol Ogata of the State Historic Preservation Division.
According to a paper provided by the Hawaiian Historical Society, the Elizabeth was built by three bachelor brothers named Walker, who named it after their mother. They lived on the top two floors and maintained a carriage shop on the street level. The older brick building next door served as their place of business, which included carriage and boat shops. "Mews" is a British slang term for stables.
The Elizabeth was probably designed by brother Charles Walker, who owned the Walker Boat and Machine Works just a few hundred feet away, where the Honolulu Municipal Building is today. It's made of poured-in-place cement and is quite stout.
The other two brothers were Frederick G.E. Walker, a photographer, and Henry Walker, who ran Walker's Rice Mill nearby (which is being renovated by The Gym). Charles Walker outlived his brothers, and when he died in the late '50s the building was deeded to the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society, who in turn sold it to John H. Magoon.
The Magoon estate still owns the buildings, who leased them for a time to Topgallant Publishing and currently to Poomaikelani Kawananakoa.
The buildings are used by Kawananakoa's Angel Inc., some sort of "theatrical supply" company, according to the people who work there. "She really put a lot into restoring the place," said Kawananakoa secretary Robin Holt. "The buildings are lovely, beautiful. They'll be this way for a long time."
Burl Burlingame, Star-Bulletin.
