Talk Story
TUESDAY'S Talk Story generated a flurry of responses. It proposed that, if the state was hell bent on a building binge to boost the economy, wouldn't it be great if we built something inspiring that could become the visual signature for Honolulu? Edifice endorsement
and enmityWhat I had in mind was a structure like the Sydney Opera House, the St. Louis Gateway Arch or even the Eiffel Tower, which inspired its builder to boast, "The French flag is the only one with a 300-meter pole."
"Sorry but I cannot agree with you," came the first reply before the ink was dry on the column. "Hawaii doesn't need more concrete (an edifice). When tourists think of Hawaii, they think of beaches and volcanoes. And that's as it should be."
Unfortunately, Hawaii isn't the only tropical paradise. So are Acapulco, Bermuda, the Virgin Islands, the Great Barrier Reef and Florida. Our image of surf-and-sun is blurred.
Another reader scolded: "Who needs a signature building when you have Diamond Head to look at? That is the image everybody associates Hawaii with. There is nothing like being on the beach ... and seeing the skyline crowned with Diamond Head."
There's no question that Diamond Head is the default icon for Hawaii and it's certainly a draw -- in 1997 the estimate was that a million visitors trekked to the top each year. Surprisingly, despite a recent $240,000 renovation of the viewing areas at the 760-foot summit, visitors are still advised to bring a flashlight to find their way. How many of us travel with flashlights?
Other readers thought my proposal had merit. "You are a man after my own heart," wrote one. "Not too long ago a friend remarked that Hawaii is still in the 1950s. The society here is a temporary one, always has been. Build it of wood; after all, the termites will eat it. Build it on sand, because it is easier than blasting this damned lava. Cut down the trees, who needs a rainforest?
"You probably have more vision than the Legislature. You want to build. They want to go to Vegas. The Legislature's idea of a monument is Blaisdell."
I blush. In fact, I cringe.
Another was cynical: "Loved your column. However, you seem to have missed a number of things that qualify as 'signature edifice.'" He ticked off other local building projects: Aloha Stadium (a "very expensive rust bucket which has a primary purpose of hosting a flea market three days a week"), Aloha Tower Marketplace, the UH softball diamond and the Ewa Plantation.
"And last, and certainly not least, we have that granddaddy of the edifice world. The Convention or should we say the Non-Convention Center. It sits. Perhaps we could put a flea market in there?
"We seem to be up to our okoles in dis- or non-functioning signature edifices here on Oahu. Perhaps instead of building yet another, we should get Roberts to design a special tour around the buildings mentioned above?"
Creating a signature structure isn't an either-or proposition. Either a new University of Hawaii-Kapolei campus or a medical school at Kakaako could include a landmark building. What's needed is the will to think big and not compromise on the design and execution.
After all, the World Trade Center -- the landmark building that spawned this idea -- was basically just an office building.
John Flanagan is the Star-Bulletin's contributing editor.
He can be reached at: jflanagan@starbulletin.com.