[ A WALKING TOUR ]

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Bishop building
is a gem of
Victorian-era design

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Much of Hawaii's political and economic history was created in the row of businesslike structures along the aptly named Merchant Street, and the fact that most of the structures still exist is tangible evidence of Honolulu's arrival as a modern, international metropolis.

The "Bishop Estate Building" actually held the offices of the Estate, the Charles Reed Bishop Trust and the executive rooms of the Bishop Museum when it was built in 1896.

The modest two-story structure is constructed of dark lava taken from Kamehameha Quarries on Estate lands, and features playful, decorative motifs such as the arched door and window openings on the ground level, and the four projecting pilasters of rough stones framing the upper windows and supporting the ornamental parapet disguising the roof line. The effect is Victorian and toy-Gothic. Despite the small size of the building, the variety of textures facing the street give it a fortress-like illusion -- it seems more substantial than it actually is.

The Bishop Estate Building is virtually unchanged since the day it was built, and its presence provides a vivid echo of bygone eras.

Bishop Estate Building

Opened:
1896

Architect:
Charles W. Dickey and Clinton Briggs Ripley

Style:
Richardsonian Romanesque

Address:
71 Merchant Street

National Register:
1973 (District #73000661)

Hawaii Register:
No

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BURL BURLINGAME / BBURLINGAME@STARBULELTIN.COM The four vertical pilasters projecting from the second floor of the Bishop Estate Building make the small office seem rough-hewn and massive.

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Quicktime VR Panorama
Click on pictures to view panaromas

BURL BURLINGAME / BBURLINGAME@STARBULLETIN.COM

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Every Sunday in the Star-Bulletin Travel section, rediscover the charms of old Hawaii through a tour created by the Honolulu Historic Trail Committee and Historic Hawai'i Foundation and supported by the city's Office of Economic Development. The yearlong project commemorates Honolulu's bicentennial.

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See Honolulu City Highlights

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Various Honolulu historical organizations have clamored for years to have some sort of survey created of downtown Honolulu's historical sites. The mayor's Office of Economic Development stepped in last year to create order, and 50 locations were chosen as representative of Honolulu's history.

There is, of course, far more history in Honolulu's streets than indicated here, but these sites give the high points and can be visited on a walking tour lasting about three hours.

To commemorate Honolulu's bicentennial, the Star-Bulletin kicks off "Holoholo Honolulu" today, a year-long project to examine these historic properties. For the next 50 Sundays in the Travel section, stories and photographs will illuminate these sites.

But that's just the tip of the architectural iceberg. Viewers can step right into these locations via the magic of QuickTime Virtual Reality, a computer process that allows visitors from around the world to feel as if they're standing right there on the street.

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WE'RE ALSO looking for old photographs of these sites to scan for public use. If you have anything, let us know:

Write to:
Holoholo
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
7-210 Waterfront Plaza
500 Ala Moana
Honolulu, HI 96813.

E-mail:
bburlingame@starbulletin.com