[ A WALKING TOUR ]
Lavish doors, windows
were used at ornate
police stationIt's easy to think of Honolulu detective Charlie Chan using this ornate, rococo building as his headquarters because the building looks like a Warner Bros. set. But it wasn't built until 1931 and Earl Derr Biggers' Asian hero, based on real detective Chang Apana, made his first appearance six years earlier. An earlier police station, a two-story brick affair with cells in the basement, stood at the same site, which was purchased by King Kalakaua in 1885.
The new building cost the city $235,000 and was used by HPD until 1967, when they moved to the old Sears store.
A frothy concoction of stucco, red tile and zesty decoration make this building seem smaller than it is, but it is one of the largest structures in the area, occupying nearly an entire block, and it is three stories plus a basement.
Look at the attention lavished on door and window entrances -- the front door is more than 18 feet high and slathered with terra cotta scrolls, columns and Art Deco elements.
The second and third floors were devoted to judges' chambers -- how handy was it to have judges in the same building as the police? -- and the Ewa side features a swirling exterior staircase that zigzags up the side of the building.
The old police station features cast-concrete balconies, wrought-iron balconies, metal window grilles, perforated-concrete window grilles, with an interior featuring a coffered wooden ceiling and a ceramic tile wainscoting, plus vaguely Arabic arches and cornice-work.
The 11 tons of Roja Alacante marble within came from France, the doors are made of Philippines mahogany, and the sandstone for the walls came from Waianae.
During wartime, the Alien Property Custodian occupied first-floor offices, and watched out over the seized property house in Yokohama Specie Bank, across the street.
The District Courts stayed there for a while, then moved out in the early '80s while the city debated the building's future.
An architecturally compatible addition abutting Nuuanu was constructed in 1986, designed by Sutter and Associates, and the city's Real Property Assessment and Public Housing Offices moved in.
Honolulu Police Station
Opened: 1931 Architect: Louis Davis Style: Spanish Mission Revival Address: 842 Bethel St. at Merchant Street National Register: 1973 (District #73000661) Hawaii Register: No
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BURL BURLINGAME / BBURLINGAME@STARBULLETIN.COM
Architect Louis Davis designed the police station to look as if it were multi-tiered, like a wedding cake.
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Quicktime VR Panorama
Click on pictures to view panaromas
BURL BURLINGAME / BBURLINGAME@STARBULLETIN.COM
BURL BURLINGAME / BBURLINGAME@STARBULLETIN.COM
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
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.
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
