[ A WALKING TOUR ]
Central Fire Station
is ‘moderne’ style
During a 10-year building spree from 1924 to 1934, most of the half-dozen "old" firehouses of Honolulu were erected, each with slightly different styles. This wasn't easy, as each building is essentially identical to the others -- two-story, masonry structures with soaring towers for drying cotton-sheathed firehoses. Equipment is kept on the bottom floor -- with rollaway doors so that firetrucks can leap out of the garages -- and the second floor devoted to a dormitory for active-duty firefighters.
Most of the fire stations are rendered in Spanish Mission style, since that was the overriding design ethic of Hawaii public buildings in the '20s. The Central Fire Station, however, was designed by architect Charles Dickey and engineer John Young in the "moderne" style, with geometric Art Deco details and materials.
Central replaced a traditional bluestone Romanesque Revival fire station that quickly became outmoded, even when it was built in 1897. Since then, Central has served as the headquarters of the Honolulu Fire Department, and additions to Central since it was built in 1934 have all been about adding office space.
The building is a big box, gift-wrapped with decorative belts, lines of louvers and sleek, aluminum Art Deco garage doors -- a story and a half tall -- created by the California Artistic Metal and Wire Company of San Francisco. The building is five bays wide; the three garage bays occupy the middle spaces. The end bays contain windows of heavy, tinted plate glass.
The hose tower rises from the rear of the structure, and isn't as exaggerated as hose towers in other fire stations of the period. The Ewa end of the building, like the old police station on Merchant Street, contains a balcony with decorations, so City workers can watch the sunset and have a smoke break.
Central Fire Station
Opened: 1934 Architect: Charles W. Dickey Style: Hawaiian Regional/Art Deco Address: 104 S. Beretania St. National Register: 1980 #80001273 Hawaii Register: 1980
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BURL BURLINGAME / BBURLINGAME@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Central Fire Station designed by Charles W. Dickey made a break from the Spanish Mission style so prevalent in its day.
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Quicktime VR Panorama
Click on pictures to view panaromas
BURL BURLINGAME / BBURLINGAME@STARBULLETIN.COM
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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
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.
