FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM The state will spend $12.6 million to redo the Kamamalu Building at 1010 Richards St., which has sat vacant for two years.

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Vacant state office
building to get
$12.6M renovation

The state will start remodeling the 48-year-old Kamamalu Building, which has been vacant for two years.

The eight-story downtown office building on Richards Street across from Iolani Palace housed the state Commerce and Consumer Affairs department before it moved to the renovated former federal building, now called the Kalakaua Building.

The renovation of the Kamamalu building is expect to cost about $12.6 million. The state has signed a contract with AM Partners for $1,276,000 for design and plans for the reconstruction.

The state purchased the building in 1968 for $2.5 million.

According to the city documents, the Kamamalu Building is assessed at $1,790,300 and the land is valued at $7,681,300.

The renovated building is expected to be completed by the end of next year, according to Russ Saito, state comptroller.

"Basically, they are going to gut the building, take out the asbestos, redo the air conditioning, redo the elevators and fix everything," Saito said.

Renovations are less expensive than either buying a new office building or rebuilding in the existing location, Saito said.

"The Legislature understood it was more economical to refurbish, even at $12.6 million, than to find someplace else," Saito said.

After the building is fixed it will be used for state offices now in privately leased space.

According to the Department of Accounting and General Services, the state will recover the cost of renovations in saved lease rents in seven years.

The total budget for leased office space across the state is $17.9 million.

Saito said he would talk to state department heads about moving into the Kamamalu building after it is fixed.

"Also the Department of Education needs more space Downtown. We know the departments that have fairly large requirements and we will meet with the departments individually," Saito said.

DCCA vacated the Kamamalu building, moving into the old federal building in 2003.