Aloha Tower

Aloha Tower
The Aloha Tower has been greeting vessels to port at Honolulu Harbor since September 11, 1926.
Aloha Tower is located in Honolulu
Aloha Tower
Location within Honolulu
Aloha Tower is located in Oahu
Aloha Tower
Location within Oahu
Aloha Tower is located in Hawaii
Aloha Tower
Location within Hawaii
LocationHonolulu, HI
Coordinates21°18′25.5″N 157°51′57.5″W / 21.307083°N 157.865972°W / 21.307083; -157.865972
Built1926
ArchitectArthur L. Reynolds
Architectural styleLate Gothic Revival, Art Deco
NRHP reference No.76000660
Added to NRHPMay 13, 1976
The tower in daylight (1959)

The Aloha Tower is a retired lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the state of Hawaii in the United States. Opened on September 11, 1926, at a cost of $160,000 ($2,805,206 in 2024), the tower is at Pier 9 of Honolulu Harbor. It is a guiding beacon welcoming vessels to the City and County of Honolulu. Just as the Statue of Liberty greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year to New York City, the Aloha Tower greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Honolulu. At 10 stories and 184 feet (56 m) of height topped with 40 feet (12 m) of flag mast, Aloha Tower was Hawaii's tallest structure for four decades. It was built in the Hawaiian Gothic architectural style.

History

Attack on Pearl Harbor

After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Coast Guardsmen from the USCGC Taney (WHEC-37) were ordered to take up defensive positions around Aloha Tower and protect it from occupation. The tower was painted in camouflage.

Redevelopment

In 1981, the Governor of Hawaii and the Hawaii State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism established the Aloha Tower Development Corporation. The public corporation was charged with developing the land around the tower to benefit the state's commercial trade industry based at Honolulu Harbor while giving Hawaii residents ample access to the downtown waterfront. The entire Aloha Tower Complex, as defined by the public corporation, was identified as Piers 5 and 6, Piers 8 through 23, and portions of Nimitz Highway and Iwilei.

Museum marketplace

In 1982, the Hawaii Maritime Center opened near the Aloha Tower in an old royal pier to present the history of Honolulu Harbor and the industries it served. In 2002, the Hawaii Maritime Center became an incorporated institution of the Bishop Museum. The center closed to the public on May 1, 2009, and was converted into a Hawaii Pacific University dormitory in 2015.

Docked at the royal pier was the Falls of Clyde, a historic shipping vessel. The Falls of Clyde was scuttled in 2025.

Recent developments

Highway tunnel proposal

In 2004, a controversial proposal was made to construct an underground highway tunnel beneath the complex.

Future Skyline service

Proposals involving introducing rail transit near the Aloha Tower have been discussed for years. Initially, this included the re-establishment of streetcars, but that changed to a light metro system once the Skyline Project was announced. The Kuloloia (Downtown) Skyline station will be built near the Aloha Tower. The station is under construction and is expected to open in 2031.

Proposed redevelopment of adjacent areas

As part of the adjacent Skyline Station's transit oriented development plan, the parking lot fronting the Aloha Tower and the adjacent decommissioned Hawaiian Electric power plant would be demolished for various mixed-use developments. The surrounding commercial offices would be converted into residential mixed-use condos. The first conversion, the Modea condo, is expected to be completed in 2025.

Hawaii Pacific University

In 2015, Hawaii Pacific University took over the former Aloha Tower Marketplace and converted it into an expansion of its campus, including 78 student housing units for 278 students.

Security concerns following September 11, 2001 attacks

In consideration of heightened security measures after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, public access to the observation deck was restricted, but it has since reopened.

Concerts

American hard rock band Skid Row performed in concert at Aloha Tower Stage on October 10, 1992.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Aloha Tower, Honolulu | 128700". Emporis. September 11, 1926. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  2. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  3. ↑ "History". Aloha Tower Marketplace. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  4. ↑ "The Story of Honolulu's Historic Aloha Tower". Air to Hawaii. February 11, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Foster, Jeanette (April 3, 2012). Frommer's Honolulu, Waikiki and Oahu. John Wiley & Sons. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-118-07465-7. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  6. ↑ "$160,000 in 1926 → 2024 | Inflation Calculator". www.in2013dollars.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Too bad about the Hawaii Maritime Center". Visit Hawaii. April 11, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  8. 1 2 "Hawaii Pacific University turns Aloha Tower into residential community". KHON2. June 11, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  9. ↑ Wu, Nina (January 1, 2024). "Falls of Clyde delisted from historic register". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Aloha Tower proposal reshaped". The Honolulu Advertiser. June 19, 2004. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Route Map". Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  12. ↑ "TOD Downtown TOD Neighborhood". www.honolulu.gov. February 13, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  13. ↑ Buan, Robert (March 5, 2024). "Modea redevelopment project set to offer more affordable housing in Downtown Honolulu". KITV Island News. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Hawaiian Electric to shut down Honolulu power plant in January". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.