Hawaii Chronicles III: World War Two in Hawaii from the Pages of Paradise of the Pacific

Territorial Plans for Administrative Center

Territorial Plans for Administrative Center A post-war planning division under the Department of Public Works of the Territory was created by Hawaii Defense Act, Rule No. 87. Members of this division, after much research and study, recently published a prospectus on various plans for expansion of the Territory’s administrative center, which will demand action by the forthcoming legislative session. The following article is a condensation of this prospectus, which was prepared for the consideration of Gov. Ingram M. Stainback, members of the Territorial legislature, the Post-war Planning Advisory Board, and all organizations and individuals of the Territory. Plan 1—Bishop Street Extension The area between Beretania St. and School St. from Nuuanu Ave. to Emma St. presents some exceedingly interesting possibilities for development of an Administrative Center. This plan envisages the extension of Bishop St. through to the proposed new Vineyard St. arterial, with the Capitol Building terminating this gently rising vista in the large area between Vineyard St. and School St. Bishop St. is without question the one street in downtown Honolulu of sufficient width for an adequate approach to an Administrative Center and is almost entirely unspoiled by unsightly, cheap, and otherwise inappropriate buildings. With the probable improvement and enlargement of the sea-borne passenger terminal to include the entire waterfront at the foot of Bishop St.,it is not hard to visualize the really impressive and startlingly beautiful vista that would be opened up to the incoming visitor to Hawaii. 227 First published January 1945. First impressions are lasting impressions, so we are told, and it is certain that in this case first impressions could not be anything but decidedly favorable. With the fifty feet or so of added elevation afforded by placing the Capitol Building in the location shown, with the broad expanse of a really beautiful downtown boulevard opening out before the eyes, flanked by public buildings of dignified architecture in a setting as truly Hawaiian as it is possible to achieve, the Administrative Center in this location would be distinctively our own, unique in its conception and execution in the United States and a source of great pride to the Territory for all time to come. The area available in this location is adequate for both present and all future needs of the Territory, and the City, County, and Federal governments . It is within a reasonable distance of the business district and the present Civic Center so that there would be no disruption of public activities during the process of transferal from one area to the other. As this transferal is accomplished, not this year nor next, but possibly within the next twenty-five to fifty years, any buildings that are not to be preserved for historic reasons in the present Civic Center thus vacated, and the property on which they stand, could be converted to other uses; quite probably they could be sold for private business , thus enabling the present business district to expand in the direction in which it has already shown a tendency to move, and returning to the Territory much of the cost of constructing the new Administrative Center. It removes from close proximity to the center of the city an area that is already well on the way to becoming blighted and replaces it with a highly developed, beautiful termination to the best appearing street in the city. It undoubtedly will stimulate improvement of adjacent areas that are beginning to show signs of deterioration and should encourage substantial development of these areas. The amount of land required for the initial work necessary to make this plan a reality is relatively large, and the expenditure of money is considerably larger than would be required for some other areas under consideration . But if an enlightened public opinion finally determines that this is the area in which the future Administrative Center of the Territory is to be built, it is not believed that the price is too high to pay to provide a development that will be to the lasting credit to the citizenry of Hawaii. Hawai‘i Chronicles 228 Plan 2—The Harbor Entrance Plan At the entrance to the Honolulu Harbor and directly outboard of Ft. Armstrong is a very large expanse of scarcely submerged tide land that extends in a general Waikiki direction all the way to Kewalo Basin. This entire area could be filled and could provide many acres of additional waterfront for...