By the 1920s, wealthy Honolulu families had built weekend cottages on Kailua beach and the planned development of Lanikai homes began. There was little growth during the depression years that followed. (O’Brien)
Kailua Beach Park was established in 1920 when the Territory of Hawaii transferred 25 acres of State land to the City for a public beach park. Since that time, the City has been incrementally acquiring private property.
One such acquisition was through a land exchange with Doris Duke. Under an Exchange Deed, she transferred a shoreline parcel of 7,817 square feet in Kailua to the Territory of Hawai‘i to allow for the expansion of a municipal park.
In return, Duke obtained two submerged parcels totaling 0.608 acres for her Diamond Head Breakwater and outlying ocean area along the western end of the property and a smaller submerged parcel.
Duke then dynamited a small-boat harbor and a seventy-five-foot salt-water swimming pool into the rock. The breakwater and harbor were built to protect Duke’s fleet of yachts, including Kailani Lahilahi, an ocean-going, 58-foot motor yacht and Kimo, the 26-foot mahogany runabout that Duke sometimes used to commute into Honolulu. (Shangri La CDUA)
Zoning changes in 1937 made homes easier to build in Kailua. By the eve of World War II, there were 1,500 people living in Kailua, which was still mostly a recreation area for a weekend-only population. Homes were concentrated near the beach. Beyond the beach area, the region was dominated by Harold Castle’s Kaneohe Ranch.
The post-war years saw rapid changes as Hawaii’s economy and population both grew. Kailua’s population increased four-fold to 6,000 by 1948 as developers began building more homes in Kailua. By the early 50s, Kaneohe Ranch sold or leased its land in Kailua as it realized the profit potential.
Kailua’s population continued to grow through the 50s which, along with Kaneohe’s growth, mandated the construction of the new Pali Highway. Kailua’s population was 25,000 by 1960.
By the 1970s however, Kailua had seen almost all available land developed and growth slowed. The population was 36,000 by 1980. (O’Brien)
Land acquisition for Kailua Beach Park was finally completed in May 1991 when the City Parks acquired the last of 13 house lots on the Kailua side of Camp Kailua. )City Parks ended tent camping at Kailua Beach Park about 1970 to resolve complaints from neighbors and beach goers.) (C&C Parks and Recreation)
Nearby, “Lanikai is the name of the residential community situated in the headlands between Kailua Bay and Waimanalo Bay. Lanikai is not a proper Hawaiian word, but was devised by this community’s promoters.”
“The name probably was intended to mean ‘royal sea’ or perhaps ‘heavenly sea,’ which in proper Hawaiian, would have been Kailani, but the words were transposed and joined as they would be in English, rather than in Hawaiian.” (Clark)
There was a Kailani nearby; well … a Camp Kailani.
The Methodist Church built Camp Kailani in 1947, it had wooden huts and was used for church outings and camping. (C&C Design and Construction) “The Methodist mission bought the [2-acre] property on June 1, 1946.”
“Dr Alford Wall, Honolulu dentist, acquired fee simple title to the property many years ago. During World war II, the army instituted on the grounds the Welakahao Officers’ club. It removed the home and garage and erected in their place a pavilion, bathhouse, several buildings and cottages.” (SB, Jan 21, 1947)
With respect to use of the new camp, “Dr. Fry [Methodist Mission Superintendent] emphasized that no denominational lines will be drawn. Only stipulation is that Christian groups use it for their social and religious gatherings. Nominal rates will be charged for overnight and day guests.” (SB, Jan 21, 1947)
Later, “The purchase of the adjacent [1-acre] lot to the camp site brought abrupt changes in the activity of the Kailani Committee for 1963. Master planning is under complete re-study in light of the new property and the priority listing submitted to the Annual Meeting of 1963 will necessarily need revision as new factors in the plan are developed in the future.” (Methodist Journal, 1964)
In 1980, due to the high cost of maintenance and the increasingly urban setting, the Church reconsidered continued use of the Camp and offered to sell the property to the City.
In 1982, the terms negotiated for City acquisition of Camp Kailani allowed two more years of Church use during which time the Church could develop new cabin camping facilities in a more rural location. (However, such facilities were not developed.)
The City Parks Department took over management of Camp Kailani in 1984 and about 1985 informally renamed the property Camp Kailua.
The City Parks acquired Camp Kailua with the intent of removing most structures and expanding Kailua Beach Park. Public use of buildings for meetings, retreats, and cabin camping was allowed but intended to be only temporary.
In 1985, City Parks relocated senior citizen groups to Camp Kailua after the City Fire Department cited City Parks for allowing too many seniors to meet in a Kailua Field gymnasium meeting room. (C&C Parks and Recreation)
In late-1990, City Parks announced the impending demolition of the camp; they began dismantling it in early 1991. This created a storm of protest from area residents.
A March 1991 editorial in the Star-Bulletin called the Camp Kailua ‘a Windward Alamo’ and urged the city to reconsider demolishing it.
“The Kailua Neighborhood Board and state legislators Cynthia Thielen and Jackie Young all lined up behind the Save Camp Kailua group. Alerted by flyers and phone calls, 400 Kailuans showed up at a Parks and Rec-sponsored meeting to protest the demolition.”
But City Parks was firm; campers can go elsewhere. The department said “We could not see allowing 45 people [the camp’s capacity] in there taking up valuable beach frontage that everyone paid for. We can’t allow them to dominate that land.” (Honolulu Weekly) Eventually, the buildings were removed. (C&C Design and Construction)
