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August 17, 2026 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Order of Kamehameha I

An Order or Order of Merit is a visible honor (in many cases represented in some form of medal and/or ribbon) awarded by a monarch, government or organization to an individual. Most historic orders imply a membership in a group.

Modern Orders of Merit and other Decorations can be traced back to the monarchical and honorific orders of chivalry as established in the Middle Ages. These were societies, fellowships and colleges of knights created by European monarchs in imitation of the military orders of the Crusades.

Fast forward to 1863 and Hawaiʻi; with the death of his younger brother (Alexander Liholiho – Kamehameha IV,) Prince Lot Kapuāiwa became Kamehameha V. He sought a new constitution to restore more powers to the king. In 1864, when it appeared that a new constitution could not be agreed upon, he declared that the Constitution of 1852 be replaced by one he had written himself.

Consistent with the prior constitution, Article 35 of the Constitution of 1864 (identified as Article 37 in the prior Constitution of 1852) states, “All Titles of Honor, Orders, and other distinctions, emanate from the King.”

The King’s Decree noted he was “desirous to cultivate and develop among (his) subjects the feelings of Honour and loyalty to Our Dynasty and its institutions…”

It also expressed his “wish to confer honorary distinctions upon such of Our subjects and foreigners as have rendered, or may hereafter render, to Our dynasty and People important services …”

Privy Council meeting minutes state:
“His Majesty stated that it was his intention to make Known to the Privy Council that it is his desire to institute an order of merit. Having read the 35 article of the Constitution he asked the advice of the members of the P. C. as to the propriety of creating an order, and read a Decree which he had prepared. Members Varigny, Harris and Andrews spoke in favor of the Institution and the following resolution Passed unanimously.”

“Res 2. Resolved that this Council fully concurring in the views embodied in the preamble of a decree instituting an order of merit, respectfully advises His Majesty to promulgate the proposed decree.”

The King made himself an ex officio Grand Chancellor of the Order of Kamehameha I; he also conferred the Order to a number of people, including, Mataio Kekūanāoʻa and Richard Wyllie (Grand Cross;) CG Hopkins, GM Robertson and EH Allen (Commander;) and a number of Knights.

His Decree and subsequent Statutes and meeting notes of what appears to be an organizational meeting, held March 16, 1867, note that there were initially three classes and limits on the number of (living) members in each class: Knights Grand Cross (10-members,) Knights Commanders (30-members) and Knights Companions (Knight) (50-members.) (Admittance fees were $250, $140 and $75, respectively.)

Participants in the 1867 meeting included King Kamehameha V, Mataio Kekūanāoʻa, Elisha H Allen, E Varigny, CC Harris, John O Dominus, Paul Kanoa and HP Staley.

The class and membership limitations did not include the King’s right to make appointments to foreigners (Foreign Exchanges) or as complementary to foreign sovereigns or powers.

Prior to admittance, prospective members were required to state the following oath: “I do hereby solemnly swear to remain faithfull to the principles of honor, obedient to the rules of the Order of Kamehameha I and to be a true and faithfull Knight of the said order of which I am this day a member.”

Commissions issued to members of the Order were signed by the King and countersigned by the Chancellor of the Order.

In the duration of the issuance of Order medallions under the Hawaiian monarchs (1865-1886) the Order of Kamehameha was awarded 57-times by King Kamehameha V and 82-times by King Kalākaua.

The insignia, worn on the left breast, consists of a Maltese surmounted by the Hawaiian crown. Rays of gold or silver are found between the arms of the cross. Enameled in blue and white and centered on the cross is a circular shield, the center of which is inscribed and elaborate “K”.

On the periphery of the shield, in a blue band, is the inscription “Kamehameha I”, on the badge’s reverse, around the shield is inscribed “E Hookanaka” (To be a man.)

In 1893, after the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani, the Order operated as a secret society until 1903, when under Prince Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole it returned into the public light.

“Credit for the founding of this order, which dates from May, 1903, or a little more than ten years after the close of the monarchy and a little less than five years after annexation to the United States, belongs to Dr George H Huddy, who has served the territory faithfully and well as a representative in the legislature, first from Kauaʻi and then from Hawaiʻi … Prince Jonah Kūhio Kalanianaʻole, delegate to congress, was the first aliʻi ʻaimoku, or sovereign head of the revived order.” (Star-Bulletin; June 10, 1913)

In 1905, the Order of Kamehameha brought solemnity to the holiday (Kamehameha Day) by draping a lei on the statue of Kamehameha in front of Aliʻiolani Hale and standing watch throughout the day. (Stillman)

On July 16, 1907, Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, George H Huddy, Nagaran Fernandez, Carlos A Long, James H Boyd, George E Smithies, Charles H Rose and Abraham Fernandez petitioned for a Charter for the Hawaiʻi Chapter No. 1, Order of Kamehameha.

“… the object for which the same is organized is as follows, 1. To inculcate the cardinal principles of Friendship, Charity and Benevolence; to provide for Sick and Funeral Benefits; to aid the widows and orphans; and to improve the social and moral conditions of its members.” (Hawaii Chapter No. 1, Order of Kamehameha; Petition for Charter, July 16, 1907) (An announcement in the Hawaiian Star shortly after noted similar language for the Māmalahoa Chapter. No. 2 )

In 1912, members of the Order of Kamehameha invited representatives of other fraternal and civic organizations to participate in a commemorative ceremony to honor Kamehameha I; in 1914, the planning committee opted to organize a parade to process from ‘A’ala Park to ‘Iolani Palace as a prelude to the ceremony at the Kamehameha statue. Thus, the inception of the Kamehameha Day parade. (Stillman)

“The Order of Kamehameha ought to endure as long as social order and fraternal amenities prevail in these fair Islands. This organization has changed fitful and voluntary homage to the memory of Kamehameha the Great to bounden and regular service on each anniversary of his birth. That the foremost young men of the rare are attending to this patriotic office is one of the best omens of the time.”

“It shows that their ideals are those of unity courage and progress. As they decorate the statue of Kamehameha, this day of his, with the fragrant wreaths that have long been world-known as the regalia of the warmest human hospitality, let it be believed that they dedicate themselves anew to the social and political betterment of the still potent remnant of their wondrously Interesting race.” (Star-Bulletin; June 10, 1913)

A preface to on-line application for membership in Royal Order of Kamehameha I (Moku O Kona) states, “The Order interferes neither with religion nor politics, but has for its foundation the great basic principles of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man.”

“The Order strives to teach a man the duty he owes to God, his neighbor, and himself. It inculcates the practice of virtue, and makes an extensive use of symbolism in its teachings.” (It also notes, “The Order is not a benefit society.”)

© 2026 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance Tagged With: Kamehameha, Royal Order of Kamehameha, Hawaii

August 16, 2026 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Maunalei Sugar

In ancient times, the windward coast of the island of Lānai was home to many native residents. Maunalei Valley had the only perennial stream on the island and a system of loʻi kalo (taro pond field terraces) supplied taro to the surrounding community.

Sheltered coves, fronted by a barrier reef, provided the residents with access to important fisheries, and allowed for the development of loko iʻa (fishponds), in which various species of fish were cultivated, and available to native tenants, even when the ocean was too rough for the canoes to venture out to sea. (Lānai Culture and Heritage Center)

In 1861, Walter Murray Gibson came to Hawaiʻi after joining the Mormon Church the year before; he was to serve as a missionary and envoy of the Mormon Church to the peoples of the Pacific. He landed in Lānai and eventually created the title “Chief President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Islands of the Sea.” He more regularly went by the name Kipikona.

The experience with the Church was relatively short-lived; in 1864, he was excommunicated for selling priesthood offices, defrauding the Hawaiian members and misusing his ecclesiastical authority (in part, he was using church funds to buy land in his name.)

By the 1870s, Gibson focused his interests in ranching in the area called Koele, situated in a sheltered valley in the uplands of Kamoku Ahupuaʻa. As the ranch operation was developed, Koele was transformed from an area of traditional residency and sustainable agriculture to the ranch headquarters. (Lānai Culture and Heritage Center) In 1872, Gibson moved from Lānai to Lāhainā and then to Honolulu.

After Gibson’s death in 1888, the ranch was turned over to his daughter and son-in-law, Talula and Frederick Hayselden. As early as 1896, the Gibson-Hayselden interests on Lānai, which held nearly all the land on the island in fee-simple or leasehold title, began developing a scheme to plant and grow sugar on Lānai.

They chose the ancient fishing community of Keōmoku for the base of operations, and in early-1899, the Maunalei Sugar Company was formally incorporated. Gear, Lansing & Co was the largest stockholder (Gear was President, Lansing was Treasurer – W Stodart was the plantation manager)

“The plan is that a sugar company will be incorporated at once with a capital of $1,000,000 and that 1,000 acres will be put into cane without delay. There will be no “wildcat” business in the enterprise and all persons signing for shares will be obliged to put down 10 percent of the amount desired. It is the intention of the promoters to avoid gambling in Lanai stocks as much as possible.” (Gear & Lansing, The Independent, February 28, 1899)

They developed larger support communities along the coast, cleared the lands, developed a narrow gauge railroad between Keōmoku Village and Kahalepalaoa (where the boat landing was situated,) and planted sugar cane, irrigated by water from Maunalei Valley.

“At the landing a very substantial wharf has been built, and a railroad to the camp two miles distant is in operation with a rolling stock of a locomotive and nineteen cars. Including the laborers quarters we have at the plantation fifty buildings, and the new buildings in contemplation are the pumping plants and the mill, a very respectable town and a very busy one.” (Stodart in Evening Bulletin, October 13, 1899)

Work on the plantation was largely done by immigrant Japanese laborers. “We have 400 laborers … and will have 200 more in a few weeks. The first crop will be ready to grind in 1901 and I have no doubt the yield per acre will be entirely satisfactory. The land is proving all that was promised and I have no doubt of the substantial returns to the stockholders.” (Stodart in Evening Bulletin, October 13, 1899)

Both men and women were brought from Japan, and a finder’s fee of $27- $36 per male employee, and $23 – $30 per female employee was paid to the immigration companies. Laborers were typically paid around $0.70 to $0.75 per day, with expenses for merchandise and board deducted from pay at the end of the month.

All did not go as planned.

Before completing the construction of the mill and associated facilities, and prior to the first harvest being collected for processing, the Maunalei Sugar Company went bankrupt. Sugar is a thirsty crop and the necessary water resources for the plantation were never realized.

Additional hardships arose following an outbreak of the bubonic plague in Honolulu, which led to a devastating fire and the closure of many Chinatown businesses (many of whom had invested in the Lānai sugar operation.)

But those were not the major shareholders’ only financial concerns. A heading “Business Concern is in Difficulties” called attention to the financial problems of Gear, Lansing & Company; a sub-heading notes, “Failure of Maunalei Sugar Co. a Leading Factor in the Corporation’s Trouble Kaimukī and Other Large Real Estate Transactions”. (Honolulu Republican, June 19, 1901)

The story noted, “The corporation has, since its organization a few years ago, dealt heavily in real estate, besides participating largely in the boom of general stocks that two years ago strained the entire financial situation.”

“Gear, Lansing & Co.’s largest real estate deal was the exploitation of the Kaimukī residence tract. They laid out streets and installed a modern water works plant. A large proportion of the lots sold readily, but the hope deferred of rapid transit communication prevented a full measure of, success to the enterprise.”

Plantation records during the three year period of the plantation’s operation, some 70 employees (most of Japanese origin) died and were buried on Lānai. In 1932, members of the Lānai Hongwanji Mission built a memorial for Japanese employees of the sugar plantation near the grave sites.

Some other unfortunate consequences resulted from the Lānaʻi sugar endeavor. A part of the plantation’s work resulted in the introduction of the algarroba (kiawe) tree – the hardwood was to have been used as fuel for the furnaces, and the seeds as feed for the livestock. Left untended, the trees became an invasive pest on the island.

Following the sugar failure, Keōmoku was used as ranchland until 1954. The nearly 3,000 acres of cleared land led to significant erosion and siltation that spread from the uplands to the shore, burying sites and the reef under as much as nine feet of silt. (Lānai Culture and Heritage Center)

© 2026 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: Place Names, Economy Tagged With: Hawaii, Sugar, Lanai, Walter Murray Gibson, Keomoku, Maunalei

August 15, 2026 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kapalua

The traditional district (moku) of Kāʻanapali consisted of five major stream valleys (Honokōwai, Kahana, Honokahua, Honolua and Honokōhau), all of which were extensively terraced for wet taro (loʻi) in early historic and later times.

Honokahua Valley has been described as having wet taro (loʻi) lands, although not in great abundance; sweet potatoes were reportedly grown between Honokōhau and Kahakuloa Ahupuaʻa, presumably on lower kula lands.  The Kahana Ahupuaʻa was known as a place of salt gathering for the people of Lāhainā.

The Kāʻanapali District is noted for an alaloa (a path or trail) that reportedly encircled the entire island. Walker wrote: “The north end of Maui also is traversed by a paved trail. Sections of it can be seen from Honolua to Honokōhau to Kahakuloa. It is paved with beach rocks and has a width of four to six feet.”  (PBR)

There are six bays located on Maui’s west shore whose names begin with the word Hono. These bays and coves are collectively known as Hono a Piʻilani.  From South to North, six of the identified bays are Honokōwai (bay drawing fresh water), Honokeana (cave bay), Honokahua (sites bay,) Honolua (two bays), Honokōhau (bay drawing dew) and Hononana (animated bay).

Kapalua Resort is situated along this coast between Honokeana and Honolua.  (Kapalua loosely translates as “arms embracing the sea”.)

After seventeen years of service, Dr Dwight Baldwin was granted 2,675-acres, the lands of the Mahinahina and Kahana ahupuaʻa, for farming and grazing. From that base, new lands were acquired until the holdings, known as Honolua Ranch, reached 24,500 acres in 1902.

First starting as Honolua Ranch (1912,) then Baldwin Packers (1914,) this area was home to the largest producer of private label pineapple and pineapple juice in the nation.

After mergers and other name changes, in 1969, Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc (ML&P) was created; then, the largest employer on the island of Maui.

In 1974, ML&P carved out 1,650-acres of its nearly 22,000-acres to form a wholly-owned subsidiary, Kapalua Land Company.  That year, the master-planned community that makes up the Kapalua Resort (with five white sand beaches) was approved by Maui County.

In 1978, the Kapalua Bay Hotel opened, beginning the change of the former ranch and pineapple lands at Honokahua into a world-class destination resort complex.

In 1987, during the excavation and construction of the Ritz Carlton hotel within the Kapalua Resort, hundreds of native Hawaiian burials were discovered on the planned hotel site.

The scope of the burial site, combined with growing Native Hawaiian consciousness, mobilized protesters.  Native Hawaiians and supporters rallied at Honokahua, and in late-1988 at the state Capitol, finally halting the burial disturbance. The hotel was built farther inland.  (Honolulu Advertiser)

The Hui Alanui O Makena filed for a contested case hearing; eventually a plan was devised in September 1989 for the proper reburial of more than 900-native Hawaiian bodies disinterred.  (Aoude)

Associated with that, the state paid $6-million for a perpetual preservation easement and restoration of the burial site.  A 14-acre site is now a historical and cultural landmark.

In addition, as a result of this, Hawaiʻi’s burial treatment law, passed in 1990, gives unmarked burials, most of which are Native Hawaiian, the same protection as modern cemeteries.

In 1988, Kapalua began management programs, under a management agreement with The Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi, for the protection of the Pu‘u Kukui Preserve in the West Maui Mountains.  (Access to the Preserve is restricted by ML&P.)

Now, Kapalua includes The Ritz-Carlton, the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences at Kapalua Bay, the Kapalua Spa, eight residential subdivisions, two championship golf courses (The Bay and The Plantation,) ten-court tennis facilities, several restaurants, and over 800 condominiums, single-family homes and residential lots.  (In 2006, the Kapalua Bay Hotel was taken down.)

Kapalua serves as the home of two of Maui’s longest running signature events, the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival and the PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

The intent of the Kapalua Resort was to provide a luxurious resort atmosphere removed from the Lāhainā-Kāʻanapali area.  With that, it serves as an example of a low-key, low-density destination resort community.

A public coastal trail was incorporated into the Resort; eventually, the trail will be approximately 3.5-miles in length, running from Lower Honoapiʻilani Road through the Kapalua Resort to Honolua Bay.

Future components of the Kapalua Land Company in and around Kapalua Resort include Kapalua Mauka (640- residential units, commercial space and up to 27 holes of golf on a total of 800 acres;) the Village at Kapalua (a central commercial component;) and Pulelehua (a new traditional community for working families in West Maui.)

© 2026 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: Place Names, Economy, General Tagged With: Hawaii, Maui, Dwight Baldwin, Na Hono A Piilani, Maui Land and Pineapple, Kapalua, Hui Alanui O Makena, Honolua, Kaanapali, Honokahua

August 14, 2026 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Baptism of Kalanimōku

Three months after Kamehameha’s death, Captain Louis de Freycinet aboard the French ship Uranie, arrived at Kailua. After a stay of only four days, the vessel proceeded to Kawaihae, where Liholiho had gone to consecrate a heiau.

The day after their arrival, several chiefs came on board, among whom were Kalanimōku. Kalanimōku was a grandson of Kekaulike, the king of Maui – he was of the same rank as Kaʻahumanu, Kamehameha’s favorite wife, and Kuakini, the governor of Hawaiʻi (his first cousins.)

In his youth, he had fought in the army of Kiwalaʻo against Kamehameha, but afterwards served under Kamehameha, finally becoming his trusted advisor. And, although at the death of Kamehameha, his widowed wife Kaʻahumanu shared the government with Liholiho, Kalanimōku remained a powerful person. (Yzendoorn)

Kalanimōku had been Kamehameha’s prime minister and treasurer, the adviser on whom the king leaned most heavily. He was a man of great natural ability, both in purely governmental and in business matters. He was liked and respected by foreigners, who learned from experience that they could rely on his word. (Kuykendall)

In 1819, when Captain de Freycinet sailed in, Mde Rose de Saulces de Freycinet, the captain’s wife, described Kalanimōku as “going on board dressed in loin cloth and a European shirt, more dirty than clean.” (Del Piano)

“In a visit which Karaimoku had made the evening before on board of the “Uranie”, the costume of our chaplain attracted his attention; on being informed of the functions of this ecclesiastic …”

“… he told him that for a long time he had desired to be a Christian, and that he prayed him therefore to be pleased to baptize him; that his mother on her death-bed had received this sacrament, and had recommended him to submit himself to this ceremony as soon as he should find opportunity.” (Freycinet; The Friend)

“As the ceremony of his baptism took place on board, with considerable pomp (August 14, 1819,) I must give you some account of it. The King wished to be present, and was accompanied by the Queen (Kaahumanu.) Mr. Jeanneret was ordered to convey their Majesties and the rest of the Royal family on board, in the Captain’s own boat.”

“The King was saluted by eleven guns; his Majesty went below to see them fired. The altar had already been prepared. Mr. Pitt (Kalanimōku) had been above two hours on board;”

“(T)he Abbe de Quelen, our excellent chaplain, not being able to make himself understood by his audience, officiated with the utmost simplicity. Our commander was the godfather, while M Gabert, his secretary, represented the godmother”. (Arago; The Friend)

Chairs were offered to the Princesses, most of whom sat on the deck. The drawing by Arago of the baptism ceremony shows the gathering on the quarter deck.

The quarter deck had been decorated with flags from several countries, and some had been placed over the deck in order that the princesses might find themselves comfortably seated; Kaʻahumanu (and apparently Keōpūolani) was seated on chairs in front of the altar. (There is no apparent symbolism to the flags used or their placement.)

Following the baptism there was a celebration party, “It was truly wonderful to see with what rapidity the bottles of wine and brandy disappeared, so that I had reason to fear that his Majesty would render himself unable to go ashore.”

“Fortunately night was approaching, and Rihoriho expressed a desire to return; but before leaving I had to make him a present of two bottles of brandy, to drink to my health and prosperous voyage; the queen dowager also received some; and each of the assistants following their master’s example, believed himself obliged to ask for some also.” (Freycinet; The Friend)

The following year the American Protestant missionaries arrived, he showed them favor from the very beginning. On December 5, 1826, Kalanimōku with seven others, was admitted by the American missionaries to the full communion of the Christian church.

The American missionaries did not rebaptize him, as they regarded the baptism imparted by the French chaplain a valid one. However, Kalanimōku brought his son to be baptized.

Kalanimōku developed an immediate and sincere liking for the New Englanders. Throughout his life, they turned to him for assistance and their requests invariably met with positive results.

He helped them acquire land, build homes and establish schools; he worked to smooth relations between the missionaries and foreigners. (Del Piano)

Kalanimōku became an ardent student of the missionaries, expressing a strong interest in learning to read and write, as well as acquiring more knowledge of the Protestant religion. Both he and Kaʻahumanu attended the mission school regularly.

“We honored the king, but we loved the cultivated manhood of Kalanimōku. He was the only individual Hawaiian that appeared before us with a full civilized dress.” (Lucy Thurston)

“Kalanimōku was prime minister of the king, and the most powerful executive man in the nation. … Now the great warrior was among us, learning the English alphabet with the docility of a child.”

“He often turned to it, and as often his favorite teacher, Daniel Chamberlain, a son five years of age.” Six years after this Kalanimōku was called into the spirit land. He lived to receive and to love the ‘glad tidings of great joy.’” (Lucy Thurston) (Kalanimōku died February 7, 1827 at Kamakahonu, at Kailua-Kona.)

© 2026 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance Tagged With: Hawaii, Kalanimoku, Kamehameha, Baptism

August 13, 2026 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Ala Moana Center

In ancient times, the area was known as Kālia – an ʻili in the ahupuaʻa of Waikīkī – that runs from the present Halekūlani Hotel to Piʻikoi Street (generally, makai of Kalākaua Avenue.)  Pi‘inaio Stream was the dominant feature of this eastern area of Waikīkī.

The ten fishponds at Kālia were loko puʻuone (isolated shore fishponds formed by a barrier sand berm) with salt-water lens intrusion and fresh water entering from upland ʻauwai (canals.)

Kālia was once renowned for the fragrant limu līpoa, as well as several other varieties of seaweed such as manauea, wāwaeʻiole, ʻeleʻele, kala and some kohu.

At the turn of the 20th century, portions of this marshy wetland were determined to be “deleterious to the public health in consequence of being low, and at times covered or partly covered by water, or of being situated between high and low water mark, or of being improperly drained, or incapable by reasonable expenditure of effectual drainage”.

A portion of this was owned by the Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate who reportedly sold 50-acres of this “unproductive” “swamp land” for $25,000 to Walter F Dillingham in 1912.   At the time this was real money and people questioned his decision.

However, shortly thereafter, Dillingham used the site to dispose of excess coral and other fill that was generated from land reclamation projects from Kewalo to Waikīkī (including the dredging of the Ala Wai Canal.)

In 1948, Lowell Dillingham, Walter’s son, announced plans for a new shopping complex on the coral-covered parcel.  Nearly 10-years later, construction on Hawaiʻi’s first regional shopping center commenced.

(Lowell is also credited the formation of Dillingham Corporation, a merger of the Oahu Railway & Land Company and the Hawaiian Dredging and Construction Company, in 1961.)

Dillingham’s Don Graham was the force behind the design and development of the center.  It proved a success after its opening, and relocated retail away from downtown Honolulu.

On August 13, 1959, over a thousand people gathered near the Sears’ end for the grand opening of Ala Moana Center.  They say the first purchase in the center was made by Ben Dillingham and his wife, a tube of Colgate toothpaste at Sears

At the time of its opening, Ala Moana Center had 680,000-square feet of leasable area, with 87 stores on two levels and 4,000 parking spaces; and was considered the largest shopping mall in the world.  Original stores included anchors Sears and Shirokiya, plus locally-owned The Slipper House.

The center doubled in size in 1966 to 1,351,000-square feet of leasable area, with 155 stores and 7,800 parking spaces. New stores included anchor tenants JC Penney and Liberty House.

1987 saw the 2-year phase three renovation, relocation of certain tenants and creation of the Makai Market food court (the largest food court in Hawai‘i and one of the largest food courts in the nation.)

Changes continue at Ala Moana, with redevelopment of the former Sears site to accommodate Bloomingdales and other shops – this added another 340,000-SF of retail space and another 1,000-parking stalls. In 2017 Target took the former Nordstrom space.

Other phases of expansion and renovation occurred over the years so that today, with 2.4-million square feet of retail space, Ala Moana Center has over 350 stores, including 160 dining options, nearly 11,000 parking spaces and is the world’s largest open-air mall – with shopping for the basics to the elite brand name.

In March 2026, Saks Global, which filed for bankruptcy, said it was moving forward with its “strategic optimization” plan by closing three more Neiman Marcus outlets, including the Ala Moana anchor tenant. No closing date was announced. Nieman Marcus opened as an anchor tenant as p[art of the Ala Moana expansion in September 1998. (Star Adv)

Oh, about Dillingham’s questioned $25,000 land buy back in 1912 … the City and County of Honolulu 2026 assessed value (for just the land) is $553,880,200..

(Dillingham Corporation was sold to a private investment group in 1983 for $347-million; in 2003, with base facilities relocated to California, Dillingham Corporation filed for bankruptcy.)

© 2026 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: General, Economy, Prominent People Tagged With: Ala Wai Canal, Ala Moana Center, Kalia, Hawaii, Kamehameha Schools, Oahu, Kewalo, Dillingham, Ala Moana

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Hoʻokuleana LLC is a Planning and Consulting firm assisting property owners with Land Use Planning efforts, including Environmental Review, Entitlement Process, Permitting, Community Outreach, etc. We are uniquely positioned to assist you in a variety of needs.

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