Unless you visited Hawaii in the late 1920s or early 1930s, you’ve never really seen the Aloha Tower.
That is, you haven’t seen ALL the Aloha Tower. Not long after this symbol of Polynesian hospitality was erected, it was attached to, surrounded with, and partially obscured by a proliferation of grimy warehouses and other utilitarian dockside construction.
About a third of the 10-story tower was effectively cut off from view, including its graceful archway and pedestal. Moreover, looking up at it from ground level, it seemed as if an even greater section-almost two-thirds of the length-had disappeared, transforming its well-drafted proportions into a mere stump of its former self.
Today the Aloha Tower stands alone, restored to the original form seen at its unveiling in 1928. It was built in the Mediterranean-style architecture then in vogue, and still seen here in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The tower remained Hawaii’s tallest building until the 1950s, when high-rise hotels began to sprout in Waikiki.
Most of the prosaic structures blocking this part of the waterfront from the public have now been torn down, and Piers 7, 8, 9 and 10 have been turned into the Aloha Tower Marketplace. It’s an attractive two-story complex of restaurants, bars, retail and craft shops, entertainment venues, and various open-air activities. It rivals similar dockside renewal projects established in cities like Baltimore, Seattle, San Francisco, Miami, Sydney and others.
Meanwhile, local residents are taking pride in the fact that this particular beautification project did not take place in Waikiki, the center of the malihini (newcomer) hustle and bustle in Honolulu.
This spanking new facility is 3 miles away from the famous beach and other tourist haunts. Located in the area known as Downtown Honolulu, it appeals especially to the kamaainas (long-time residents). Nevertheless, malihinis (newcomers) are also coming in from the beach to see what all the fuss is about, some of them riding the rubber-tired Waikiki Trolley, which also conducts tours around the city.
Kamaainas are sentimental about the Downtown passenger piers, the scene of long-gone “boat days” in Honolulu. In the slower pace of prewar Hawaii, nearly everyone came and went by ship-kamaainas and malihinis alike. Youngsters were sent off to college and welcomed back at Piers 7-10. Families were separated and reunited at the dock. Tourists came with servants and steamer trunks and stayed for weeks or months at the Moana and the Royal Hawaiian hotels.
Then there was the romance factor, often engendered by the long, five-day voyages between Honolulu and San Francisco. There were tearful goodbyes to old friends and newly made acquaintances. And all arriving and departing passengers got at least one flower lei. All this to festival-like scenes including bands, hula dancing, colored streamers, and the ever-present aroma of tropical flowers.
Arriving passengers threw coins in the water and watched brown-skinned swimmers dive for them. Departing passengers often threw their leis into the harbor. If they drifted toward shore, it was a sign that they would return some day to the Land of Aloha.
Today Honolulu and the West Coast are separated by only five jumbo-jet hours. A few ships still come, but they are cruise ships full of strangers all of whom leave the same day they arrive.
Even the “white bottoms” home-ported in Honolulu, the Independence and the Constitution, are in town only for a few hours on Saturdays, bidding farewell to one load of passengers while they board a new group for their one-week voyage around the Hawaiian Islands.
Promoters of the colorful new Marketplace are trying their darndest to evoke the emotions of the past.
“It’s designed to recapture the excitement of Honolulu’s former boat days, and will be a lively gathering place,” said general manager Pat Dooley.
The trouble is they’ll have to recapture that boat day spirit pretty much without the boats. Short tours of the harbor aboard a refurbished old fireboat leave from the Marketplace several times daily. But no one dives for coins these days. Similarly, few cast their leis upon the waters.
The adjoining new passenger terminal at Pier 10 includes a 265-foot mural depicting a typical festive boat day in the 1930s. And near the pier, one area with a group of small kiosks has been dubbed the Boat Days Bazaar. The departure of the Independence and the Constitution at 9 p.m. Saturdays also provides a show for diners at nearby restaurants and others visiting the marketplace at that hour.
But whether or not Dooley and others succeed in luring crowds of big spenders in the long run remains to be seen. Commercial space is expensive, and merchants will have to continue to attract large crowds or charge higher prices in order to assure continued success.
Meanwhile, it costs nothing to walk around this attractive dock-side complex. As soon as some more revamping is done, you will be able to take an elevator to the observation deck at the top of the tower for free and see where harbor traffic is directed. Originally these were done with colorful signal flags, which still hang from masts on the roof, but today two-way radio usually does the job.
Within walking distance of the marketplace is the Hawaii Maritime Center, at Pier 5 and 6, a museum that features a four-masted vessel, the Falls of Clyde, built in 1878. The well-designed facility has had disappointing attendance since its opening in 1988 and has been looking to its new neighbor to give it a boost.
2 SHIPS GET HAWAIIAN LOOK
While the Aloha Tower and its surrounding Marketplace have been refurbished to recall the good old days, a somewhat similar reformation has been completed on one of the two cruise ships home ported at Honolulu. On Saturdays, the twin vessels tie up next to the Aloha Tower to end and begin their seven-day cruises around the islands.
The ships were built during the early 1950s, their blueprints providing for three-class travel on the cold and rough waters of the North Atlantic. This has proved impractical or difficult for one-class passengers traveling in balmy Pacific waters.
The S.S. Independence recently unveiled its new look, its innards redesigned to make the liner appear more “Hawaiian” than ever. This includes a seagoing cultural exhibition by Honolulu’s prestigious Bishop Museum. Cabins have been equipped with quilt-patterned bedspreads and bright tropical prints, which range from cheerful to garish. Many public areas have been redesigned with bulkheads removed to open up their windows and doors to create a more tropical “indoor-outdoor” environment. New cuts have been made through the decks to help passengers get around the ship more quickly and easily.
Changes even included repainting the smoke stacks, a color combination some Honolulu folks have criticized. Out is the familiar red-and-white pinwheel design the ships carried for more than a decade. In its place is a bright new purple and green “aloha shirt” pattern encircled by a hibiscus lei.
The Independence’s twin sister, the S.S. Constitution, is scheduled for a similar renovation in the spring of 1995. Meanwhile, both ships have inaugurated plans for more authentic Hawaiian activities both on board the ship and in redesigned shore excursions.
Fares for the one-week cruise to the Neighbor Islands range upward from around $1,000 per person. More information is available from American Hawaii Cruises: 800-765-7000.
