Friday, June 29, 2012

Kiersten Faulkner, Executive Director of Historic Hawai'i Foundation, Interviewed in Today's Star Advertiser

The Executive Director of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation is Eager to Protect and Celebrate Hawaii’s Historic Places                     
By Mark Coleman              
Honolulu Star Advertiser                         
Friday, June 29, 2012

Kiersten Faulkner has been a force in historic preservation efforts in Hawaii since January 2006, after she moved here from Denver to become the executive director of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving Hawaii’s historic places.

Based in the Dole Cannery building in Iwilei with a staff of four full-time and three part-time employees, the group has an annual budget of about $500,000 that is derived wholly from private grants and donations, not counting a couple of contracts it has with the state to work on preservation planning and training.
Originally from Colorado, Faulkner became interested in historic preservation partly because of her interest in water issues; while at Tufts University in Boston, she earned a master’s degree in urban and environmental policy and wrote a thesis called “Balancing Act: Resolving Water Demands in the Upper Colorado River Basin.”

“I started out with this interest in how to recognize and preserve wild areas, natural areas,” said Faulkner, 43, “and related to that, of course, is where do people live, and what is the experience of cities and towns and human places, because those two pieces of the world are so amazingly tied. And, really, to get liveable cities with a high quality of life, the best ones have a tie to their history.”

Before attending Tufts, Faulkner served 21⁄2 years in the Peace Corps in Thailand, where she taught English as a second language and worked on environmental, economic and health issues as well. Her interest in other cultures was fueled by her time at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, where she earned a bachelor’s in English, in 1991. “It has about 2,500 students and, at least when I was there, about 150 different countries and over 200 languages were represented. So it was this amazing melting pot.”

Faulkner was lured to Hawaii back then by a Colorado friend who had visited and told her “this was the most wonderful place on Earth and you should come here.” 
“So I did,” she said.

After Tufts, Faulkner returned to Colorado and worked in the City and County of Denver’s planning department, for almost seven years. Then she heard about the opening at the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation.
“I still had some ties here, and some family members had moved here as well,” she said. So she applied for the job, but it took awhile for her to be accepted because she was from the mainland and foundation officials wanted to make sure they were making a good investment by hiring her. “We were both very cautious,” she said, “but it worked out very well.”

QUESTION: What’s so good about historic preservation anyway? Why should a community care about it?
ANSWER: The history of a community contributes to its personality. Preserving the history of a place through its significant historic resources gives a community its unique character. … Overall, historic preservation adds to the quality of life, making for a more livable community. And it involves much more than simply saving and restoring old buildings and sites of historic importance. There are economic, cultural, environmental, and educational benefits of historic preservation, all of which are inextricably connected to one another and to the living memory of involved communities.

Q: What about Honolulu’s historic homes tax exemption, which was criticized recently for lax enforcement? What role did your group play in adding “clarity, standardization and enforceable conditions,” as you put it in a letter to the editor, to that program?
A: When the original program was adopted (in the early 1980s), Historic Hawai‘i Foundation had been very active in helping to promote it, so our involvement more recently was sort of a continuation of that engagement. We participated in all of the public hearings.

Q: What makes a home historic?
A: There’s basically three tests. The first is age; the rule of thumb is 50 years or older, but not everything that is 50 years or older is historic. The second is whether or not it has historic significance. That’s looking at its association with historic events, or people, or if it’s associated with a certain design approach, or work by a master, or has environmental significance.
Then the third test is what they call historic integrity: Does it still retain the characteristics that made it historic in the first place? Something could be historically significant but it’s been so substantially altered that it now longer has integrity, and it’s no longer eligible.

Q: What was your reaction to mayoral candidate Kirk Caldwell giving up his historic home exemption, because he thought it was hurting him politically?
A: Well, we don’t get involved in campaign issues. I can say generally whether or not a historic property owner opts to accept the tax exemption, the home itself is still recognized as being historically significant, and is listed on the state Register of Historic Places, so they still have all the obligations that go along with that.

Q: What are those obligations?
A: Any property over 50 years or older, whether or not it’s designated as historic, has to be reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Division. … So by taking on that responsibility of taking care of an historic property, property owners are committing to keep the characteristics submitted as historic in the first place.

Q: So if a guy wants to put in a kitchen or something but his home is over 50 years old, then it has to be passed on and it could be denied?
A: It can’t be denied but it has to be given the opportunity for review. And that’s one of the areas that we’d like to see some improvements, actually, with the city’s program. Right now the city’s one and only historic properties program is this historic homes property tax exemption program. They do not have a local preservation commission, they do not have preservation architects or archaeologists on staff. They don’t have preservation planners. They don’t have a preservation plan for the city. They have not either taken the initiative or integrated a reactive way to look at impacts to historic properties in any kind of comprehensive way. Instead they rely on this one incentive program and the state’s Historic Preservation Division. So clearly there are problems with that approach. It means that some historic properties that are truly significant or important may be lost or destroyed because no one is looking for them. It also means that some properties that are not historically significant may be caught up in a bureaucratic back and forth because they’re aren’t clear standards for what to do with them.
So what we’d like to see is a better way to do that triage, to separate out the ones that truly need to be preserved and retained and celebrated from those that are really not that significant and don’t need that same level of attention. Without that kind of comprehensive approach and follow through with regulations and incentives, we’re making it hard to do the right thing, and that’s not in anyone’s best interest.

Q: Are you proposing a new government division?
A: Right now the counties of Maui and Kauai have local preservation commissions, and they have integrated preservation planning into their regular planning and permitting. So by integrating preservation into other kinds of land-use reviews, it’s not an additional layer, it’s just an additional awareness of something things you’re reviewing anyway.

Q: How much do you think this historic homes exemption program is costing the city in lost property taxes each year?
A:  If you look at the number of properties enrolled in the program, they’re assessed value, and assuming what they would have paid per assessed value, it’s less than a million dollars a year — about $900,000. So if you look at how this exemption stacks up against the 50-something other property tax exemptions, it’s actually relatively small.

Q: What was your position about the Natatorium when you served on the Mayor Hannemann’s task force on the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium?
A: The majority voted for demolishing the Natatorium and building a beach. I actually voted with the minority to have full preservation and rehabilitation of the Natatorium …

Q: Really? The pool and everything?
A: The pool and everything, but in a phased way. So first there would be stabilization and preservation, and then a reengineering and a rebuild of the active portion, which is the pool. The veterans groups also supported that, and the Friends of Natatorium supported that. They, the Friends stepped up to say that they would like to take a leadership role in finding some financing and operational approaches that could help make that financially viable.

Q: Do you think that’s going to happen?
A: With the change in administration, both at the city and the state level, I think that there are more opportunities to find a public-private partnership. At the time it was not really being pursued.

Q: Are you still standing by the recommendation you favored at the time?
A: Our prefered alternative is first to preserve what’s there. Partly that means stabilizing the frame and the structure, because it really is in desperate condition. It’s unsafe, and it needs to be stabilized in a way that limits the impact to health and safety. That would buy time, then, to look at what are the different alternatives that could perhaps adaptively use that pool.

Q: What about the historic argument that once upon a time the Natatorium wasn’t there and it would be nice to have the beach back?
A: You know, if you look at aerial photographs from the 1920s before it was built, there was no beach. I mean, if you want to restore the historic shoreline, you would lose Kaimana Beach, you would lose the volleyball court, you would lose the arbor, you would lose the parking. It would really be, I think, about 40 to 60 feet mauka of where it is now. The beach is a constructed feature.

Q: What about that proposal to put solar panels on the old runway at Ford Island, which some people oppose?
A: We are participating in the consultation with the Navy on that project. Right now the runway is being preserved. It’s open space. There’s no buildings on it. They mow the grass, but it’s not being used. So the discussion has been: Should it be restored as it was in 1941 or should it be rehabilitated for a contemporary use such as for a solar array? The discussions have been whether or not that contemporary use of alternative energy can be designed in a way that respects the history and reflects the character of historic Ford Island.

Q: What about rail? Is your group concerned about disturbing the iwi (buried ancestral bones), or affecting any historic homes or buildings along the route, or any issues such as that?
A: Yes (Laughter). The rail project is being partially federally funded, and also is partially located on federal property as well, and as a federal action, it is required to go through an historic review process and compliance. So through that process of environmental review and historic preservation review, the federal agency consults with organizations and individuals who have an interest in historic preservation. So Historic Hawai‘i Foundation was part of that consultation process, and we engaged with the Federal Transit Administration and the city throughout.
It started with identifying what are the historic properties along this route, what would the impact be on them, what are ways to avoid that impact, and in the cases where it can’t be avoided, how can it be mitigated.
So all of that resulted in a programmatic agreement that sets out all those issues. Now that the programmatic agreement has been executed and the project is moving, we’re involved in ensuring that the FTA and the city are complying with that.

Q: What are some of the major public policy accomplishments of the foundation since it was founded in 1974?
A: Well, we were very involved with, of course, setting up these tax exemptions for historic preservation.
Currently, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation is working with the State Historic Preservation Division to update the statewide preservation plan. That is a statewide effort to lay out the vision of what historic preservation can and should mean for the state, and not only for the state government but also the counties, and also industry groups and private property owners, Native Hawaiian organizations and the visitor industry. It’s a way to pull together different perspectives on economic development and land use and cultural preservation and educational activities. It’s really a wonderful opportunity for people to talk about what matters to them, and how they can engage in ways to identify and preserve those places.

Q: How long is that going to take?
A: The planning process will continue through summer and a draft plan is scheduled to be released in August.

Q: Each year the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation calls for nominations of endangered historic places throughout Hawaii, with the latest deadline to submit nominations being July 25. How many such nominations do you typically receive each year?
A: We’ve been doing the endangered historic place list since 2005, and each year we receive between 15 and 20 nominations. Then our selection panel reviews those and usually brings it down to a final list of between six and probably 10. The intent is to draw attention not only to historic sites that are endangered but to activities that can be taken save them.

Q: Is there a list somewhere of all the historic sites in Hawaii?
A: Yes, on our website we have a section of Hawaii’s most endangered properties (at http://www.historichawaii.org/).




Thursday, June 28, 2012

Beyond Boundaries: National Preservation Conference to Explore Connection Between Preservation and Today’s Social Issues

WHEN:  October 31 - November 3, 2012
WHERE:  Spokane, Washington

“Beyond Boundaries” is the theme of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Preservation Conference, the largest gathering of its kind in the nation attended by approximately 2000 preservation professionals from around the country.  The conference theme is reflected in all aspects of the conference, from sessions on sustainability and job creation, to opening remarks by Keynote Speaker Annie Leonard, creator of “The Story of Stuff Project,” click here an eye-opening chronicle of consumerism and the throw-away mentality.”  Ms. Leonard’s talk will draw parallels between preservation and environmentally friendly consumerism. 

The conference attracts nationally known experts and utilizes the host city as a classroom to showcase and learn from local preservation successes and issues. The historical significance of Native American culture in Spokane and the surrounding region will serve as an additional conference focus area.  Preservation challenges unique to Native American culture will be explored at the conference, with sessions on Native American language preservation, preserving and empowering ongoing tribal cultures, and the first ever National Preservation Conference Pow Wow presented by Native American tribal members. 

Attendees will find a large selection of educational sessions and field sessions to choose from to tailor their conference experience.  Educational sessions range from topics such as “Agriculture on Main Street,” to “Interpreting History of the Atomic Age,” and “Kalispel Tribe Language Preservation.”  Field sessions provide in-depth examination of regional preservation challenges and successes with tours of important preservation projects led by local preservation experts involved with the projects.

All major conference events take place in downtown Spokane, while field sessions will venture into surrounding areas.  Conference venues include the Spokane Convention Center, The Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox, The Bing Crosby Theater, the Spokane Masonic Center and the Davenport Hotel.  Conference registration opens June 1.  Early online registration click here is encouraged for the best selection of events.  For registration questions call 202.588.6100 or toll-free 866.805.5725, or email conference@nthp.org

Shangri La - Special Tours in Celebration of the Damascus Room Opening

 
Saturday, July 7, 2012
9:00AM, 10:30AM & 12:00PM      

For the first time, Shangri La will open the historic Damascus Room, a collection highlight of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, to the public on July 7 following several years of conservation work. The Damascus Room includes an elaborately painted and gilded wood ceiling dateable to 1830 and similarly ornamented wall panels with cartouches adorned with gold calligraphy. Acquired by Doris Duke in the early 1950s from the firm Asfar & Sarkis of Damascus, the late Ottoman period room features luxury trade items such as ceramic plates and silk velvets from Turkey;
glassware from Iran and Bohemia; and hanging enameled lamps from North Africa.






On July 7, tours will focus on the Damascus Room and the related Syrian Room (a second Damascene interior in the DDFIA collection) followed by a open house. In addition to enjoying these polychrome reception rooms with their elaborate floral patterns, brightly colored paints, and shimmering metal leaf, visitors will learn about Duke's travels in Syria in 1938 and 1952; the acquisition of the Damascus Room from Asfar & Sarkis; and the conservation efforts of the last several years.

Tickets: $20 Hawai'i Resident, $25 Non-Resident
All tours originate at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Reservations are required and can be booked by calling (808) 532-3685.  


The mission of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA) is to promote the study and understanding of Islamic arts and cultures. 
PH and DH view
DDFIA, © 2002
David Franzen


DDFIA pursues its mission in two ways:
- Through Shangri La in Honolulu, which is owned and supported by DDFIA and undertakes a range of activities as a center for learning about Islamic arts and cultures; and
- Through the Building Bridges Program, which is based in New York and awards grants to promote the use of arts and media to improve Americans' understanding of Muslim societies. 

Based in New York, DDFIA is one of three operating foundations supported by the

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

NPS Plans Preservation On Rule Change Affecting Archaeological Materials - Public Invited to Information Sessions





The Department of the Interior has scheduled two meetings to discuss proposed rule changes related to disposition of archeological materials that are of insufficient interest to be retained in federal collections.

The National Park Service will present information about the proposed rule changes, including methods for moving materials to collections and returning items to Native Hawaiian groups, individuals or institutions.

The rule would NOT affect “cultural items” as defined by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), including human remains and associated funerary objects.

David Gadsby, Ph.D., an archeologist with the National Park Service’s Archeology Program in Washington, DC, invites you to either one of the following information sessions:

Proposed Rule Change for the Disposition of Archeological Materials of “Insufficient Archeological Interest” to be Retained in Federal Collections
Date:  Monday, July 9, 2012
Time:  1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Location:  Prince Kūhiō Federal Building, 300 Ala Moana Blvd, Rm 3-127
OR
Date:  Thursday, July 12, 2012
Time:  6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Location:  Pearl Harbor Visitor Center Research and Education Center in the WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument Visitor Center Complex

A daytime meeting is scheduled in order to accommodate those who are able to attend as a part of their work or have other evening commitments, and an evening meeting is scheduled in order to accommodate those who are available in the evening.

The proposed rule change would amend 36 CFR Part 79, “Curation of Federally-Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections;” see http://www.nps.gov/archeology/collections/laws_04.htm and the attached copy of 36 CFR Part 79 for more information about the existing rule.

A regulation for deaccessioning was proposed in 1990, but was not issued due to unresolved issues.  Declining funding and the growth of collections continue to concern many responsible for and interested in the appropriate curation of federal collections.  Discussions have continued since 1990; a working group worked on drafting a proposed rule through the mid-2000s; and the National Park Service anticipates proposing a rule change in the coming months.

Attached are separate flyers for the two meetings which we encourage you to pass along to colleagues and contacts who you believe would be interested in participating in the information sessions which will include a presentation for approximately 20 minutes, followed by a question and answer period.

Please register if you plan to participate to Lisa C. Oshiro Suganuma, U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Native Hawaiian Relations, (808) 792-9555 or lisa_oshiro@ios.doi.gov

Please provide your name, title (optional), organization (optional), and the date and time of the session in which you plan to participate so that we know approximately how many handouts to provide.  The Office of Native Hawaiian Relations is assisting with outreach and registration for these meetings.




Monday, June 25, 2012

The Kona Historical Society Lecture Series Continues

Hanohano `O Kona Lecture Series for June 2012

Wednesday, June 27, 5:30PM - 7:00PM, at the West Hawaii Civic Center, Kealakehe Parkway, Kailua Kona
“Voices From the Edge: Hawai`i’s Ancient Trails and Their Message Today”

Hanohano `O Kona Lecture Series for July 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 5:30PM - 7:00PM, at the West Hawaii Civic Center, Kealakehe Parkway, Kailua Kona
“Surfing in Kona: Past, Present and Future”

For more information, see www.konahistorical.org
Click here for events calendar

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Section 106 Webinar Series returns


The Office of Federal Agency Programs at the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation (ACHP) has announced the continuation of its Section 106 Webinar Series. Join ACHP staff instructors for one-hour, interactive learning experiences about hot topics in Section 106 review. Program offerings include topics of interest to all knowledge levels, from those new to the regulatory process to experienced practitioners.
 
Webinars resume June 28, when Program Analyst Katry Harris will reprise a popular topic from the first series, Defining the Area of Potential Effects (APE), in a beginner-level course. This webinar explores the foundation for efforts to identify historic properties in a Section 106 review and allows participants to practice developing APEs for real-world scenarios. The series continues in July with a new program on responding to anticipatory demolition concerns with an understanding of the requirements of Section 110(k) of the National Historic Preservation Act as they relate to Section 106.
 
Details, including registration instructions and dates for the first two programs in the series, are available at www.achp.gov/sec106webinar.html. Additional webinars will be announced over the summer, so we encourage you to bookmarkthe page and check for updates. A formal registration process now ensures that enrollment is limited to 25 students in any offering, and all webinars are offered for a $50 per participant fee.  If you have any questions, contact us atwebinar@achp.gov.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Be in the Know first do.co,mo.mo_hawaii event tonight


First Informal   do.co,mo.mo_hawaii event



What:              Meet Karla Britton,
Lecturer at Yale School of Architecture

Where:           Chai Studio
675 Auahi Street
Drinks and pupus provided

When:             Friday June 22, 2012; 6:00 - 8:30 pm

After you can stroll down the street to R&D, 691 Auahi Street and enjoy a movie called “Urbanized” by Gary Huswit, sponsored by Honblue at 9:00 pm.

Please RSVP with Anna Grune via
Email: AGrune@wje.com or phone: 783-9623 (cell)

See this website for more info about docomomo:
http://www.docomomo-us.org/


Karla Britton, Lecturer at Yale School of Architecture
B.A., University of Colorado, Boulder
M.A., Columbia University
Ph.D., Harvard University
Ms. Britton’s academic work focuses on the modern architect’s engagement with tradition in twentieth-century architecture and urbanism. Her teaching has emphasized the intersection of classicism and modernization, the evolution of modern ecclesiastical building, and in a multireligious context the relationship between religion and modern architecture. Ms. Britton’s books include the monograph Auguste Perret (published by Phaidon in both English and French, 2001); the prize-winning Hawaiian Modern (Yale, 2008; edited with Dean Sakamoto); and the interdisciplinary Constructing the Ineffable (Yale School of Architecture, 2011). Her current book project, “Middle Ground/Middle East: Religious Sites in Urban Contexts,” explores religious space in contemporary urbanism. Before coming to Yale, Ms. Britton was director of the architecture program in Paris of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and associate professor (adjunct) of architecture. At Yale, she is resident director of the Berkeley Center at Yale. Ms. Britton received a B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder, an M.A. from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. 

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Names SENATOR DANIEL K. AKAKA AS 2012 KAMA‘ĀINA OF THE YEAR™


Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka will be honored as the “2012 Kama‘āina of the Year” at the annual Historic Hawai‘i Foundation (HHF) benefit on November 3, 2012.

Senator Akaka will be honored as the 2012 Kama‘āina of the Year in recognition of his public policy work that has been essential to the preservation of Hawaiian heritage for future generations.  He is the first Native Hawaiian to serve in the United States Senate. As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Senator Akaka has worked tirelessly to improve the lives and sustain the culture of Native people in Hawai‘i and throughout the United States.  For his lifetime of service to the people of Hawai‘i and the nation, Historic Hawai‘i Foundation is proud to honor Daniel Kahikina Akaka as its 2012 Kama‘āina of the Year.

“Through Senator Akaka’s steadfast leadership to assure equal treatment for Native Hawaiians, the Hawaiian history, language, culture and places have been sustained,” said Robert Iopa, President of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation.  “We will miss his wisdom and focus on preserving the Hawaiian culture not only through his work but also by the personal example he sets by living his life with aloha.”

Senator Akaka is the 25th recipient of the Kama‘āina of the Year award, which honors individuals who have made unique and lasting contributions to the preservation of Hawaii’s historic places and cultural resources.  

The event is Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s annual fundraiser and proceeds support the preservation of historic sites throughout the Hawaiian Islands.  The event will take place on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. in the Monarch Room at The Royal Hawaiian A Luxury Collection Resort in Honolulu.

Stay tuned, additional information about the event will be posted in the coming months. If you have any questions please call HHF at 808-523-2900.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

6/23 Community Workshop Presented by Distinctive Women in Hawaiian History and Bishop Museum



How to Capture Women's Stories Through Oral History Workshop Set
Distinctive Women in Hawaiian History, in cooperation with Bishop Museum present a community workshop

Have you ever wanted to document family stories as they were shared, but don't know how to start? Are you interested in preserving the heritage of the women in our communities? You can learn how to capture these life stories through oral history. At this day long workshop, learn how to conduct, record, transcribe, and edit an oral history interview. Also learn how to use gender-specific strategies to best bring out women's life experiences. For registration information go to:  www.distinctivewomenhawaii.org 

Workshop Instructors:

Warren Nishimoto is the director of the Center for Oral History, University of Hawai'i at Manoa. He oversees oral history projects documenting Hawai'i's history, cultures and people from the prespective of those who lived it. He teaches courses and workshops on oral history and has captured women's voices in many oral history projects, most notably Ka Po'e Kau Lei: An Oral History of Hawai'i's Lei Sellers and Women Workers in Hawai'i's Pineapple Industry.

Maria "Kaimi" Orr is a business owner of Kaimipono Consulting Services, LLC and a member of the Bishop Museum Association Council. An anthropology professional with a background in ethnographic research and surveys, Maria's pioneering work in Cultural Impact Assessments and other ethnographic surveys have allowed her to work with federal, state and county agencies and private groups. Having conducted over 355 oral history interviews, Maria has done oral history workshops in Hawai'i and Guam.

WHAT: 

How to Capture Women's Stories Through Oral History

WHEN:        
Saturday, June 23, 2012
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
WHERE:

Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum
1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu

COST:          
$40 Same day registration, no lunch
$35 Pre-registration, lunch included
$28 for Bishop Museum or Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives members, lunch included



Online registration begins on June 9
  
This event is made possible through the support of Bishop Museum, Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives, Kamehameha Schools and the Hawai'i Council for the Humanities.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

JOIN HISTORIC HAWAI‘I FOUNDATION FOR “PAU HANA WITH A PURPOSE”


Historic Hawai‘i Foundation will join Design Within Reach in hosting a pau hana event that highlights and celebrates some of the best examples of Hawai‘i Modern on Thursday, July 19, 6-8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Design Within Reach is located in the Ala Moana Shopping Center on the Upper Level near Nordstrom Department Store. 

The evening will include the release of Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s new illustrated booklet, “Hawai‘i Modern.”  Join author Don Hibbard, researcher Tonia Moy, and graphic artist Viki Nasu as they showcase highlights of mid-century building and landscape design, and discuss efforts to understand, enjoy and preserve these next-generation historic properties.  


***Update*** Any member of HHF who attends the event will receive a complimentary copy of the          
                      booklet

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

STATEWIDE PRESERVATION PLAN UNDERWAY


The Hawai‘i State Historic Preservation Division has completed a series of community meetings to gather input into the issues and priorities for historic preservation in the Hawaiian Islands. The public input will be used to identify historic resources and cultural properties, develop goals and objectives, and formulate recommendations for ways to identify, preserve and protect Hawai‘i’s historic resources.  The presentations and discussion notes, as well as information about the planning process and how to get involved, are available at http://hawaiihistoricpreservation.com/

The development and implementation of a comprehensive statewide historic preservation plan is one of the responsibilities of each State Historic Preservation Office, as outlined in the National Historic Preservation Act.

The key features of this approach to historic preservation planning are:
·         The plan has a statewide focus. The statewide preservation plan pays attention to preservation issues and players all across the state.
·         There is active public involvement, not only in developing the vision, issues, and goals of the plan, but also in helping achieve these goals.
·         A wide variety of preservation-relevant information on social, economic, political, legal, and environmental conditions and trends is brought to bear in the identification and assessment of issues affecting resource preservation.
·         The plan addresses the full range of historic and cultural resources throughout the state. This means that within a single plan document, all resources representing the breadth and depth of a state’s history, prehistory, and culture are considered. This includes buildings, structures, objects, prehistoric and historic archaeological sites, designed and vernacular landscapes, traditional cultural properties, and underwater historic resources.
·         There is coordination with other planning efforts in the state, such as federally mandated transportation planning, the statewide comprehensive outdoor recreation plan, and local land-use plans.
·         Plan implementation is linked directly to SHPO expenditures of their federal Historic Preservation Fund grant.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Hawai‘i State Parks Seeks Archaeologist for Kona


Hawai‘i State Parks is currently recruiting for a Principal Archaeologist (SR-24) position based in Kona, Hawai‘i Island.
The application form and information for this full-time, civil service position (Recruitment Number 212264) are available at the Department of Human Resources Development website (http://hawaii.gov/hrd). Recruitment is continuous with no deadline but interested archaeologists should submit their applications as soon as possible.
The position is funded through Capital Improvement Project (CIP) appropriations. The primary responsibility of the job, therefore, is to ensure that park development or renovation projects proceed with as little impact as possible on the historic and cultural resources of the parks and their settings. This requires being actively involved in the design and construction phases of park projects and fulfilling any historic preservation regulatory requirements for those projects. Making these assessments relies on graining a much broader understanding of a park’s resources, its cultural and historical past, and its level of public use. Gaining these broader perspectives is where most of the rewarding job opportunities lie.
This position is part of the State Parks Interpretive Program and the archaeologist is encouraged to use the knowledge and perspectives gained through the compliance and park management process to help develop and prepare interpretive material for park users.
The Hawaii Island archaeologist is primarily responsible for projects, large and small, occurring in the 14 State Parks and 1 Park Reserve on the island. This includes the smaller recreational areas, such as ʻAkaka Falls, Kalōpā, Lava Tree, MacKenzie, Manukā, Mauna Kea, Wailoa, and Wailuku River, and the larger parks, mostly in West Hawaii, that are particularly rich in archaeological resources and history. Archaeological sites are the central focus of park use at Lapakahi State Historical Park and additional inventory work is needed for a recently acquired inholding within this park. Large portions of the West Hawaii coastline from Hāpuna to the Keāhole Airport have been set aside as a series of parks (Hāpuna, Kīholo, and Kekaha Kai) that are only beginning to be fully assessed for appropriate levels of public use and management strategies needed to protect the region’s remaining cultural resources. Keolonāhihi State Historical Park and Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park were set aside specifically for their exceptional cultural resources and significant roles in Hawaiian traditions and history. The State Parks website (www.hawaiistateparks.org) has brief overviews of these parks.
There will also be opportunities to work in parks on other islands, some of which provide Hawaiʻi with its most scenic and iconic images (Nāpali Coast, Kōkeʻe and Waimea Canyon, Wailua River, Makapuʻu, Diamond Head, Waiʻānapanapa, Mākena, ʻĪao Valley, etc.). For larger projects, State Parks archaeologists work as a team on all the islands. The archaeological record of some of these larger parks is far from being fully understood.
There are also opportunities to work with non-archaeological historic properties as the archaeologist will be responsible for coordinating historic preservation compliance and oversight for architectural properties and traditional cultural properties. Some of these historic buildings and infrastructure pre-date the park’s establishment (e.g., Huliheʻe Palace) while others were constructed for park purposes when the Territorial and State Park parks were first created in the 1940s through the early 1960s. Opportunities to work with historical records and sources are almost limitless given how important many of these areas have been to Hawaii’s history. Kealakekua and Kaʻawaloa alone could keep anyone occupied for years.
An easily overlooked aspect of the job is the satisfaction of working with other park employees, such as those from the development, planning, facilities management, and administration sections, and watching parks and visitor experiences improve. Unfortunately, many of our parks need help. Some parks are fortunate to have the support of community groups and individuals who have lived with and cared for these lands for generations.
Please contact Alan Carpenter (Alan.B.Carpenter@hawaii.gov) or Holly McEldowney (Holly.McEldowney@hawaii.gov) at State Parks if you have any questions. 


Thursday, June 7, 2012

Two historical documentaries on Hawaiian Railways have just been released


Press Release

Two historical documentaries on Hawaiian Railways have just been released.

The Lihue Plantation (30 inch gauge) was filmed in 1959 two weeks before the end of its operation.  Robert Haney was given permission by the plantation to film, and spent three days documenting the operations.

Lihue Plantation The Last Hawaiian Sugar Train           

The Kahului Railroad

The Kahului Railroad (36 inch gauge) was filmed in 1960 just after the re-tubing of steam locomotive #12.  Robert Haney was given permission by the railroad to film the railway, and spent several days documenting the operations. This film shows both locomotive #12 and many diesels switching and hauling freight.

The films are historical documentaries with over an hour and a half of content including interviews with Robert Haney about the railroads, and also his Pearl Harbor experience.

Robert Haney was 20 years old and was at the Pearl Harbor attack.  Robert Haney worked in the machine shop at Pearl Harbor as a civilian and describes getting the shops ready for the war, the day of the attack, and his involvement the following week after the attack. 

Both films are available at DirectMusicCafe.com on line, or by phone.

Dave Swanson