Lahaina Historic District

Lahaina Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District encompassing most of the community of Lahaina, Hawaii, on the west side of the island of Maui in the US state of Hawaii. Designated in 1962, the district recognizes Lahaina for its well-preserved character as a 19th-century port, and for its social and economic importance in the 19th century as a major whaling center in the Pacific, and as one of the capital cities of the Kingdom of Hawaii.[3]

Lahaina Historic District
Old Lahaina Courthouse in 2010
LocationW side of Maui on HI 30, Lahaina, Hawaii
Coordinates20°52′14″N 156°41′3″W
Area1,671 acres (676 ha)
NRHP reference No.66000302
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966[1]
Designated NHLDDecember 29, 1962[2]

Donn Beach and Pete Wimberly played an important early role in establishing building ordinances to govern restoration and preservation projects in Lahaina.[4][5] It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962.[2][3] The district is bounded on the north by Puʻuona Point, the south by Makila Point, and the east by the ridge of hills above the town. Its western bound extends all the way out to the island of Lānaʻi, encompassing the Lahaina Roads, the roadstead which enabled the town's growth in the 19th century.[3]

Lahaina was a popular residential center for the kings of Maui prior to the arrival of European explorers in the late 18th century. Kamehameha I made his landing here when he began the conquest of Maui in 1795, and Kamehameha II established a residence here in 1819. That same year, the first whaling ships arrived, beginning the community's rise in economic importance. Lahaina eclipsed Oahu as a preferred whaling port between 1840 and 1855, because of its better deep-water anchorage. When Kamehameha III ascended to the Hawaiian throne in 1825, he made Lahaina his capital, preferring it to the busier Honolulu. The town declined in economic importance in the 1860s, as the whaling industry waned.[3]

Buildings

When the landmark district was designated in 1962, nine buildings were called out for their specific contribution to the district:[1]

Contributing buildings in the Lahaina Historic District
NoNameYearNotesThumbnail
1 Baldwin House1835 A two-story home used by early missionaries, including Rev. Dwight Baldwin
2 Old Spring House1823 Built by Rev. William Richards to enclose a spring and used for fresh water by the community.
3 Court House1859 Replaced the Hale Piula, a former palace used for government offices damaged during an 1858 windstorm. Rebuilt in 1925 with significantly altered appearance.
4 Old Prison (Hale Paʻahao)1852 Main cell block (plank structure) completed in 1852, and enclosing coral-block wall completed in 1854. Original cell block burned in 1958; reconstructed in 1959 along with the wooden gate house.
5 Waineʻe (now Waiola) Church1953 Construction started in 1828 and completed in 1832. Destroyed by winds twice and again by fire in 1894. Present structure was completed in 1953, when the name was changed to Waiola. Hawaiian nobility are interred in the cemetery, which dates to 1823.
6 Hale Aloha1858 Meeting house completed in 1858, replacing an earlier stone church dating to 1823. School house and church, restored in the 1980s
7 United States Marine Hospital1842 Herman Melville noted one of his shipmates died at this hospital in 1843. Sold in 1865 and served as a school for girls, then a vicarage for the Episcopal Church.
8 Maria Lanakila Catholic Church1858 This church, erected in 1858, replaced an earlier church at the same site built in 1846. The present building was erected in 1928 on the same foundation, but is said to be an exact replica of the 1858 structure.
9 Pioneer Hotel1901 Lahaina's first hotel.
  • Old Spring House, 1823
  • Old Prison yard & gatehouse, 1830s
  • Old Prison outer wall, 1830s
  • Old Prison cellblock, 1830s
  • Baldwin House, 1834–1849[6]
  • Baldwin House with grape arbor, 1834–1849
  • U.S. Seamen's Hospital, 1843[7]
  • Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, 1858
  • Hale Aloha in 1966, before restoration
  • Hale Aloha with bell tower, 1858
  • Hale Aloha seaward side, 1858
  • Old Courthouse, 1859
  • Pioneer Inn front desk, 1901
  • Pioneer Inn, 1901
  • Waiola Church, renamed & rebuilt 1954[8]
  • Registered National Historic Landmark plaque, 1964
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References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Lahaina Historic District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  3. Russell A. Apple (December 21, 1973). "National Register of Historic Places/National Historic Landmark 1974 Update: Lahaina / Lahaina (historic district)" (pdf). National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 18 photos from 1973 (32 KB)
  4. Sinesky, Alice (September 16, 1986). "INTERVIEW WITH DONN BEACH" (PDF). The Watumull Foundation, Oral History Project.
  5. Bitner, Arnold (2001). Hawai'i Tropical Rum Drinks by Don the Beaschcomber. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing.
  6. "Lahaina Restoration Foundation: The Baldwin House". Retrieved 2010-03-27.
  7. "Lahaina Restoration Foundation: The Seamen's Hospital". Retrieved 2010-03-27.
  8. "Waiola Church: History". Archived from the original on 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2010-03-27.


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