|
The Royal Hawaiian
Hotel is an incredible architectgural building as well as historic spot in Honolulu, Hawaii. It has long has
had ties to Hollywood from early visits by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks through Mary Pickford to Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn
Monroe through Elizabeth Taylor.
More can be found about
the Pink Palace - including pictures - at:
THE HISTORY
OF
THE ROYAL HAWAIIAN HOTEL
History of the Land
For centuries, the land beneath the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Helumoa, has been an mportant
place to Hawaiians. It was the stage where royal courts ruled, the supernatural appeared, an invading army landed and
where royalty lived and relaxed.
Maililkukahi, ruler of Oahu, relocated the seat of government from the ewa plains of Oahu to Waikiki
as the royal seat of government. Kakuhihewa, Maililkukahi's descendent six generations later encountered the supernatural
rooster, "Kaauhelemoa" who flew from Palolo valley and landed at Waikiki to challenge Kakuhihewa by scratching the ground,
according to legend. The place was then named "Helumoa" which means "chicken scratch."
Kamehameha V also built a residence at Helumoa (pictured, left). After his death, Helumoa was left
to Princess Ruth Ke'elikolani, who bequeathed it to Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Through Princess Pauahi's will,
the land became a part of Kamehameha Schools (Bishop Estate), which still owns the land today.
Kakuhihewa felt that the appearance of the supernatural rooster was an omen, so he planted a grove
of trees, which later multiplied into an estimated 10,000 coconut trees. King Kamehameha I, ruler of the Hawaiian Kingdom,
established a home named "Kuihelani" in the Helumoa coconut grove.
In the 1890s, the property was leased as a seaside annex to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel located at
Richards and Hotel streets. In 1907, the Seaside Hotel opened on the property, and was later acquired by Alexander Young's
Territorial Hotel Company, which operated the Alexander Young hotel in downtown Honolulu.
Photo: Hawaii State Archives
King Kamehameha
V's residence at Helumoa.
Photo:
Hawaii State Archives
THE ROYAL HAWAIIAN HOTEL
Building a Palace
In 1924, the Seaside Hotel's
lease of the land at Helumoa was soon to expire and the land's owners put out a request for proposals to build a hotel,
with a minimum construction cost of $100,000, that would better capitalize on the ideal setting.
The offer: a 50-year lease
of 3.75 acres of beach front land on Waikiki Beach. Incorporating additional surrounding land was also an option extended
to potential developers.
In post World War I Hawaii,
Matson Navigation Co. had big plans to build luxury ocean liners to bring wealthy tourists to Hawaii. But, they needed
a hotel equally lavish at Waikiki. Soon Matson's luxury ocean liner and its 650 wealthy passengers would be arriving
in Honolulu every two weeks and the two largest hotels, the Alexander Hotel and the Moana, could not accommodate all of them.
The availability of the Bishop Estate land began putting wheels into motion.
In March 1925, William Roth,
Manager of Matson Navigation Company, and his wife Lurline (who's maiden name was Matson), and Mrs. William Matson, the widow
of the founder of Matson Navigation Company, arrived in Honolulu for a three-week stay so that Roth could attend the annual
Matson conference. Famous New York-based architect Charles V. Wetmore also arrived in Honolulu at the invitation of Matson
Navigation Company leadership.
Wetmore advised Matson Navigation
that "Honolulu is one of the wonder spots of the world, and it should have a hotel that is as much of an attraction as the
city itself."
Castle & Cooke, Matson
Navigation and the Territorial Hotel Company successfully proposed a plan to to build a luxury hotel, with 400 rooms, at a
cost of $2 million on the 15-acre parcel of Waikiki beach to be leased from the Bishop Estate.
Warren & Wetmore, who
were known for their other hotels including NYC's Ritz-Carlton, Biltmore, Belmont, Vanderbilt and Chatham hotels, were selected
as the architects.
The ground-breaking ceremony
took place on July 26, 1925, before a building permit was issued or a contract was signed with the building contractor, Ralph
Wooley. By the time the contract was executed on September 5, 1925, some three hundred men were already at work.
The building permit still
was not signed by August, and the City withheld granting it unless the building codes were first revised. The planning
commission did not want to revise the building code to allow high rises on Waikiki beach. The City and County Board of Supervisors
disregarded their concerns and allowed the increase in heights. This would forever change the landscape of Waikiki,
as the decision also allowed much taller highrises to be built in the area.
THE
HISTORY OF THE
ROYAL
HAWAIIAN HOTEL
Opening Night through the 1930s
On February 1, 1927, the Royal Hawaiian
was officially opened with the gala event of the decade. Over 1200 guest were invited for the celebration that started
at 6:30 p.m. and lasted until 2 a.m. It was the twenties, after all.
Three bands played that evening:
The Royal Hawaiian Band, the The Royal Hawaiian Concert Orchestra and the nine-piece McCabe-Dunn Royal Hawaiian Dance Orchestra.
The most unforgettable part of the
evening was the recreation of the landing of Kamehameha I's landing at Waikiki, directed by Princess Kawananakoa.
The Royal Hawaiian was THE place
to stay from that night on and her doors greeted world leaders (President & Mrs. Roosevelt, the Shah of Iran), business
leaders (Rockefeller, Ford, DuPont) and Movie Stars (Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Shirley Temple, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks,
George Burns, Gracie Allen).
The party ended rapidly on December
7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked launching the U.S. into World War II, and putting Hawaii under martial law and blackout
measures.
Hawaii
State Archives Photo
THE ROYAL
HAWAIIAN HOTEL
The War Years
In January of 1942, the U.S. Navy signed a lease
agreement with the Royal Hawaiian to rent the hotel for $17,500 each month so that the hotel could be used as a rest and relaxation
center for officers and enlisted personnel serving in the Pacific.
And so the barbed wire surrounded the beach
around the hotel and armed guards monitored the entrances. Retail shops were converted to canteens and the Coconut Bar
was used as a soda fountain. Telephones were taken out of the guest rooms.
During the war, over 200,000 men stayed at the
Royal Hawaiian. Each day as many as 5,500 service-related visitors (most of whom were not staying at the hotel) passed through
the front gates to enjoy the beach or social activities.
The Aftermath
At the conclusion of World War II, the hotel
was given a makeover to restore her to the level of luxury her guests would expect. San Francisco architect Garnder
Dailey was contracted for the two-million dollar remodeling along with Honolulu architect George Wimberly.
In January of 1942, the U.S. Navy signed a lease
agreement with the Royal Hawaiian to rent the hotel for $17,500 each month so that the hotel could be used as a rest and relaxation
center for officers and enlisted personnel serving in the Pacific.
And so the barbed wire surrounded the beach
around the hotel and armed guards monitored the entrances. Retail shops were converted to canteens and the Coconut Bar
was used as a soda fountain. Telephones were taken out of the guest rooms.
During the war, over 200,000 men stayed at the
Royal Hawaiian. Each day as many as 5,500 service-related visitors (most of whom were not staying at the hotel) passed through
the front gates to enjoy the beach or social activities.
PHOTO NATIONAL ARCHIVES #1441
THE ROYAL HAWAIIAN – The Resort
Landmark
Luxury
Lobby Front Desk Virtual Tour
Built in
1927, the iconic Royal Hawaiian Resort, known as the "Pink Palace of the Pacific," ushered in a new era of luxurious resort
travel to Hawaii. Located on breathtaking Waikiki beachfront, the Royal Hawaiian is an exclusive enclave for luxury and romance.
We
invite you to experience the new Royal through our online video (click on the image to the right).
Unrivaled Experiences
Coconut Lanai Virtual Tour
The most coveted spot on Waikiki Beach is at the Royal Hawaiian
Resort - within the billowing sanctuary of private beachfront cabanas or from luxurious guest rooms showcasing unrivaled panoramic
views of Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach and the sparkling Pacific Ocean.
Epicurean Delights
Unforgettable
epicurean experiences await you at Azure – a world-class seafood restaurant perched along the beach under the canopy
of the resort’s dramatic architecture. The celebrated Mai Tai Bar sets the stage for world-class romance and elegant
relaxation. Mingle with international jetsetters and Hawaii elite while sipping in refreshing cocktails and contemplating
the breathtaking panorama of Waikiki Beach.
Overview
Lower Lobby Virtual Tour
In partnership with award-winning interior design firm Philpotts
and Associates, Inc., the renovation will reinstate The Royal Hawaiian as THE Waikiki destination for jet-setters and urban
sophisticates seeking tropical splendor with an air of modern exclusivity. The entire resort experience will be re-imagined,
including:
-
The Lobby and Public Spaces
- All Guestrooms and Suites in the Historic Building
- Multi-Level Resort Pool
- Abhasa
Waikiki Spa including new Spa Suites
- Signature Seafood Restaurant Azure, Surf Lanai Restaurant and Mai Tai Bar
-
Cabanas, poolside
Corridor Virtual Tour
The Royal Hawaiian - Photo Gallery [and Virtual
Map] –
http://www.royal-hawaiian.com/resort_gallery.aspx
|
