No. 1 Capitol District Building

The No. 1 Capitol District Building, also known as the Hemmeter Building, is a 134,000-square-foot building (12,400 m²) on two acres (0.81 ha) in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii, United States.^[1] Formerly known as the Armed Services YMCA Building, it houses the Capitol Modern Museum, the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and state offices.^[2]

No. 1 Capitol District Building, also known as the Hemmeter Building

Located at 250 South Hotel Street, it is across Richards Street from the Hawaii State Capitol building. The area was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu as the Hawaii Capital Historic District on December 1, 1978.^[3]

History

While they were both in the cabinet, under King Kamehameha V, American politicians John Mott-Smith and Charles Coffin Harris convinced the legislature to fund a hotel. Hawaii’s first hotel, the Hawaiian Hotel, opened in 1872.^{[4]: 173–174} Renamed the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, it was converted to a YMCA in 1917 and used by the military in World War I.^[5] In 1926 the termite-infested building was torn down, and a new one designed in Spanish mission style by Lincoln Rogers of the firm Emory & Webb.^[6][7] The two-story U-shaped building, dedicated on March 16, 1928, included a swimming pool in its courtyard.^[8]

In the late 1980’s, the building underwent a major renovation by the Hemmeter Corporation.^[5]

Museum

The Capitol Modern Museum is operated by the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and is located on the second floor of the No. 1 Capitol District Building.^[9]

References

1. "State closes $22.5M deal for Hemmeter Building". Biz Journal. December 14, 2000. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
2. Dayton, Kevin (April 20, 2023). "Leaky Roofs Are Causing Costly Problems For 2 Historic State Buildings". Honolulu Civil Beat. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
3. Dale M. Lanzone and Gary Cummins (Spring 1976). "Hawaii Capital Historic District nomination form". National Register of Historic Places. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
4. Ralph Simpson Kuykendall (1953). Hawaiian Kingdom 1854-1874, twenty critical years. Vol. 2. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-87022-432-4.
5. Kiczek, Michelle (May 17, 2019). "Preservation Month: History and Preservation at No. 1 Capitol Place". Historic Hawaii Foundation. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
6. "Hawai'i State Art Museum Brochure" (PDF). Honolulu, HI, USA: Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. May 18, 2007. p. 2, col. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 30, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
7. Office of Environmental Quality Control (October 2000). "Final Environmental Assessment for No. 1 Capital District Building Honolulu, Oahu, Hawai'i" (PDF). Honolulu, HI, USA: Dept. of Health, State of Hawai‘i. 2.3.1 TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
8. "The 'Hemmeter Building'". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. February 26, 2001. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
9. "Hawaii State Art Museum renames itself Capitol Modern". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.

21°18′31″N 157°51′30″W