Hawaii Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Hawaii Theatre is a historic Vaudeville
theatre and cinema
in downtown
Honolulu, Hawaii
. It is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places
.
When Consolidated Amusement Company opened it in 1922, local newspapers called it "The Pride of the Pacific" and considered it the equal in opulence to any theatre in San Francisco or beyond. Honolulu architect
s Walter Emory and Marshall Webb employed elements of Neoclassical architecture
for the exterior—with Byzantine
, Corinthian
, and Moorish
ornamentation—and a rich panoply of Beaux-Arts architecture inside—Corinthian columns, a gilded dome, marble statuary, plush carpets, silk hangings, and a Lionel Walden
mural on the proscenium
. They also installed an innovative cooling system that allowed air from an ice storage room under the stage to flow through vents beneath the seats. The large neon
marquee was the largest ever built in Honolulu.
The Hawaii presented both Vaudeville
entertainment and movies through the 1920s. Following the introduction of sound films, it operated as a deluxe movie theatre through the 1960s, gradually declining in the 1970s and falling into disrepair in the 1980s, until it finally closed in 1984. Concerned citizens united to save and restore it and formed the non-profit Hawaii Theatre Center, which purchased the theatre and several adjacent buildings in 1986. They raised funds for an extensive, $20.8 million renovation of the interior in 1994 directed by the Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer
firm of New York City
, which included a hydraulic lift to raise and lower the original pipe organ
that used to accompany silent films. The theatre reopened in 1996, while exterior renovations continued through 2005.
The Hawaii Theatre once again became a popular venue for stage shows and concerts.
In 2005 the League of Historic America Theatres named it the "Outstanding Historic Theatre in America"; in 2006 the National Trust for Historic Preservation gave Hawaii Theatre its highest "Honor Award" for national preservation; and in 2006 the Hawaii Better Business Bureau presented its "Torch Award for Business Ethics" to the Hawaii Theatre Center, the first small nonprofit to receive that award. It is located at 1130 Bethel Street, between Hotel and Pauahi Streets, in downtown Honolulu
at the edge of Chinatown
.
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
theatre and cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
in downtown
Downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, governmental, and central part of Honolulu—bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Honolulu Harbor to the south—situated within the larger Honolulu District...
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
. It is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
When Consolidated Amusement Company opened it in 1922, local newspapers called it "The Pride of the Pacific" and considered it the equal in opulence to any theatre in San Francisco or beyond. Honolulu architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
s Walter Emory and Marshall Webb employed elements of Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
for the exterior—with Byzantine
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
, Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
, and Moorish
Moorish architecture
Moorish architecture is the western term used to describe the articulated Berber-Islamic architecture of North Africa and Al-Andalus.-Characteristic elements:...
ornamentation—and a rich panoply of Beaux-Arts architecture inside—Corinthian columns, a gilded dome, marble statuary, plush carpets, silk hangings, and a Lionel Walden
Lionel Walden
Lionel Walden was born in Norwich, Connecticut in 1861. He first became interested in art in Minnesota, where the family moved when his father became rector of an Episcopal Church there. As a young man, Walden moved to Paris where he studied painting with Carolus-Duran. In around 1893-97,...
mural on the proscenium
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
. They also installed an innovative cooling system that allowed air from an ice storage room under the stage to flow through vents beneath the seats. The large neon
Neon
Neon is the chemical element that has the symbol Ne and an atomic number of 10. Although a very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth. A colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions, neon gives a distinct reddish-orange glow when used in either low-voltage neon glow lamps or...
marquee was the largest ever built in Honolulu.
The Hawaii presented both Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
entertainment and movies through the 1920s. Following the introduction of sound films, it operated as a deluxe movie theatre through the 1960s, gradually declining in the 1970s and falling into disrepair in the 1980s, until it finally closed in 1984. Concerned citizens united to save and restore it and formed the non-profit Hawaii Theatre Center, which purchased the theatre and several adjacent buildings in 1986. They raised funds for an extensive, $20.8 million renovation of the interior in 1994 directed by the Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer
Malcolm Holzman
Malcolm Holzman FAIA, is an American architect, who practices in New York City, and is a founding partner of Holzman Moss Bottino Architecture and Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates .-Life and career:...
firm of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, which included a hydraulic lift to raise and lower the original pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
that used to accompany silent films. The theatre reopened in 1996, while exterior renovations continued through 2005.
The Hawaii Theatre once again became a popular venue for stage shows and concerts.
In 2005 the League of Historic America Theatres named it the "Outstanding Historic Theatre in America"; in 2006 the National Trust for Historic Preservation gave Hawaii Theatre its highest "Honor Award" for national preservation; and in 2006 the Hawaii Better Business Bureau presented its "Torch Award for Business Ethics" to the Hawaii Theatre Center, the first small nonprofit to receive that award. It is located at 1130 Bethel Street, between Hotel and Pauahi Streets, in downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, governmental, and central part of Honolulu—bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Honolulu Harbor to the south—situated within the larger Honolulu District...
at the edge of Chinatown
Chinatown, Honolulu
The Chinatown Historic District is a neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii known for its Chinese people and is one of the oldest Chinatowns in the United States.-History:The area was probably used by fishermen during ancient Hawaii but little evidence remains...
.
External links
- Hawaii Theatre Center
- Vintage Photos of the Hawaii Theatre Theatre Historical Society of America website