The Seto Building at 4-1435 Kuhio Highway

Hawaii Route 56

Route 56, also known as Kuhio Highway, is the main highway on the north and east shore of Kauaii island.-Route description :Route 56 runs , stretching from Hawaii Route 50 at the junction of Rice Street in Lihue, Hawaii to the junction of Hawaii Route 560 in Princeville on the island of Kauaii...

 in Kapaa, Kauai

Kapa'a, Hawai'i

Kapaa is a census-designated place in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 9,472 at the 2000 census....

, was earlier known as the Quality Market and then the Big Save Building. It was built in 1929 to serve as the first general food market on the island of Kauai

Kauai

Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...

, with the latest refrigeration

Refrigeration

Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...

 methods to store a variety of fresh meat

Meat

Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...

 and produce

Produce

Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods and, not limited to fruits and vegetables . More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested. In supermarkets the term is also used to refer...

. Its owner, Ah Doi Seto, had immigrated from China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 in 1888 to work on a sugar plantation, but later left the plantation to open a business in bustling Kapaa. The building is significant as an unusual example of modern commercial architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

 with Chinese design elements, but also as a forerunner of contemporary supermarket

Supermarket

A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...

s. It was listed on the 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...

in 1979.