United States Marine Hospital (Lahaina, Hawaii)

Last updated
Lahaina Historic District
Maui-Lahaina-USSeamensHospital-front.JPG
The building in 2010
Location map Lahaina.png
Red pog.svg
Location map Maui.png
Red pog.svg
USA Hawaii location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationFront Street, Lahaina, Hawaii
Coordinates 20°52′46.7″N156°40′59.4″W / 20.879639°N 156.683167°W / 20.879639; -156.683167
NRHP reference No. 66000302
HRHP No.50-50-03-03001
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966 [1]
Designated NHLDCPDecember 29, 1962 [2]
Designated HRHPOctober 15, 1966 [3]

The U.S. Marine Hospital, also known as the U.S. Seamen's Hospital, was one of the earliest remaining buildings in Lahaina, Hawaii. [4] It is listed as a contributing property to the Lahaina Historic District. [5]

Contents

The building was constructed in the 1830s as a secret hideaway for King of Hawaii Kamehameha III, and then used as a U.S. Marine Hospital during 1844–1862. Afterwards, it was used by the Anglican Church as a school, and later as a clergy house. It was purchased in 1909 by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate and used as a residence. However, the building deteriorated and was a pile of rubble by 1980. It was restored in 1982 by the Lahaina Restoration Foundation. The building was again destroyed in the 2023 Hawaii wildfires, with only the stone exterior walls remaining.

History

Early history

The land was granted by King of Hawaii Kamehameha III to Joaquin Armas, a cowboy and immigrant from Alta California, in 1831. [4] [6] The construction of the building on the property was commissioned by the King in 1833 as an inn and store for sailors, and as a remote location for the King to escape the attention of the Christian missionaries. [6] The royal involvement in the building's construction was kept secret. The building additionally held a Chinese store in its early years. [7] [8]

Hospital

The building was in use as a U.S. Marine Hospital for the benefit of civilian mariners beginning in 1844. At first, Armas leased the building to the U.S. government, but after his death, the property was auctioned off in 1855 to a John Nutter, who immediately resold it to James R. Dow, the physician in charge of the hospital at that time. [4] At the time of its opening, there were no other hospitals in Hawaii. [9] The hospital could accommodate about 60 men, [5] and had three staff. [10] During the boom years of whaling, it had well over a hundred patients each year. [9]

The hospital was closed in 1862 after a U.S. Department of State investigation found widespread graft in the administration of the hospital, [4] [9] including doctors charging fees to the U.S. government for already-dead patients, and also because the whaling industry had declined during the American Civil War. [6]

Private use

The building in 1868 in use as an Anglican school Lahaina Marine Hospital 1868.png
The building in 1868 in use as an Anglican school
The building in 1966 in use for apartments SOUTHEAST SIDE - U. S. Marine Hospital, 1038 Front Street, Lahaina, Maui County, HI HABS HI,5-LAHA,10-2.tif
The building in 1966 in use for apartments

In 1865, the Anglican Church in Hawaii leased the property to house the St. Cross School for Girls. After Dow's death, Priscilla Sellon, the Anglican Mother Superior, purchased the property in 1872. The school closed in 1877, and the Anglican Church then purchased the property from Sellon's estate in 1878. It was used for many years as a clergy house for the Anglican ministers, but gradually deteriorated. [4] [9]

It was acquired by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate in 1909 in exchange for another piece of property. [4] In 1962, it was listed as a contributing property to the Lahaina Historic District, and in 1966 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in its own right. At the time, it was in use as a tenement residence and was considered in fair condition, although the exterior stone walls had been covered with shingles. [5] [11] Later, it was used as a community meeting hall. [12] However, by 1970 it was considered at risk of disintegration. [13]

Restoration

The ruined building in August 2023, just after the Hawaii wildfires FEMA - 7977290.jpg
The ruined building in August 2023, just after the Hawaii wildfires

The Lahaina Restoration Foundation acquired the building from the Bishop Estate in 1974. [6] At the time, it was described as a ruin. That same year, the Historic Commission approved construction of condominiums surrounding the Marine Hospital. In 1976, two local residents tried to force an environmental impact statement to be made for the condominium construction, but they were unsuccessful because that requirement was only instituted in June 1975, after the Historic Commission approval. [14] [15] Ultimately, vibrations from the condominium construction caused the Marine Hospital's walls to collapse into rubble by 1980. [12] [16] [17]

It was restored by architect Uwe Schulz, who personally funded the restoration in return for a 20-year lease on the property. The restoration was completed in 1982. As of 2023, the Lahaina Restoration Foundation leased out the building for business use. [6]

The building's interior was destroyed in the 2023 Hawaii wildfires, with the stone walls remaining standing. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lahaina, Hawaii</span> Settlement in Maui County, Hawaii, United States

Lahaina is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. On the northwest coast of the island of Maui, it encompasses Lahaina town and the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, Lahaina had a resident population of 12,702. The CDP spans the coast along Hawaii Route 30 from a tunnel at the south end, through Olowalu, and to the CDPs of Kaanapali and Napili-Honokowai to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernice Pauahi Bishop</span> Hawaiian aristocrat and philanthropist

Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop KGCOK RoK was an aliʻi (noble) of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii and a well known philanthropist. At her death, her estate was the largest private landownership in the Hawaiian Islands, comprising approximately 9% of Hawaii's total area. The revenues from these lands are used to operate the Kamehameha Schools, which were established in 1887 according to Pauahi's will. Pauahi was married to businessman and philanthropist Charles Reed Bishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamehameha Schools</span> Private, college-prep school in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, United States

Kamehameha Schools, formerly called Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate (KSBE), is a private school system in Hawaiʻi established by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, under the terms of the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who was a formal member of the House of Kamehameha. Bishop's will established a trust called the "Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate" that is Hawaiʻi's largest private landowner. Originally established in 1887 as an all-boys school for native Hawaiian children, it shared its grounds with the Bishop Museum. After it moved to another location, the museum took over two school halls. Kamehameha Schools opened its girls' school in 1894. It became coeducational in 1965. The 600-acre (2.4 km2) Kapālama campus opened in 1931, while the Maui and Hawaiʻi campuses opened in 1996 and 2001, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop Museum</span> Museum of history and science in Hawaii, United States

The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaiʻi State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1889, it is the largest museum in Hawaiʻi and has the world's largest collection of Polynesian cultural artifacts and natural history specimens. Besides the comprehensive exhibits of Hawaiian cultural material, the museum's total holding of natural history specimens exceeds 24 million, of which the entomological collection alone represents more than 13.5 million specimens. The Index Herbariorum code assigned to Herbarium Pacificum of this museum is BISH and this abbreviation is used when citing housed herbarium specimens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ala Moana Center</span> Shopping mall in Honolulu, Hawaii, US

The Ala Moana Center, commonly known simply as Ala Moana, is a large open-air shopping mall in the Ala Moana neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. Owned by Brookfield Properties, Ala Moana is the eighth largest shopping mall in the United States and the largest open-air shopping center in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Mausoleum (Mauna ʻAla)</span> United States historic place

Mauna ʻAla in the Hawaiian language, is the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii and the final resting place of Hawaii's two prominent royal families: the Kamehameha Dynasty and the Kalākaua Dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Lanakila Catholic Church</span> Historic church in Hawaii, United States

Maria Lanakila Catholic Church is a parish of the Catholic Church of Hawaii in the United States. Located in Lahaina on the island of Maui, the church falls under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Honolulu and its bishop. The parish has a mission in Kapalua under the title of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Maria Lanakila means "Victorious Mary", the Hawaiian language equivalent to the English language epithet "Our Lady of Victory", which refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaniakapupu</span> Historic ruin in Hawaii, United States

Kaniakapūpū, known formerly as Luakaha, is the ruins of the former summer palace of King Kamehameha III and Queen Kalama on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Built in the 1840s, and situated in the cool uplands of the Nuʻuanu Valley, it served as the king and queen's summer retreat after the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii moved from Lahaina to Honolulu in 1845. It was famous for being the site of a grand luau attended by an estimated ten thousand guests during the 1847 Hawaiian Sovereignty Restoration Day celebration. The palace had fallen into ruins by 1874; no records exist about its condition in the intervening years. Rediscovered in the 1950s, the site was cleared and efforts were made to stabilize the ruins from further damage by the elements and invasive plant growth. The site remains officially off-limits to the public and trespassers are subjected to citations, although the site is not regularly monitored.

Hawaii Superferry was a Hawaii-based transportation company that provided passenger and vehicle transportation between Honolulu Harbor on the island of Oʻahu and Kahului Harbor on Maui. Legal issues over environmental impact statements and protests from residents of Maui and Kauaʻi temporarily delayed the implementation of service, but service between Oʻahu and Maui began in December 2007. The company had hoped to return service to Nawiliwili Harbor on Kauaʻi and additionally planned to eventually provide service to Kawaihae Harbor on the Big Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wo Hing Society Hall</span> United States historic place

The Wo Hing Society Hall was a building located at 858 Front Street in the Lahaina Historic District in Lahaina, Hawaii. Built around 1912, it served the growing Chinese population centered in Lahaina, primarily those working in the sugarcane industry as a social and fraternal hall for the Wo Hing Society. By the 1940s the declining Chinese population in Lahaina slowly made the building redundant and the property was neglected.

At their peak, there were six Chinese Society Halls on Maui. Operated by the Gee Kung Tong Society, these halls were created to provide services to immigrant Chinese workers, mostly working for the sugarcane plantations. All provided religious and political help, in addition to mutual aid. Only the Wo Hing Society Hall in Lahaina and the Ket Hing Society Hall in Kula have survived. Both were placed on the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places on July 30, 1982, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 1982. The Chee Kung Tong Society Hall was placed onto both State and Federal registers, but collapsed in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lahaina Historic District</span> Historic district in Hawaii, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Kaopaulu Peabody</span> Hawaiian chiefess and lady-in-waiting (1840–1928)

Lucy Kaopaulu Peabody was a high chiefess and courtier of the Kingdom of Hawaii. She served as a maid of honour and lady-in-waiting to Queen Emma of Hawaii. In 1905, she founded the reestablished Kaʻahumanu Society, a female-led civic society initially chartered during the Hawaiian monarchy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Andrew's Schools</span> Girls, private, preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, United States

St. Andrew's Schools is a private K–12 school in Honolulu, Hawaii. Made up of The Priory, an all-girls K–12 program with a college preparatory school; The Prep, the all-boys K–5 program; and a co-educational preschool for ages 2–5 years in the Nu'uanu valley. Founded in 1867 by Queen Emma Kaleleonālani, wife of King Kamehameha IV, the schools enroll students in preschool through grade 12 year round. The enrollment is about 550, with a student-teacher ratio of 8 to 1. Today, the school is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. It is administered by a board of trustees and is the oldest all-girls school in Hawai'i. More than half the faculty have advanced degrees, and virtually 100% of graduates attend four-year colleges and universities across the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwight Baldwin (missionary)</span> American Christian missionary and physician on Maui during the Kingdom of Hawaii

Dwight Baldwin was an American Christian missionary and medical doctor on Maui, one of the Hawaiian Islands, during the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was patriarch of a family that founded some of the largest businesses in the islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waiola Church</span> Historic church and cemetery in Hawaii, United States

Waiola Church and Cemetery in Lāhainā is the site of a historic mission established in 1823 on the island of Maui in Hawaiʻi. Originally called Waineʻe Church until 1953, the cemetery is the final resting place for early members of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lahaina Banyan Court Park</span> Public park in Lahaina, Hawaii

Lahaina Banyan Court Park is a public park in the town of Lahaina, Hawaii, The 1.94 acres (0.79 ha) park, also known as Lahaina Courthouse Square and commonly called Banyan Tree Park, contains multiple heritage sites. Located at the corner of Front Street and Canal Street, it is part of the Lahaina Historic Districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Nahaolelua</span> Hawaiian high chief (1806–1875)

Paul Nahaolelua was a Hawaiian high chief who served many political posts in the Kingdom of Hawaii, including Governor of Maui from 1852 to 1874. In his long political career, Nahaolelua served under the reigns of five monarchs: Kamehameha III, Kamehameha IV and Kamehameha V, Lunalilo and Kalākaua.

Mary Lambert Jones Dominis was an American settler of Hawaii and the first mistress of Washington Place in Honolulu. Born into a large New England family, she married merchant sea Captain John Dominis, for whom Honolulu was a frequent port of trade. The couple relocated in 1837 to the Hawaiian Kingdom with their son John Owen Dominis. Their two daughters remained behind to complete their education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Hawaii wildfires</span> Deadly wildfires on Maui and Hawaiʻi, U.S.

In early August 2023, a series of wildfires broke out in the U.S. state of Hawaii, predominantly on the island of Maui. The wind-driven fires prompted evacuations and caused widespread damage, killing at least 101 people and leaving two persons missing in the town of Lahaina on Maui's northwest coast. The proliferation of the wildfires was attributed to dry, gusty conditions created by a strong high-pressure area north of Hawaii and Hurricane Dora to the south.

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. ↑ "Historic Register Counts". Hawai'i State Historic Preservation Division. State of Hawaii. February 1, 2022. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gorokhoff, Cecilia J. (September 1966). "Historic American Buildings Survey: U.S. Marine Hospital, HABS No. HI-11" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  5. 1 2 3 Apple, Russell A. (1973-12-21). "National Historic Landmark 1974 Update: Lahaina (historic district)" (pdf). National Park Service. p. 16. Archived from the original on 2023-08-31. Retrieved 2023-08-13.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "U.S. Seamen's Hospital: Oh, if these walls could talk!". Lahaina Restoration Foundation. 2014-04-20. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  7. ↑ Hibbard, Don J. (2018-07-16). "Office Building (Seaman's Hospital)". Society of Architectural Historians. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  8. ↑ "Restoration target". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 1976-10-08. Archived from the original on 2023-09-03. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Pyle, Dorothy. "The Intriguing Seamen's Hospital" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-09-09. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  10. ↑ Young, Peter T. (2014-09-10). "US Marine Hospital". Images of Old Hawaiʻi. Archived from the original on 2023-09-09. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  11. ↑ "Lahaina: the second of two picture-features on the Maui community's restoration plan". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 1961-09-28. Archived from the original on 2023-09-09. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  12. 1 2 "Public health memorial: Lahaina hospital restored". The Honolulu Advertiser. 1982-04-12. p. 8. Archived from the original on 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  13. ↑ Johnson, Robert (1970-03-23). "Lahaina restoration aides report gains". The Honolulu Advertiser. Archived from the original on 2023-08-18. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  14. ↑ "Condominium project in Lahaina gets OK for shoreline permit". The Honolulu Advertiser. 1978-11-11. Archived from the original on 2023-08-28. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  15. ↑ McCabe, Robert (1976-11-10). "Planner OK two projects on valley isle". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. 65. Archived from the original on 2023-08-28. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  16. ↑ "Restoration of hospital is observed in Lahaina". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 1982-04-13. Archived from the original on 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  17. ↑ "A bit of old Lahaina reborn". The Honolulu Advertiser. 1982-04-13. Archived from the original on 2023-08-18. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  18. ↑ "Scenes From the Hawaii Fires and the Aftermath". The New York Times. 2023-08-11. Archived from the original on 2023-08-13. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.