| Hilo Walk of Fame | |
 Banyan Drive in 2007 | |
| Namesake | numerous Banyan trees planted by celebrities |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 19°43′32″N155°3′48″W / 19.72556°N 155.06333°W |
Banyan Drive is a tree-lined street at the shoreline of Hilo, Hawaii. It is known as the "Hilo Walk of Fame" for the banyan trees planted by celebrities. These trees have withstood several tsunamis that have devastated the town on the Big Island of Hawaii.
The drive circles the Waiakea Peninsula, near Hilo International Airport, and boasts the largest hotels on the eastern side of the Big Island. It is located in Liliʻuokalani Gardens, and a small footbridge leads to Moku Ola, also known as Coconut Island.
In 1933, several community members decided that it would be a good idea to have celebrities plant banyan tree saplings along the peninsula. In 1934, with the arrival of President Franklin Roosevelt in Hilo, it was decided to build a drive through the trees, then only of crushed coral. At the time, the peninsula hosted the Hilo Yacht club and several homes. In late 1933, Cecil B. DeMille was on the island filming "Four Frightened People". Several of the actors along with Mr. and Mrs. DeMille, all planted trees in their own honor. According to records, 8 trees were planted in October 1933. In addition to the movie stars, one tree was also planted by the famous baseballer, George Herman "Babe" Ruth.
Planting of trees by celebrities continued with an additional 10 trees planted in 1934, 15 in 1935, 6 in 1936, 5 in 1937, 4 in 1938. Two trees were planted in 1941, one in 1952 by Senator Richard Nixon, and two in 1972 by Pat Nixon, one to replace the tree planted by her husband which was lost in a storm and the other to honor her as first lady. In 1991 Polly Mooney replanted a tree lost to a tsunami honoring Civitan International leader Courtney Shropshire. Mrs. Mooney was also honored by being the first woman president of the previously male-dominated Civitan. The tree bears both their names.
Some of the trees were lost due to the effects of tsunamis that once devastated the Hilo coastline. Fifty trees still line Banyan Drive, marked with wooden plaques. Several of the banyan trees in the adjoining golf course may have been planted by honorees.
Most of the trees still thrive along Banyan Drive, having grown into a thick canopy, making it popular for walking. The trees, which still bear the names of the planters, honor movie stars, religious leaders, political leaders, famous authors, adventurers and local Hawaiians.
Banyan Drive is home to several hotels, apartment/condominium buildings, restaurants, and retail buildings. Hotels include:
Restaurants include:
Some hotels and apartment buildings have recently faced financial problems and closures. [9] [10]
The Banyan Drive Redevelopment Agency has proposed new parks, a new cruise ship port, new commercial activity, and a new hotel. [11] A bike trail connecting Banyan Drive to downtown Hilo has been built. [12] Funds at the state and county level are being sought for redevelopment. [13] Uncle Billy's one of the oldest hotels has been demolished and the site cleared for new development.
Movie stars (and directors) include Cecil B. DeMille and his wife Constance, Mary Boland, William Gargan, Edna Best, Herbert Marshall, and Leo Carrillo.
Adventurers who planted trees include pilots Amelia Earhart, Knefler McGinnis and Arctic and Antarctic explorer, Lincoln Ellsworth.
Religious leaders were also honored by planting banyans in Hilo. These include then president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Heber J. Grant, and Dr. John Sonnenberg, Pacific area president, Roman Catholic Bishop Stephen Alencastre, Monshu of the Hongwanji Buddhists Kosho Ohtani, Methodist leader Bishop Gerald Kennedy who planted a tree along the drive but it was not a banyan tree, Japanese Christian reformer Toyohiko Kagawa, YMCA Training School President Dr. L. L. Doggett, and Dr. Daniel A. Poling, once pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church.
Politicians that planted banyans include Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, War Secretary George Dern, Postmaster James Farley, National Guard Chief George Leach, Hawaii County Chairman Helene Hale, Hawaii County Chairman Samuel M. Spencer, Secretary of the Interior Oscar Chapman, and Hawaii Territorial Governor Oren Long.
Hawaiians were often honored on Arbor Day, celebrated in Hawaii on the first Friday of November. Residents of the Territory and later State of Hawai'i include Virginio A. Carvalho, Otto Rose, vulcanologist Dr. Thomas Jaggar, Hawaiian Princess Abigail Kawānanakoa, James McCandless, Dr. Grover Batten, David McHattie Forbes, Benjamin Bond (son of Hawaiian Missionary Elias Bond), hotelier William Kimi, and hotelier George Lycurgus. Father "Louis" Aloysius Borghouts founded the Father Louis Boys' Home for orphans and ran it for 36 years.
Other people honored by banyan tree planting include musician Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, radio celebrity Arthur Godfrey, First Lady Pat Nixon, Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren, Eastern Star's William A. Duvall, Sr., American Legion's Ada Mucklestone and Ray Murphy, author Lewis Browne, Civitan's Courtney Shropshire and Polly Mooney Forestier, Philippine labor and cult leader Hilario Moncado, Boy Scout Executive James West, Cleveland College sociologist Henry Busch, authors Vicki Baum and Fannie Hurst, China's Premier Sun Fo, author and illustrator Hendrik Willem van Loon, Professor of Chinese culture P. C. Chang and cruise director of the RMS Franconia, Ross Hunt Skinner.
Some of the banyan trees were planted in honor of other people. This list includes King George V in honor of his silver jubilee, Hawaiian Park Ranger Albert MacKenzie by his wife on Arbor Day, Girl Scout founder, Juliette Low, by a local Girl Scout troop. Trees were also planted honoring the new Commonwealth of the Philippines by Rev. Yadao and the Shriners.
Hawaii is the largest island in the United States, located in the eponymous state of Hawaii. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of 4,028 square miles (10,430 km2), it has 63% of the Hawaiian archipelago's combined landmass. However, it has only 13% of the archipelago's population. The island of Hawaiʻi is the third largest island in Polynesia, behind the north and south islands of New Zealand.
Hilo is the largest settlement in and the county seat of Hawaiʻi County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaii, and is a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. It is the fourth-largest settlement in the state of Hawaii, the largest settlement in the state outside of Oahu, and the largest settlement in the state outside of the Greater Honolulu Area.
The Phi Phi Islands are an island group in Thailand between the large island of Phuket and the Straits of Malacca coast of Thailand. The islands are administratively part of Krabi Province. Ko Phi Phi Don is the largest and most populated island of the group, although the beaches of the second largest island, Ko Phi Phi Le are visited by many people as well. The rest of the islands in the group, including Bida Nok, Bida Nai, and Ko Mai Phai, are not much more than large limestone rocks jutting out of the sea. The islands are reachable by ferries, speedboats or long-tail boats, most often from Krabi town or from ports in Phuket Province.
The Hawaiʻi Belt Road is a modern name for the Māmalahoa Highway and consists of Hawaiʻi state Routes 11, 19, and 190 that encircle the Island of Hawaiʻi. The southern section, between Hilo and Kailua-Kona is numbered as Route 11. The section between Hilo and Waimea is Route 19. Between Waimea and Kailua-Kona, the road is split in two: the original "mauka" route and a "makai" Route 19, completed in 1975, which serves as access to the Kona and Kohala Coast resorts. In the Hawaiian language, mauka means "towards the mountain" and makai means "towards the sea". These terms are commonly used in travel directions.
Samuel Mahuka Spencer was a Hawaiʻi island politician.
Liliʻuokalani Park and Gardens is a 24.14-acre (97,700 m2) park with Japanese gardens, located on Banyan Drive in Hilo on the island of Hawaiʻi.
Constance Adams DeMille was an American actress and wife of filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille.
The Battle of Mokuʻōhai, fought in 1782 on the island of Hawaiʻi, was a key battle in the early days of Kamehameha I's wars to conquer the Hawaiian Islands. It was his first major victory, solidifying his leadership over much of the island.
Richardson Beach is a Hawaii County park located just east of Hilo, Hawaii, on the Big Island of Hawaii. Adjacent is the Lele'iwi Beach Park.
Kalākaua Park is the central "town square" of the city of Hilo, Hawaii. It is surrounded by historic buildings and includes a war memorial.
Hawaii is one of the few U.S. states where coffee production is a significant economic industry – coffee is the second largest crop produced there. The 2019–2020 coffee harvest in Hawaii was valued at $102.9 million. As of the 2019-2020 harvest, coffee production in Hawaii accounted for 6,900 acres of land.
Coconut Island, or Moku Ola is a small island in Hilo Bay, just offshore from Lili'uokalani Park and Gardens, in Hilo, off the island of Hawaii. It is a small park, and is connected to the main island via a footbridge. The island includes a large grassy field, picnic areas, restroom facilities, and a few tiny sandy beaches. A popular recreational activity is to jump off the tower into the waters of Hilo Bay.
Hilo Bay is a large bay located on the eastern coast of the island of Hawaiʻi.
The Wailoa River State Recreation Area, also known as Wailoa River State Park, is a park in Hilo, on Hawaiʻi Island in the US state of Hawaii. It was developed as a buffer zone following the devastating 1960 tsunami that wiped out the central bayfront district of Hilo.
Peacock Park is a 9.4-acre (3.8 ha) public, urban park where Indian peacocks roam in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida on the shore of Biscayne Bay.
Banyan Group Limited is a Singaporean multinational hospitality brand that was established in 1994.It manages and develops resorts, hotels and spas in Asia, America, Africa and the Middle East. The group comprises 12 global brands, including the flagship brand Banyan Tree. Currently, the Group operates more than 70 hotels and resorts, over 60 spas and galleries, and 14 branded residences in over 20 countries.
Kaialiʻi Kahele is an American politician, educator, and commercial pilot who served as the U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2021 to 2023. From 2016 to 2020, he served in the Hawaii Senate from the 1st District. In 2024, he was elected as a trustee to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, with fellow board members electing him as chair. Kahele is a member of the Democratic Party and the son of the late Hawaii Senate member Gil Kahele.
Hoʻolulu Park is a 56-acre (23 ha) park and recreation center operated by the County of Hawaiʻi in Hilo, Hawaii, east of the Wailoa River State Recreation Area and downtown Hilo, and west of Hilo International Airport. The venues are named for prominent figures from the Hilo area, including Hilo High School basketball coach Ung Soy "Beans" Afook, boxer and sports promoter Richard "Pablo" Chinen, coach and complex supervisor Aunty Sally Kaleohano, swim coach Charles "Sparky" Kawamoto, youth sports organizer Walter Victor, and sports booster Dr. Francis F.C. Wong. Hoʻolulu Park also is the site of the Edith Kanakaʻole Multi-Purpose Stadium, which hosts nationally prominent events, including the Hilo Orchid Show and the Merrie Monarch Festival.
The Grand Naniloa Hotel is a hotel in Hilo, Hawaii, on the eastern side of the Big Island. It is the largest hotel in the state of Hawaii's second largest city, and has the longest history as a hotel on Hawaii Island.
The Hilo Hawaiian Hotel located in Hilo, Hawaii's second largest town, is one of a few relatively large hotels on the east coast of Hawaii Island. It is located, like the Grand Naniloa Hotel, on Banyan Drive.
