Frear Trust Gift Supports Hawaiian Hall Renovation Projects Only Surviving Example of Hawaiian House to be Restored
The only surviving example of an authentic Hawaiian House in Hawai‘i today is the Hale Pili (grass house) at Bishop Museum. The Mary D. and Walter F. Frear Eleemosynary Trust has recently announced a major gift of $500,000 to support the renovation of the iconic Hawaiian Hall, with a special earmark for the restoration of the Hale Pili, and other needed projects. “We are extremely grateful to the Frear Eleemosynary Trust for providing much needed funding towards the restoration of Hawaiian Hall, the world’s premiere showcase of Hawaiian and Pacific cultures,” says Robin Midkiff, co-chair of the $20 million Hawaiian Hall Restoration Campaign. “The restoration of the Hale Pili"the last-standing example of early Native Hawaiian architecture"and other much needed restoration work will be made possible by this generous grant.”
(Media-Newswire.com) - The only surviving example of an authentic Hawaiian House in Hawai‘i today is the Hale Pili ( grass house ) at Bishop Museum. The Mary D. and Walter F. Frear Eleemosynary Trust has recently announced a major gift of $500,000 to support the renovation of the iconic Hawaiian Hall, with a special earmark for the restoration of the Hale Pili, and other needed projects.
“We are extremely grateful to the Frear Eleemosynary Trust for providing much needed funding towards the restoration of Hawaiian Hall, the world’s premiere showcase of Hawaiian and Pacific cultures,” says Robin Midkiff, co-chair of the $20 million Hawaiian Hall Restoration Campaign. “The restoration of the Hale Pili—the last-standing example of early Native Hawaiian architecture—and other much needed restoration work will be made possible by this generous grant.”
Hawaiian Hall was closed in July 2006 to undergo a $20 million renovation and reinstallation project. Noted museum renovation expert, Fray Heath of Heath Construction Services and Hawai‘i Architect Glenn Mason of Mason Architects are overseeing the renovation. Renowned museum designer, Ralph Appelbaum of Ralph Appelbaum Associates and a team of cultural advisers and Museum staff are collaborating on the reinstallation of the Hawaiian artifacts. Bishop Museum’s collection of Hawaiian artifacts is unrivaled in the world. The new reinstallation will present these important cultural materials in a new, world-class setting.
The Hawaiian Hall project is the first major renovation of the iconic building since 1903. The renovation and reinstallation will take more than 2 years before reopening in December 2008. With this generous grant from the Frear Trust, Bishop Museum has raised approximately $13 million of the $20 million needed to complete the restoration work.
The Hale Pili, one of the central exhibits on the first floor of Hawaiian Hall, was built before 1800 in Miloli‘i Valley on the island of Kaua‘i. It had been abandoned for years before coming to the Museum. The house was dismantled and its parts transported to Honolulu, where it was reassembled in 1902. It is the subject of a Bishop Press 1988 publication, The Hawaiian Grass House in Bishop Museum, by Catherine Summers.
According to Summers, the style of the house is a modification made by the Hawaiians, in historic time, of their pre-historic gabled-roof houses. It was the idea of William Brigham, Bishop Museum’s Director from 1898 to 1920, to bring the house to Honolulu for display. The house was built on a stone foundation ( kahua ) to be finished in the old Hawaiian way. Uki uki leaves for making the cordage were gathered from an area near what is now Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The pili grass came from Ni‘ihau. The frame was cut from an old house on Kaua‘i by stone tools from the hardest and most durable of all Hawaiian woods, naio, kauila, and uhiuhi. The construction and transportation fees to bring the Hale to Bishop Museum were about $370 in 1902.
From time to time, small repairs were made to the house, and in 1950s the house was sprayed with fire-proof material. In 1970, Russell Apple from the National Park Service and Bishop Museum anthropology staff member Naomi Clark completed some minor repairs to the pili grass and lashings.
For this new project, Bishop Museum is fortunate to working with experienced hale builders who will guide and lead in the gathering of materials and the reconstruction of the hale. Daniel Poma‘ikai Kaniaupio-Crozier, in collaboration with Leo Kanaka, a group of experienced practitioners, carefully dismantled the Hale, which has existed in Hawaiian Hall for over a century without being moved. Earlier construction techniques were examined and recorded, and the group discovered important lessons as the pili thatch was removed in layers. Each wooden pole and support was identified and individually tagged. Some of the supports, after years of use, are now too deteriorated to be used again, but were retained for study.
“The current restoration will involve first the assessment of the existing pieces from the dismantled hale. As much as possible, the original members will be salvaged for reuse. The actual construction of the Museum’s Hale Pili begins with locating proper natural building materials, collecting these, and preparing them for use. This is a significant task that will require considerable time and skill. For example, it is projected that 7,000 feet of lashing cordage will be needed,” says Betty Kam, Vice President for Cultural Resources. “Gathering a sufficient amount of the preferred plant leaves, uki uki, will in itself be a challenge, but it is just one task in preparing the final cordage. The reconstruction of the Hale Pili will require great resources. But more importantly, it will demand the honing of traditional skills and the dedication of individuals committed to an authenticated reconstruction.”
The Mary D. and Walter F. Frear Eleemosynary Trust was established in 1936 for religious, charitable, scientific, literary and educational purposes. Mrs. Frear had particular interests in education and cultural programs in art, drama, music, and nature.
For more information about Hawaiian Hall Renovation Project or the Hale Pili, call ( 808 ) 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org . To find out more about ways to help with the restoration and renovation of Hawaiian Hall, call Amy Miller at ( 808 ) 848-4169.
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