A motivational writer once said that we should “look at things not as they are, but as they can be.”
This is the idea behind the Neal S. Blaisdell Master Plan as Honolulu looks to create a civic center that is both dynamic and functional and becomes an integral part of our island lifestyle.
When the Blaisdell, then known as the Honolulu International Center, was dedicated on Sept. 12, 1964, this was the result of a grand vision to honor the men and women of Hawaii who served our country during times of war. Now, as the 22-acre cultural and entertainment center increasingly shows its age despite the valiant efforts of a dedicated staff, it’s time to break the mold and think of the Blaisdell as it can be, not as it is.
The original design of the center reflected the vision of civic and community leaders who dared to dream large as they sought to replace the once-proud Civic Auditorium, which sat on a postage stamp of land near King and Keeaumoku streets. In one swift move they took us from a single modest venue to a 22-acre campus with multiple state-of-the-art concert, entertainment and community gathering spaces.
The change was so exciting that, according to The Honolulu Advertiser, 7,000 people attended the dedication, 300 flaming torches adorned the grounds and a 100-foot-long string of firecrackers exploded into the night. And that was just the first day of an eight-day program.
In a move reminiscent of the original effort, the city is undertaking a significant redevelopment of the 54-year-old campus to better serve our community into the 21st century. Since 2014 the city conducted over 50 group listening sessions with hundreds of people and organizations who shared their ideas as the plans for the redevelopment of the Neal S. Blaisdell Center evolved. Through this process we have been able to capture the best of these concepts and combine them with the notable efforts of our design team into a master plan intended to create a gathering place on par with the noteworthy civic centers across the globe.
In 2017 the cost to redevelop the campus was estimated to be $679 million. As we moved into the design phase of the project and better defined the program, cost estimates increased initially to $716 million and are currently at $772 million. By comparison, the cost to build the center in 1964 was $16.7 million. However, placed in context, we find the proposed redevelopment is consistent with the investment we made as a community in 1964.
For example, the 1964 price tag represented the equivalent of 26 percent of the city’s annual operating budget, and the $772 million estimated construction cost today represents 31 percent of the city’s current operating budget. By comparing the level of investment by the size of city government at the time, we find that the cost of the original vision and today’s proposed redevelopment are similar. This ensures that our dream for the future is as big as the past and we can deliver an experience worthy of the one our leaders provided a half-century ago.
It was true then and it’s true now: all civic projects of this scale are expensive. The difference is that in 1964 the only option to fund construction was the use of long-term bonds. Today, we have the potential to enter into public-private partnerships, which reduce the costs of construction. In the coming months, the city will begin the process of seeking a potential partner to help make the Blaisdell what it can be.
