Among many remarkable facts about the Cooke manse in Manoa is that a part of the Cooke family for more than 100 years has lived at Kualii. Sam and Mary Cooke reside there now. The result is a historic preservation endeavor probably without parallel in Hawaii.
This gem of a preservation project is more so because this one family has made no major changes to the residence no add-ons, no color changes, no noticeable modifications except some electrical and plumbing upgrades and a more functional kitchen. Inside and out, Kualii is an intact historic residence.
What’s more remarkable is the family will eventually give Kualii and its 3 acres of grounds completely to the community. That carries on a family tradition of giving extraordinary properties to the citizens of Hawaii.
For example, Sam’s great-grandmother, Anna Rice Cooke, gave the land and built the building for the Honolulu Museum of Art on Beretania. The Cookes also gave the 1820 Mission House on King Street to the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society for the benefit of everyone, residents and visitors alike.
The Manoa Heritage Center, founded in 1994, consists of three parts: Kualii is the anchor, and the two other parts are the Kukaoo heiau and an extensive native Hawaiian plant garden that surrounds the heiau.
Luckily for the community, the heiau was saved from destruction twice by the Cooke family.
When Sam’s grandfather, Charles Montague Cooke Jr., contracted with Emory &Webb in 1911 to design Kualii, the architects (who also designed the historic Hawaii Theatre and The Advertiser building at Kapiolani and South streets) wanted to place the residence where the heiau had stood for hundreds of years. Sam’s grandfather was adamantly opposed because of his closeness to the Native Hawaiian community, so his residence was respectfully built nearer to Manoa Road; thus the heiau was preserved the first time.
The second time it was saved was when Sam and Mary took up residence at Kualii in 1970 and acquired from a developer the adjacent land where the heiau stands. By then the heiau had deteriorated badly. Being the preservationists they are, the Cookes contracted with the foremost Native Hawaiian stone mason, Billy Fields, who came with a crew and with great sensitivity to native culture. He built back the heiau to its original state according to extensive archaeological research.
The residence Kualii, named for an ancient and benevolent Hawaiian chief, was built in 1911 for $40,000. According to architect Joe Ferraro, "Kualii was planned as three bays with a large two-story port cochere off the center bay and gables on each outer bay. The lava-rock basement and first floor support the half-timber and stucco second and third floors. There are two massive stone chimneys anchoring the outside bays, one serving the kitchen and the other the living room."
The Cookes created a nonprofit called the Manoa Heritage Center in the mid-’90s as a means of making their property available to the public.
Today, many school kids and adults tour the property with a trained docent. On the tours people learn about the history of Manoa Valley and the Cooke family, whose civic and business contributions to Hawaii go way beyond those already mentioned.
A little known fact about Kualii that tells of the humanity of the place is an extensive archive in a climate-controlled space created by Mary Cooke. Here are the records of the family history, photos, artwork and accounts of daily life of a bygone era created originally by Sam’s grandmother, Lila Lefferts Cooke. Today Mary Cooke continues to add to this treasure of an archive.
People on an MHC tour also learn the history of Kukaoo heiau. Docents help people become familiar with the uses of native plants, of which there are 30 to 40 species in the MHC garden.
Tours of the MHC gardens are by appointment only. The tours do not include the interior of Kualii since it remains a private residence.
Disclosure: David Cheever is a docent and a member of the board of directors of the Manoa Heritage Center.
Keep Hawaii Hawaii is a monthly column on island architecture and urban planning. Robert M. Fox, president of Fox Hawaii Inc., studied architecture in California and Japan. He was one of the founders of the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation in 1974. David Cheever, owner of David Cheever Marketing, has served on the boards of the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation and the Hawaii Architectural Foundation. Send comments to keephawaiihawaii@staradvertiser.com.
