Question: Whatever happened to renovations that were supposed to be done at the Kamamalu Building downtown?
Answer: The Princess Victoria Kamamalu Building across from ‘Iolani Palace and Hawaiian Electric Co. was vacated for renovations in 2003 and remains empty today, although plans are finally under way to complete the project.
Renovations were supposed to begin in 2005, but an increase in costs for both labor and construction materials prevented the state from moving forward.
However, in May Gov. Neil Abercrombie and labor union leaders announced a project labor agreement that was created to prevent conflicts like labor stoppages and budget issues from affecting large, overdue state projects like the renovation of the Kamamalu Building.
The estimated cost to renovate Kamamalu is $32.9 million and includes electrical and plumbing repairs, asbestos removal and tackling infrastructure problems.
The work also includes design and construction that meets the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED standards.
“A Project Labor Agreement provides a mechanism for collaboration on certain projects to prevent potential conflicts among labor unions,” Abercrombie said in a prepared statement back in May. “Our local economy has shown signs of improvement, but we cannot afford to lose this momentum by prolonging projects from getting done in a timely manner.”
The Department of Accounting and General Services is currently proceeding with the design phase of renovation work and the target date for completion of construction is September 2015, said R.J. Yahiku, a representative of the state comptroller’s office.
Once completed, the current plan is to “accommodate relocation and consolidation of various state offices from commercial office lease spaces on the island of Oahu,” Yahiku said.
More than 300 employees of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs were relocated to the King Kalakaua Building after the Kamamalu closure, which was only supposed to be for a few years.
Built in 1957, the Kamamalu Building was once listed as the tallest commercial building in Honolulu, standing nine stories. The state purchased it in 1968 from Hawaii Trust Co. for $2.5 million.
Visiting Washington state resident Rosemary Delarentis, 58, described the building at 250 S. King St. as an “eyesore.”
While enjoying an event on the grounds of ‘Iolani Palace Tuesday, Delarentis said she only noticed the building because of the graffiti on the exterior walls facing the palace.
“It’s smack-dab in the middle of a city, surrounded by beautiful buildings,” Delarentis said, “It shouldn’t look like that … Someone needs to do something to it.”
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This update was written by ‘Alohi Bikle. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To…” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.
