February 10, 105 Letter to City and County of Honolulu regarding Neil S. Blasidell Center

February 10, 105 Letter to City and County of Honolulu regarding Neil S. Blasidell Center

An advocacy letter written by Docomomo Hawaii regarding planned redevelopment of the Neil S. Blaisdell Concert Hall.

George I. Atta, Director
Department of Planning and Permitting
City and County of Honolulu
650 S. King Street, 7th Floor
Honolulu, HI 96813


February 10, 2015
Subject: Blaisdell Center Redevelopment

Dear Mr. Atta,
Honolulu is on the verge of something special. The last ten years have seen a
rediscovery of mid-century modern architecture, particularly among people under
40. Nationally, architectural tourism is on the rise and cities like Columbus,
Indiana, and Palm Springs, California, bring in millions of dollars based on their
beautiful modern design heritage. Honolulu is blessed with dozens of its own
modern icons including the Board of Water Supply, the Liljestrand house and even
our State Capitol building. This letter is in reference to two of these important
pieces of Honolulu’s modernist heritage—the Blaisdell Arena and Concert Hall.
As you know, the City and County of Honolulu has begun discussions about how
to revitalize the Blaisdell Center campus and create a thriving arts district around it.
Docomomo US/Hawai‘i Chapter applauds this effort and the attention it will bring
to two of the city’s most important and iconic works of architecture. There is no
question that the Blaisdell Center Arena and Concert Hall are historically
significant, which is why the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation placed them on its
Hawai‘i’s Most Endangered Places list, and why the State Historic Preservation
Division (SHPD) determined that both buildings are eligible for the State and
National Register of Historic Places. This historic status requires that any future
development plans receive SHPD concurrence in accordance with Section 6E-8,
HRS.


Thankfully, there are many options to achieve the city’s goals that do not include
affecting the significant qualities of the Blaisdell Arena and Concert Hall. Some
are simple, such as placemaking signage and wayfinding improvements that take
into account the modern design legacy of the campus. Others are more involved;
like redeveloping the less significant exhibition hall site in a way that is sympathetic
to the two historic buildings on the campus. Whichever option is chosen, we hope
that it is a plan that preserves the architecturally significant Arena and Concert
Hall buildings. They are, after all, two of the arts district’s biggest and most iconic
works of art.

Blaisdell Center was built in 1964 to be a world-class arts and entertainment
campus. We support the City’s interest in reviving that vision and would like to be
included in future dialogue about the site. We look forward to a new arts district
brimming with great art, theater, music, history and architecture that draws
residents and tourists for generations to come. With the spruced up Blaisdell
Center Arena and Concert Hall serving as architectural anchors for this proposed
cultural zone, Honolulu would join other well-planned cities that move forward to
an enriched future by strategically preserving the past.

Docomomo US/Hawai‘i Chapter
Docomomo stands for the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and
neighborhoods of the Modern Movement. Docomomo US/Hawai‘i Chapter
promotes the study, interpretation and protection of the architecture, landscapes
and urban design of the Modern Movement and aims to encourage a sense of
regional and national pride for the rich legacy of the Modern Movement within the
Pacific Islands. Docomomo US/Hawai‘i Chapter is a regional chapter of the
international organization Docomomo International.

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