PHOTO CREDIT Historic Hawai'i Foundation: Yvette Sahut (far left), legislative assistant to the Kaua'i County Council, and Kaua'i County Managing Director Gary Heu (second from left) pose with representatives of Amel Technologies, Inc., Martin and Chock, Mason Architects, and Shioi Construction after accepting a Preservation Honor Award from the Historic Hawai'i Foundation for the restoration of Kaua'i's Historic County Building.
By Staff Reports
(Kaua’i)– The County of Kaua’i was among those recently honored by the Historic Hawai’i Foundation for exemplary achievement in the field of historic preservation.
A Preservation Honor Award for the restoration of the Historic County Building was presented to the county, along with other parties involved in the project including: Kaua’i Historical Society; Mason Architects, Inc.; Shioi Construction; Portech Engineering; Martin & Chock; Prepose Engineering Systems; Douglas Engineering Pacific, and AMEL Technologies, Inc.
The presentation was made at the 37th annual Preservation Honor Awards ceremony held in Honolulu at the Neal Blaisdell Center. Managing Director Gary Heu and Yvette Sahut, legislative assistant to the County Council, accepted the award on behalf of the county.
“Receiving this award is a testament to the high level of commitment that everyone who played a part in this project had to restoring the original design of the Historic County Building and preserving it for future generations,” said Heu. “We are especially grateful to Phyllis Kunimura and Robert Schleck, co-chairs of the Kaua’i County Building Restoration Committee, for their vision and perseverance.”
“As the Historic County Building turned 100 years old this month, the Kaua’i County Council is honored to receive this prestigious award from the Historic Hawai’i Foundation. The renovation of the Historic County Building was a tremendous collaborative effort by a number of entities to uphold the historic significance and qualities of the building and we are very proud of the final outcome,” said Council Chair Jay Furfaro.
Designed with Neoclassical Revival features such as the two-story Ionic columns on the front of the building, the Historic County Building underwent a 16-month restoration. It reopened in September of last year.
Major work was done to the interior of the building including: the restoration of the Council Chambers to its circa early-1940s appearance; recreation of scored plaster wainscot; recovery of the original concrete floors; and the original color scheme was restored.
The exterior restoration of the Historic County Building included: reconstruction of the lost cornice; new roofing; and installation of the pyramidal-shaped skylight and casement-style windows.
Two other Kaua’i projects were also recognized at the awards ceremony.
The first, a keepsake volume titled “Lîhu’e Mill: Grinding Cane & Building Community”, a joint effort of Pahio Development Inc. and Lîhu’e MS; Island Strategy, LLC and Barbara Pope Book Design, received a Presentation Media Award for its interpretation of the history and physical characteristics of a building that played a significant role in the shaping of Kaua’i’s history.
The other honoree was the Holo Holo Kôloa Scenic Byway project, which was spearheaded by the Kôloa Community Association and Hui Malama O Kôloa in partnership with the Po’ipû Beach Resort Association, Ho’okuleana LLC and the state Department of Transportation. The Kôloa project garnered a Preservation Commendation for the community effort that developed a historic corridor to give travelers a look at the historic and socio-economic evolution of the Kôloa-Po’ipû area.