The sounding of conch shells and the beat of Hawaiian drums intermingled with chanters Friday as the Royal Hawaiian Center unveiled a $2 million upgrade to its Royal Grove and guest services facility.
Among the 300 guests at the event was Dee Jay Mailer, CEO of center owner Kamehameha Schools, which was bequeathed the land that the Royal Hawaiian Center sits on by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. The princess had viewed what she called Helumoa as a place of respite.
"This is really exciting for Kamehameha Schools," Mailer said. "The center has been enormously successful economically, but Princess Pauahi would also want it to be a place where Hawaiian language flows and our students and others can learn about history and culture."
The grove was covered up with shops in 1979 and then partially restored six years ago. The earlier restoration was part of a $120 million effort to turn the center into more of a gathering place where visitors and locals could shop at flagship retailers and at the same time learn about the region’s rich cultural and historical significance.
The latest upgrade, which took five months, further transforms the center of the 310,000-square-foot shopping venue into a place for interpretive heritage, guest hospitality and performances. Pictures and story boards will better educate guests about the 17th-century Oahu chief Kakuhihewa, who according to legend established Helumoa after directing his men to plant coconut trees in an area where a phantom rooster, Kaauhelemoa, scratched the earth.
The story boards and pictures also feature Waikiki place names and landmarks; ruling chiefs of Oahu; and Kamehameha Schools, which uses the center’s proceeds to fund the bulk of its educational system, which serves more than 45,000 learners through its schools and outreach programs annually.
"We understand that Royal Hawaiian Center is not only about shopping and retail, but about a complete experience," said Rosalind Schurgin, CEO of the Festival Cos., which manages Royal Hawaiian Center for Kamehameha Schools. "Through the newly renovated Royal Grove, we offer a place of learning, a place of respite and a place for true Hawaiian hospitality."
The grove’s popularity became apparent after the center’s last major transformation, which was completed six years ago, Schurgin said.
"The open space was immediately successful and was so fully embraced by visitors and the community that we knew that we could do even more to add to the development. Now Helumoa reaches out much more openly to our neighbors," she said.
This latest upgrade opens the grove’s green space and native Hawaiian flora and fauna onto Kalakaua and Seaside avenues and creates garden view planes that stretch all the way back to the neighboring Royal Hawaiian Hotel and the Sheraton Waikiki. An upgraded waterfall feature incorporates the spirit of Waikiki, which means "spouting water," into the design. The redevelopment also establishes a larger and more well-lit 30,000-square-foot venue for Hawaiian entertainment and educational opportunities such as the hula kahiko (ancient-style Hawaiian dancing) performances that take place in the grove from 6 to 7 p.m. every Saturday. The center has also added a 942-square-foot hospitality and guest services building where visitors can watch documentaries, tour exhibits and attend educational talks about the center and its connection to old Hawaii.
The new space will allow Royal Hawaiian Center to better fulfill its cultural objectives to provide a space where kamaaina and malihini can learn about Hawaiian performing and visual arts, the native landscape, history and language, Mailer said.
"Our cultural objectives are very important to us," she said.
The redesign also is expected to be good for the center’s 110 shops and restaurants, which depend heavily on foot traffic. Billy Giang, who anticipates opening Pho Factory and Curry Café in the Royal Hawaiian Center’s food court Nov. 15, said he chose the location because it was in the center of Waikiki and he believes that the center’s improvements will draw customers.
"Having a warmer welcoming focal point and seating area with free shows is a very nice way to pull tourists in from the street," Giang said. "It’s all about location, location, location. We think we’ll be able to be very successful here."
