Tour highlights Kauai county building’s rich history

Few people talk about their workplace with as much pride and passion as Kauai County Council Chairman Jay Furfaro. The Historic County Building, which recently turned 100 years old, houses the offices of the seven-member Kauai County Council, the county clerk and the Kauai Historical Society.

Once a month, Furfaro leads a tour of the imposing structure — a Lihue landmark that holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously used county building in Hawaii.

Furfaro is a history buff whose 40-year career as a hospitality industry executive included stints as president of the Kauai chapter of the Hawaii Hotel Association (now the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association) and general manager of Sheraton and Outrigger resorts on Kauai and in Tahiti and the Cook Islands. He is also a former trustee of the Kauai Museum and a past president of the Kauai Historical Society.

According to Furfaro, the land on which the Historic County Building stands was originally part of Lihue Sugar Plantation’s Cane Field No. 14. In April 1912 the county’s Board of Supervisors (now the County Council) bought five acres of that field for $2,500 to build a seat of government.

The Historic County Building was completed in December 1913 at a cost of $60,000, including furnishings. In 1936 the Annex Building was constructed (it’s currently the headquarters for the county’s Elections Division), and two years later what’s known today as the Old Courthouse opened its doors. The three buildings make up the Lihue Civic Center Historic District, which was placed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 1981.

Before the Annex Building and the Old Courthouse (now vacant) were built, all government business, including that of the Judiciary and Finance departments, was conducted in the Historic County Building. Hono­lulu architects C.B. Ripley and Louis Davis designed it in the Greek Revival style that was popular at the time. Features include ornate molded cornices, large Ionic columns and pyramid steps leading to a two-story portico.

On May 9, 1914, a lavish ball celebrated the official opening of the building, whose exterior was festooned with flowers and bunting for the festivities. In its coverage of the event, The Garden Island newspaper noted that the Kapaia Band gave an outdoor concert early in the evening and later played indoors. String music was provided by the Wai­mea-based Ilima Glee Club, which was "divided so as to accommodate dancing parties in the various halls."

Among the esteemed Kauai families in attendance were the Rices, Isenbergs, Wilcoxes and Wishards. "It was," the paper reported, "the biggest, swellest, most successful social event on Kauai."

Over the years, as government administrations changed, so did the building; for example, fluorescent lights were installed, ceilings were lowered and walls were erected in large rooms to create private offices. During Mayor Antone Vi-dinha’s term from 1969 to 1972, the building was painted pink with green trim, and the copper columns rising from the base of the staircase in the lobby and the copper railings lining the staircase and the second floor were painted black.

When Mayor Tony Kuni­mura took office in 1982, he and his wife, Phyllis, expressed their desire to restore the building’s original look. They enlisted the help of Bob Schleck, director of Grove Farm Museum, and a committee of citizens to raise funds and guide the work, which included gathering original furnishings.

One artifact that dates back to the building’s opening day is the tall wooden clock in the atrium, which came from England. Setting, oiling and tuning up the venerable timepiece and its pendulum require the attention of Glenn Frazier, a wedding officiant from Princeville who happens to be one of the few people in Hawaii with such expertise.

In 2010 and 2011 the Historic County Building underwent a $4.8 million, 16-month renovation that included restoring its limestone floor, painting its interior and exterior, and installing new plumbing and wiring.

When the building reopened in September 2011, Furfaro collaborated with Schleck and the Kauai Historical Society to develop an hourlong tour that would, he said, "welcome the people of Kauai to their government building and help them and visitors understand the rich history and develop a sense of place for this part of Lihue."

Displayed in the building’s two conference rooms are photos of historic Kauai sites and buildings that Furfaro personally selected. Pictures of officials who’ve governed the island since 1905 are exhibited in the chambers where the County Council holds its weekly meetings. Furfaro remembers that stop was a highlight for senior citizens from Hana­pepe who went on his inaugural tour in late 2011.

"Their faces lit up when they saw the photos on the walls," he said, "and they began pointing out the significant things those leaders had done for Kauai. I stopped talking and listened; what they were saying was far more important and interesting than the information I had planned to share. It didn’t occur to me until then that those kupuna had lived through most of the periods that I cover in my presentation."

In Furfaro’s opinion one of the best things about the Historic County Building tour is that it gives visitors a peek into an area that they don’t normally include on their itineraries: local government.

"Stewardship is essential to managing future growth on Kauai," Furfaro said. "Visitors often don’t realize that because of the foresight of former Kauai County Council members and administrations who set height limits on construction, no building on Kauai will ever be taller than a coconut tree. The tour helps them understand how government plays a role in maintaining the beauty of our island for everyone to enjoy."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.