The Taubman Co. LLC, redeveloper of the International Market Place, started taking down the colorful three-story tile mosaic on the Miramar at Waikiki Hotel on Friday despite an 11th-hour push from community members who wanted to preserve the pieces of Waikiki history.
The Michigan-based company, which is partnering with International Market Place landowner Queen Emma Land Co. on a $350 million redevelop-ment of the circa-1957 bazaar, started demolition work earlier this year after the last tenants vacated the property and the neighboring Waikiki Town Center and the Miramar.
The company plans to create a new 360,000-square-foot mall, anchored by an 80,000-square-foot Saks Fifth Avenue store. While the company committed to protecting several large canopy trees, including an exceptional banyan, several Waikiki residents had hoped its generosity would extend to the hotel mosaic — which depicts the Bodhisattva Guanyin, or Quanying, a Chinese deity of compassion and mercy.
Waikiki Neighborhood Board member John Dew, who owned a store in the International Market Place in the 1960s, and Waikiki resident Kenn Liburd, who has worked as a tour guide for nearly three decades, were leading a last-minute charge to save the mosaic, which they say brightened their community and drew tourist interest. Their crusade to save the neighborhood landmark got some traction earlier this week when it caught the attention of state Sen. Brickwood Galuteria and City Councilman Stanley Chang, who represent Waikiki.
"If there are folks in the community who are interested in preserving it, I would be open to their ideas," Chang said. "I do think that it’s important that Waikiki and Hawaii in general retain the character and flavor of what makes this place so special.
"Another mosaic, the koi one at the Waikiki Business Plaza, recently went away to make room for the H&M retail store. I don’t think moving everything that has been there is the answer. We should be very careful about what happens to the places that we view as historic landmarks," he said.
Galuteria (D, Kakaako-McCully-Waikiki) said he tried to make a few calls facilitating more discussion about the mosaic after Dew called him outlining the community’s interest in saving the circa-1970 mosaic. But these efforts came too late.
"We were not able to salvage the mural due to its specific design and tiles having been adhered directly to structural components of the building," said Nico Schultz, director of development for Taubman. "Additionally, the necessary scaffolding, supports and wall penetrations to support the scaffolding and a safe working environment demanded the removal of the mural."
Waikiki resident Dave Moskowitz said Taubman’s actions show that the developer doesn’t value the community’s culture.
"I think it was mean-spirited. I think they should have given it some time, considering a movement to save it was taking place. It wasn’t like they didn’t have the whole rest of the hotel to tear down. It’s very disrespectful of Asian culture. They don’t value our culture."
Schultz said Taubman Centers, Coastwood and the entire construction team involved with the redevelopment of the International Market Place made every effort to follow the guidance of the development’s cultural advisers.
"We are respectful to the sensitive nature of redevelopment in Hawaii and have been proactive in learning and participating in the appropriate local customs," he said. "We were delighted to arrange a blessing ceremony with the monks of Shuyun Temple earlier this year to pay homage to the past as we look toward the future. We recognize, respect and appreciate the protection and prosperity Buddha and the goddess Quanying have bestowed on the property through their mural for the last 30 years."
Liburd, who enjoyed pointing out the mosaic to touring visitors, said he is saddened to see it go.
"We have lost a treasure that could have been a great gift for the Chinese visitors coming here," he said. "It always made me proud to show visitors that Waikiki was a city that cared about art. This just goes to show that local people have to fight a little harder to hold our own because mainland attitude does not carry the same cultural mindset."
