I mentioned Pam Chambers’ two books of beautiful photographs about downtown Honolulu twice in my column last year. I was surprised at how many of her photos revealed features about the area that I had never noticed before. She has a real eye for detail.
After working there for over 35 years, I thought I was familiar with downtown Honolulu, but I guess there is still more to learn. Here are some of her photos and the stories behind them.
Why are there water buffalo downtown?
I’ve walked past Alexander & Baldwin’s Bishop Street building thousands of times and never noticed there are water buffalo heads in the second-floor facade, looking out toward the street.
Chambers says that water buffalo were used in the four decades before cars and trucks appeared on A&B’s sugar plantations.
“One can see 18 heads of water buffalo, used in the harvesting of sugar, plus the Chinese character for long life, and medleys of tropical fruits,” Chambers says.
Chris Benjamin, CEO of Alexander & Baldwin, told me that “Hart Wood was the architect that did the detail work on the building, and he wanted to pay homage to the Chinese laborers who had come to work the plantations.
“The water buffalo are significant in Chinese culture and are one of many Asian symbols in the building that pay tribute to those workers.”
Hawaiian Electric Co.’s bell tower
Until Chambers’ photo of the cupola on the makai side of the Hawaiian Electric Co. building across from the post office, I had never noticed it.
“The bell tower, or cupola, atop the HECO building can be seen only from the Queen and Richards street side,” Chambers says.
The HECO building was erected in 1927 and, like many at the time, was designed in a Spanish style. Originally, the building had benches for tired pedestrians to rest and places for riders to hitch their horses.
HECO spokesman Peter Rosegg says there is no evidence there was ever a bell. “We believe the cupola was largely decorative but may have been used for a time as a Fire Department lookout spot over low-rise Honolulu in the late 1920s when the cupola was a high point.”
The Dillingham Transportation Building
A mystery for me concerns the Dillingham Transportation Building at the corner of Bishop Street and Ala Moana Boulevard.
The center of the building faces Bishop Street and the Topa building across the street. In the middle is a carved element that looks like a ship’s captain.
Chambers’ books show that on either side of him there are two 4-foot-round emblems of ships. One is a large ocean liner and the other a full-rigged sailing vessel cutting through a rough sea.
The building was erected in 1929 and dedicated to Ben Franklin Dillingham, who built the Oahu Rail & Land Co.
Inside the building is a large metal plaque with Dillingham’s face. Below him is a 2-foot sailing ship. Around it are a few ships and trains.
A nine-page supplement to the paper in 1929 when the building opened says the “scrolls tell the story of sea commerce.”
Ben Dillingham’s son Walter moved the company into the maritime industry in several ways. He was involved in the founding of the Los Angeles Steamship Co., bought Young Brothers, founded a tug and barge business, and Hawaiian Dredging and construction. The latter created the Ala Wai Canal in 1928. It also dredged the mouth of Pearl Harbor so large ships could enter.
Why are maritime features decorating a building dedicated to the man who built Oahu’s first railroad? Maybe my readers can solve this mystery.
Chinatown gates
At the Ewa side of Chinatown, on King Street near River Street, Chambers took photos of two gatelike structures.
Rob Hale, former president of Architects Hawaii, said he was part of a visioning group that worked on revitalizing Chinatown in 2002.
A feng shui expert the group engaged saw a problem: The tradewinds would bounce off the First Hawaiian Center and blow all the good luck out of Chinatown. The solution was to create a gate to hold the luck in.
“We weren’t able to build over the street, so the two pieces on the sidewalk represent or imply a gate to keep the good luck in.”
‘There and Back Again’
Pam Chambers’ first book, “There and Back,” is now out of print. For information about “There and Back Again,” visit her website at www.pamchambersphotography.com.
Bob Sigall, author of the “Companies We Keep” books, looks through his collection of old photos to tell stories each Friday of Hawaii people, places and companies. Email him at Sigall@Yahoo.com.
