Nuuanu school greets renewal of concert hall

After $15 million in renovations, the once-dilapidated Princess Kawananakoa Auditorium in Nuuanu will hold its grand reopening Feb. 25 with a “Kalapana — Live!” fundraising concert.

The event marks the 90th anniversary of Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School, one of the few public middle schools in the state with a full-fledged concert hall.

“It’s been a huge community effort going on for more than a decade,” said Jason Chin, band director and an alumnus. “I feel like the facility is now adequately matched to the school’s strong history of performing arts.”

The historic auditorium, dedicated in 1937, served both the school and the community. But it had deteriorated to the point where rainwater flooded in from the street, along with traffic noise and dust, and termites had chewed through its walls.

The reincarnated hall is air-conditioned and sports a bigger concert stage, new balcony, black-box theater, scene shop and top-notch audio, visual and lighting systems.

“We tried to restore it and modernize it without changing the look of the building,” Chin said. “The interior has been reconfigured to serve both music performances as well as a theater space.”

In its heyday Kawananakoa Auditorium was a popular venue for concerts and elaborate stage productions, featuring local and Japanese actors. More recently it housed concerts, plays and school assemblies on the campus, where 60 percent of students take performing arts.

The building has been off-limits during the construction project, which entailed stripping off its wooden shingles and more, down to its steel girders and foundation.

“I’m really glad that the auditorium’s done,” said Tiana Mangrobang, eighth-grade class president. “I’ve been waiting since sixth grade.”

The renovated concert hall seats 623 people, while the lab-style theater accommodates 100. The school has 792 students.

More money is needed to pay for seating platforms for the theater and to sustain the auditorium, hence the fundraising concert featuring Kalapana, Emi Hart and Tropic 50. It starts at 7 p.m. Feb. 25, after a “Sock Hop” in the cafeteria.

Although some fixes were made to the facility in the mid-1990s, the push for full renovation gained steam under the leadership of the Campus Rejuvenation Committee in 2010. The project won strong support from legislators and received $15 million altogether in state funds.

At a blessing ceremony Jan. 25, a kahu sprinkled water from ti leaves, adding to the gentle mist that floated down from the Koolau mountains. Rep. Takashi Ohno, who represents the area, said the restoration was much needed.

“When we funded this project, around 2013, that was right around the time when Farrington High School auditorium had its roof cave in,” Ohno said. “There were many people who were concerned about the safety of our kids, in addition to the many wonderful aspects this project brings.”