Queen Theater owner’s daughter says she will restore historic Kaimuki venue

The daughter of the reclusive owner of the historic Queen Theater property in Kaimuki, which has been sitting idle and deteriorating for decades, says she wants to refurbish the theater and address safety concerns.

Adoree Yu, a California lawyer and daughter of property owner Narciso Yu Jr., made a surprise appearance at the Kaimuki Neighborhood Board meeting Wednesday and announced she recently moved back to Hawaii and is focused on renovating the building and finding an appropriate tenant.

Her comments come on the heels of a resolution introduced by City Council Chair Tommy Waters requesting the city administration take steps to acquire the theater property, located on the corner of Waialae Avenue and Center Street, and, if necessary, to initiate eminent domain proceedings.

Adoree Yu told the neighborhood board she had spoken with Waters and learned of the community’s concerns, and made no mention of selling the property to the city.

Waters has been in discussions with the Friends of Queen Theater and Kaimuki community members and said he heard their pleas for help to restore the site as a place for the community to use for the performing arts.

He said after submitting the resolution that “the best course of action the city can take for the community is to buy it, renovate it for public use and turn it into a vibrant, revenue-generating operation that all can once again enjoy.”

But given Wednesday’s unexpected turn of events, Waters said Friday the Council would be temporarily postponing Resolution 21-158 “with the understanding that Ms. Yu will continue to update my office and the neighborhood board on her efforts to lease out the property so that it may be rehabilitated. We look forward to her taking swift action to address community concerns.”

Community members worked for decades to save the 85-year-old Queen Theater as its exterior was subjected to years of neglect and it became a magnet for the homeless.

The Friends of Queen Theater, with experts among them and volunteers from the community, has worked for 15 years on a plan, complete with architectural drawings, to see the theater restored inside and out as a venue for local entertainment and has received dozens of responses from hula halau and music and theater groups.

Friends President Mahlon Moore said that aside from its use as a “canvas for graffiti,” the building itself is in “pretty good shape structurally … although it’s in sad shape as far as the plumbing and electrical.”

The Queen started out as an unadorned, 850-seat theater with a small stage when it opened June 1936 with a film and live stage production, said Lowell Angell, one of the founding members of the Friends group and a Hawaii theater historian. It continued to pack in moviegoers into the 1960s.

Narciso Yu Jr. bought the theater in 1976 and screened adult films until the business shut down in 1985 after police raided the operation and confiscated 575 pornographic movies.

Another business leased the space and held rock concerts and performances of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” into the 1990s. In the early 2000s, the building was used by a plumbing company for storage. Although listed for sale around 2002, any attempt to buy the property failed, as Yu seemed uninterested in selling.

“We got to the point where we couldn’t do anything because Mr. Yu didn’t want to cooperate, didn’t want to sell,” said Nancy Wilcox, one of the founders of the Friends group.

“We tried to contact the city government because we felt that was the way some other historical theaters had gotten past these kinds of things — with the power of condemnation, paying them off — that we didn’t have as a group,” Wilcox said.

Adoree Yu told the neighborhood board she grew up in Kaimuki.

“My first priority is getting the right tenant into the Queen Theater because I, just like all of you, want to make the Queen a gathering space for the community, basically an establishment our community can be proud of,” she said.

Her plans seemed to mirror those laid out by the Friends of Queen Theater to restore the theater and for its use, and also addressed the neighborhood’s concerns about safety and the property’s condition.

“I would love nothing more than a revitalized Queen Theater to be the hub of the neighborhood, a multipurpose venue for performing arts, events and more,” Yu said. “It’s also set up to function as a movie theater as well.”

She said she is prioritizing restoration of the theater’s sign and marquee and is speaking to people regarding historic building restoration. Yu added she is in talks with potential tenants and nonprofits, and is “seeking a qualified lessee for a long-term lease.”

Yu said she has also reached out to police to address safety concerns.

Neighborhood board members seemed skeptical.

“It’s been decades. So do you guys have a time frame … ?” asked board Vice Chairman Paul Hoe. “When should we come back to you and say, ‘Hey, you promised or you said and we’re still waiting for action.’ So you have a lot of good words and thoughts. Appreciate that, but like was mentioned earlier, we’re looking for results. What’s going to happen? So I’m asking you for a time frame.”

Yu said she has begun discussions with prospective tenants and would get back to the board when she has a clear plan in place.

“I don’t want the Queen Theater to continue to be a blight on the neighborhood,” she said.

The board encouraged her to hold a public meeting to allow for community input and to keep the neighborhood board abreast of progress.

“Rest assured, we’re not going to be putting a Best Buy in there,” she said, adding she is keeping Waters updated.

Angell said the news from Yu “certainly comes as a big surprise. Let’s see what actually happens.”

“Perhaps the Friends ought to get together with her,” he said. “We have wanted the same thing she’s now saying she wants since we started.”

Wilcox also was wary of Yu’s plans since “the entire community has had their hopes up many times before.”

“It actually was looking like we were making progress, and now is there just going to be more delays in letting us get the theater rebuilt?” she asked. “Waters’ approach had been, ‘Enough is enough,’ and basically condemn the property.”

Another concern is that any restoration work be done with care so as not to compromise efforts to place the theater on historic registries, Wilcox said.

Neighborhood Board Chair Sharon Schneider said a survey of residents indicated their concern that the building was falling apart.

“They loved that icon,” she said. “They wanted it to be cleaned up so they can feel safe there. …We have an older community. People have lived here a long time … . Most of them wanted something to be done.”