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A 1910 Army map, shared at last month’s meeting of the Oahu Historic Preservation Commission, labeled the entire Saint Francis Manoa property as a “temple heiau.” The heiau was recorded by archaeologist Carol Kawachi in 1988. Old dry-stack rock walls still surround much of the property.
A century ago, the property was acquired partially with donations from residents of Kalaupapa, to provide for the retirement of Catholic nuns who devoted their lives to caring for (Native Hawaiian) Hansen’s disease patients on Molokai.
Laying waste to this beautiful place, sacred to Hawaiians and integral to the legacy of St. Marianne Cope, for for-profit development is unjust. The city should deny Avalon Group’s gated, $1.5-1.8 million price-range, high-density housing application. The developer’s disingenuous rhetoric is shameful. Existing historic buildings can provide a school, and be repurposed for truly affordable housing, prioritizing Hawaiians.
Cuyler Bleecker
Manoa
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