Following World War II, a shift began in Hawaii’s visitor industry. Middle-class tourists began to outnumber the wealthy, and they wanted accommodations that were more informal and affordable.
Roy and Estelle Kelley’s Edgewater Hotel, which opened in 1951, epitomized that shift. It was the first modern building to go up in Waikiki after the war.
A century ago
One hundred years ago the Ala Wai Canal was completed, and three streams that flowed into the mosquito-infested swamps in Waikiki were diverted. The land began to dry out.
Developers began subdividing parcels for home sites. Percy Pond purchased property makai of Kalakaua Avenue, between Lewers Street and Saratoga Road. Percy Pond also built Kemoo Farm restaurant and shops outside of Schofield Barracks.
Roy and Estelle Kelley
After World War II, Roy and Estelle Kelley saw middle-class visitor numbers going up. Building on the success of their Islander Hotel at Seaside and Kuhio avenues, they purchased a small block of land with several cottages in the Beach Walk area, their son, Dr. Richard Kelley, said in his book, “Paddling the Outrigger.”
“The cottages facing Lewers Street were turned into shops, and the bungalows at Kalia and Beach Walk were torn down to make room for the Edgewater Hotel.”
First of its kind
“I recall the opening of the Edgewater in 1951,” Kelley said. “A record 50,000 visitors would come to Waikiki that year and the six-story, 100-room Edgewater Hotel was ready to serve them.
“The Edgewater was a first-of-a-kind hotel in several ways. It was the first Waikiki hotel with a self- service elevator and a swimming pool — an idea my father was told would never work since the hotel was less than a block from the beach.
“Air conditioning was not felt to be needed. The tradewinds blew through the hallways and into the rooms through louvered doors and window jalousies.
“It was also the first hotel to offer a relaxed, Hawaiian- style alternative to the rather stuffy Royal Hawaiian Hotel, where the dress code called for jackets and ties in the evening.”
Roy Kelley told The Honolulu Advertiser’s Bob Krauss, “I wear aloha shirts 365 days a year. Our hotel dining room is open to anyone in an aloha shirt any time of day. We try to be in keeping with nice, cool and informal Hawaii.” This was in 1956, nearly 10 years before the launch of the Aloha Fridays casual revolution.
Tropical ambience
The Edgewater’s lush gardens created an authentic tropical ambience, and legendary Hawaii entertainers, such as beachboy Splash Lyons, who performed poolside nightly with his steel guitar, created a festive, aloha-filled atmosphere that permeated the entire hotel.
The Edgewater quickly became the “in” place to stay in Waikiki and was the hotel of choice for many VIPs, dignitaries and movie stars.
John Wayne was a frequent guest. “He enjoyed the mai tais, music and cool, late-afternoon breezes when he was in Honolulu to vacation or make a movie,” Richard Kelley continued. One of the filming locations for the movie “Big Jim McLain” was the Edgewater.
Lots for kids to do
Kathleen Miller Thomas said: “In 1949, when my family and I moved to Honolulu, we stayed at the Edgewater Apartments before it became a hotel.
“It was at the foot of Lewers Road near the beach. There was a sweet fountain in the middle of the complex. The neighborhood offered lots for a kid to do. The YWCA owned the property next door, on the Fort DeRussy side, with the tennis courts.
“Gray’s Beach, on the Diamond Head side of the Halekulani, was my favorite place, too. We were so close to DeRussy during the three months that we lived there, that I, age 10, climbed the diving tower one day and jumped off.
“I only knew how to dog paddle at that point. It was so much fun, I paddled to the ladder, climbed up and jumped again. I was surfing in Waikiki a few years later.
“One of my best memories is of a hamburger stand next to the Edgewater. They had delicious burgers for 25 cents!”
Working family
Kelley said he was a desk clerk and bellboy from the age of 15. “Along with my sisters, Jean and Pat, I worked summers in the Edgewater, tagging keys and delivering towels and linen. Later, my fiancee, Jane, and I both worked there during summer breaks from college.
“I manned the front desk, while Jane handled the old- fashioned plug switchboard nearby. My father and mother worked from open desks in the Edgewater lobby. Between greeting guests, my father would carry bags for guests and sweep the floors with a broom.
“Mom responded to over 100 letters a day on a manual typewriter, confirming reservations, and mailing them with three-cent stamps, before going home and preparing dinner.”
The Edgewater was a success, and the Kelleys immediately started adding a second 100-room wing.
“My sisters and I watched as our parents poured heart and soul into turning their dream into reality: A quality hotel featuring Hawaiian style hospitality that was affordable for working families.”
Waikiki Beach Walk
Having witnessed one transformation in Waikiki after World War II, the Kelleys continued to look ahead.
“My parents gradually acquired more of the cottages that lined Lewers Street,” Kelley said. “Some were used as vacation rentals while others were converted into restaurants or shops. Gradually, they replaced the cottages along Lewers Street and Saratoga Road with taller concrete hotels — the Coral Seas, Waikiki Village, Waikiki Tower, Reef Lanais and Reef Towers.”
Meanwhile, other developers built the Royal Islander, Edgewater Lanais, Malihini Hotel and Islander Waikiki. “For the most part, the property owners in the Lewers area were on friendly terms and would frequently drop in to each other’s offices for coffee and a chat. It was a pleasant, peaceful way to conduct business.”
As the owners of the Lewers Street parcels retired and died, Outrigger Enterprises gradually acquired them and put together the parcels that made the $460 million Waikiki Beach Walk project a reality.
“Narrow streets and aging buildings have become a bustling shopping and dining destination for thousands of visitors and residents,” said Outrigger spokesperson Barbara Campbell.
Waikiki Beach Walk was designed to celebrate Hawaii’s voyaging and ocean heritage. The 8-acre complex features 40 retailers, six restaurants and four hotels. It opened in 2007.
Bob Sigall is the author of the five “The Companies We Keep” books. Contact him at Sigall@Yahoo.com or sign up for his free email newsletter at RearviewMirrorInsider.com.
