Cathedral renovation aims to revive 19th-century style

“Although the Cathedral (Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace) has been renovated in the past and had been maintained over the years, there has not been a major project to address her comprehensive needs for decades.”

There are two interesting words in that statement from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hawaii. The words are “major project.”

Those words truly signify a major restoration of one of Honolulu’s most iconic structures. As an example of how deep it will go, consider that the extensive work begins with ripping up three layers of concrete flooring to be replaced with a patterned floor very close to the original. But that is only one example of the extensive restoration work of Mason Architects.

There will hardly be a surface inside or outside the cathedral that will not be affected by the $15 million to $20 million comprehensive restoration. Ceiling, walls, windows, doors, pews and even the altar will be refurbished or rebuilt.

The structure looks a bit different now from the accompanying line drawing of the original cathedral. That simple pencil sketch was made by a young woman named Lydia Nye, who was a house guest of Charles and Martha Brewer (he started C. Brewer and Co.), whose house next to the cathedral is where the diocesan office building now stands.

“The church had a difficult beginning,” according to diocese historian the Rev. Louis H. Yim. The problems started when Protestant missionaries first chased the Catholics off the island in 1831 (with the acquiescence of the monarchy), which they did again in 1837. But in 1839 a French ship arrived in Honolulu Harbor and the audacious captain demanded religious freedom for Catholics in Hawaii, which this time was granted by the king.

It is ironic that Kamehameha III provided the land and attended the groundbreaking for the original cathedral in 1840. But soon after construction started, trouble reared up again when the contractor, Francis J. Greenway, went broke and all work had to stop. It has been reported that the same-sized Catholic cathedral and Kawaiaha‘o Church were started at the same time, with both groups shucking coral off the reef next to each other for the walls of their respective churches. It is said there was an unspoken competition to see which major church would be finished first. Greenway’s financial difficulties gave the win to Kawaiaha‘o.

In spite of some worthy — and some misguided — renovations over the years that “changed the interior considerably, the church has retained its simplicity and charm,” according to the nomination form to place the cathedral on the National Register of Historic Places.

The exterior is another matter. In 1871, for some unknown reason, the walls and bell tower were raised 4 feet, perhaps to give the structure a more vaulted “cathedral” look and feeling.

This work did create a beautiful vaulted ceiling, side balconies and the choir loft. However, a heavy tiled roof replaced simple shingles, and more problems began. The higher, heavier roof started to push out the coral walls. Inside, the solution was to string a series of ornate tie-rods between the walls. Outside, reinforced concrete buttresses were bonded into the existing pilasters.

Over the years, other exterior changes included covering the original rough coral walls with plaster that later were stuccoed. The bell tower has been changed three times but still contains the French bells and Chilean clock installed in the early 1850s.

Another exterior renovation that did not go well occurred in 1910. That year, pushed by then-Bishop Libert Boeynaems, the plain front facade of the cathedral was transformed with the addition of a Gothic porch with three pointed-arch entrances leading into the church. Luckily that effort stopped at the front porch and 19 years later this “sore thumb” was removed and replaced by four stately columns we see now.

Today, under the comprehensive banner “Renovate, Restore, Repair and Renew,” the 172-year-old building will undergo a wide range of carefully conceived changes. According to the diocese, “from floor tiles to the stained-glass windows and hand-painted ceiling, experts from Hawaii and the mainland will work to restore the Cathedral basilica in a nineteenth century style that not only honors the Hawaiian culture, but also invokes the time period during which St. Damien and St. Marianne Cope blessed the Hawaiian Islands and the Cathedral with their presence.”

When the restoration is finished, this is what parishioners can expect to find: Pews that now face each other will be replaced by new ergonomic pews that will be rearranged to face forward toward a new marble altar; the historic organ will be disassembled and the 2,000 pipes will be shipped to the mainland for full restoration; the redwood, hand-painted ceiling with decorative angels at the top will be restored; two new hand-carved confessionals will be placed under the choir loft stairs; decorative wainscoting on the first floor will replace plain wood-stained glass windows; Stations of the Cross statuettes and other fixtures will be cleaned and restored; and, as mentioned, the sanctuary floor will be retiled to replicate the original 19th-century style.

New construction will include the addition of a small, exterior reliquary chapel on the mauka side of the cathedral to house the relics of Sts. Damien and Marianne. Inside, two bishop burial chapels will be built on either side of the sanctuary atop the redesigned bishop crypts.

You can get a sneak preview of the quality of the work by entering the sanctuary. On the left there is a sample on the first bay (the space between the columns) of the restoration from floor to ceiling. To say there is considerable excitement among the cathedral staff would be to understate the scope of this admirable project.