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Lanai City is a National Endangered Place
Designated in April of 2009
In April 2009 the National Trust for Historic Preservation included Lanai
City on its list of the eleven most endangered historic places in
the United States. The National Trust considers Lanai City to be
"the last remaining intact plantation town in Hawaii". Lanai City
was designated an endangered historic place after Lanai City owner
Castle & Cook applied for Maui County permits to demolish or significantly
alter many buildings in the historic center of Lanai City.
Photo Credit: Katie Kastner / National Trust for Historic Preservation
Why the National Trust Considers Lanai City Endangered
One of Hawaii's eight main islands, Lanai, known as the "Pineapple Isle," has lush
tropical beaches, breathtaking natural beauty, lavish resorts and one attraction
none of the other islands can claim: an intact plantation town. Nestled between
Molokai and Maui, Lanai is the smallest of the main Hawaiian Islands, with 2,500
year-round residents living in and near Lanai City, the center of the island.
The island rose to prominence with the arrival of James Drummond Dole, whose
pineapple empire once stretched over 20,000 acres and employed thousands of
workers. In the 1920s, Dole, who owned the entire island, created a thriving
company town, complete with hundreds of plantation-style homes, a laundromat,
jail, courthouse and police station, all centered around a tree-lined park named
in his honor. Today, Lanai is almost entirely owned by Castle & Cooke, one of
the largest private landowners in Hawaii. The company, which also owns Dole
Foods and two high-end Four Seasons resorts on Lanai, recently submitted a
three-part plan calling for the demolition or alteration of 15-20 historic
buildings in Lanai City to make way for large-scale commercial development.
"Lanai City is a jewel, the last remaining intact plantation town in Hawaii,"
said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
"Its remote location protected the city from the intense development pressures
seen in other parts of the state, and, as a result, it's been a haven for
visitors anxious to experience an authentic and natural slice of paradise.
We can't afford to lose this unique chapter of Hawaiian history and heritage."
The least visited of the main Hawaiian Islands, Lanai has remained secluded,
and the company town of Lanai City looks very much as it did in its 1920s heyday.
There are no traffic lights, no malls, no public transportation and less than
30 miles of paved road on the 141-acre island.
Currently, the two-block area that makes up Lanai City's historic downtown is
largely intact, but that may soon change as Castle & Cooke has already submitted
demolition applications to Maui County's Department of Planning. Permit
applications have been filed for the demolition of three residential structures,
the police lieutenant's house, the Lanai City jail, the laundromat and other
historic commercial structures.
The new development proposal includes an oversized, out-of-scale grocery store,
dramatically incompatible with the historic downtown. The grocery store's
parking lot alone would consume an entire city block. Local preservationists
hope to convince Castle & Cooke that a preserved Lanai City is a draw for
heritage tourists and is, therefore, an economically viable solution.
See also:
More About Lanai City
Other Lanai Attractions
Photos of Lanai
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Related Links
Lanai Island - Main Menu
Islands of Hawaii
Hawaii for Visitors
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