WHEREAS, The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 states "the historical and cultural foundations of the Nation should be preserved as a living part of our community life and development in order to give a sense of orientation to the American people"; and

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii recognized this commitment to historic preservation in section 6E-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, stating in part "the legislature further declares that it is in the public interest to engage in a comprehensive program of historic preservation at all levels of government to promote the use and conservation of such property for the education, inspiration, pleasure, and enrichment of its citizens"; and

WHEREAS, protecting Hawaii's rich and valued heritage through the preservation of culturally significant key structures instills a sense of place and pride for Hawaii's future generations; and

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii's has proclaimed 2006 the Year of Historic Preservation and several organizations and individuals have demonstrated a deep and abiding commitment to historic preservation in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the recently completed renovation of the KAKA'AKO PUMP STATION represents a unique work of collaboration between public entities, private non-profits, businesses and community members that was successful in raising more than $100,000 for the endeavor and has succeeded in focusing attention on historic preservation in our state; and

WHEREAS, the preservation of historic properties is vital to the public's interest of maintaining the cultural, educational, aesthetic, and inspirational benefits that will enrich future generations; and

WHEREAS, some historic properties significant to the State's heritage are being lost or substantially altered, often times inadvertently; and

WHEREAS, with increasing extensions of urban centers, highways, and residential, commercial, and industrial developments, the present government and private historic preservation programs and activities, although vital, is insufficient incentive for private companies and homeowners to protect, preserve, and maintain historic properties; and

WHEREAS, it is necessary for the State to encourage, support, and accelerate current historic preservation programs and activities by providing a state historic preservation tax credit to assist private companies and homeowners; and

WHEREAS, NANCY BANNICK is a charter member of the HISTORIC HAWAI`I FOUNDATION, and has prevented numerous key historic structures from destruction, and was instrumental in saving a number of historic structures in Chinatown from demolition, thereby laying the foundation for the renaissance of Chinatown; and

WHEREAS, NANCY BANNICK is also active on the boards of the Honolulu Symphony, Hawaii Public Radio, Kapiolani Park Preservation Society, and other nonprofit groups in Hawai`i, and was awarded the 2004 Philanthropist of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in Hawai`i; and

WHEREAS, NANCY BANNICK has been described as a "modern-day superwoman of the arts" by members of the nonprofit community in Oahu; and

WHEREAS, MARY PHILPOTTS McGRATH is the current President of the WASHINGTON PLACE FOUNDATION, recently completed a term as the Commissioner of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and is a Director for the Coalition Committee for the Hawaii Cultural Capitol District as well as a Board Member of the Honolulu Culture and Arts District; and

WHEREAS, MARY PHILPOTTS McGRATH is also active and involved in many other civic and community organizations such as the Friends of Iolani Palace, the Mayor's Advisory Committee for Historic Preservation, and the Downtown Task Force on Homelessness; and

WHEREAS, SARAH RICHARDS, former Executive Director of the State Foundation on Culture and Arts, dean of Albion College and Chaminade University, is the current President of THE HAWAI`I THEATRE CENTER; and

WHEREAS, the HISTORIC HAWAI`I FOUNDATION, founded in 1974, is a private, nonprofit statewide organization dedicated to the preservation of historic and archaeological sites, objects and cultural traditions of the Islands; and

WHEREAS, the HISTORIC HAWAI`I FOUNDATION has become the leading advocate for preservation, heritage education and cultural tourism in the islands with twenty-five trustees and over 2,500 members and volunteers actively engaged in statewide preservation efforts, presenting a powerful, visible and diverse force encouraging respect for the history and cultural heritage of the Hawaiian islands; and

WHEREAS, the purpose of the foundation is to preserve and encourage the preservation of historic buildings, objects, sites and communities relating to the history of Hawai`i; to promote an awareness of and respect for all that is historically significant and architecturally distinctive in our State; and through these efforts, to keep alive and intact for the enrichment of present and future generations the inherent beauty of the Hawaiian Islands and its unique historic role in the development of the Pacific Basin; and

WHEREAS, KIERSTEN FAULKNER is the Executive Director of the Historic Hawai`i Foundation and Peter Apo is the President; and

WHEREAS, Washington Place was built in 1847 by Captain John Dominis, and was later named after President George Washington; and

WHEREAS, since 1921, Hawaii's governors have lived in Washington Place, which was first the home of Queen Liliuokalani and has been continuously occupied for 150 years; and

WHEREAS, then first-lady Vicky Cayetano established the WASHINGTON PLACE FOUNDATION to raise money for restoring Washington Place and creating a new residential annex behind it; and

WHEREAS, the WASHINGTON PLACE FOUNDATION is currently responsible for the preservation of the building; and;

WHEREAS, the KAKA'AKO PUMP STATION is one of Hawaii’s only living Hawaiian cut bluestone construction done in an "Industrial Romanesque style" and contains three structures, built between 1900 and 1938, that are listed in the National and State Registries of Historic Places;

WHEREAS, historically, the buildings are associated with Honolulu’s first professionally designed sewage disposal system, and neglect and non-use resulted in the building becomes a victim of the ravages of time; and

WHEREAS, recently, the HAF and volunteers from the community and professional organizations carried out work on the structure to improve the appearance of the structure to prepare it for future restoration of the historic buildings; and

WHEREAS, THE HAWAI`I THEATRE was built in 1922 by Consolidated Amusements of Honolulu as a venue for theatre, popular entertainment, and film, and from the mid-l930s to 1984, THE HAWAI`I THEATRE became predominately a popular movie palace, and remained such until Consolidated Amusements announced its closing; and

WHEREAS, in 1984, THE HAWAI`I THEATRE CENTER was formed by interested citizens to protect THE HAWAI`I THEATRE from demolition by obtaining THE HAWAI`I THEATRE and a sufficient land base to insure future viability; and

WHEREAS, in 1986, THE HAWAI`I THEATRE and the adjacent Austin, Pantheon and McLean Buildings were purchased by THE HAWAI`I THEATRE CENTER, and the theatre continued to operate on a limited basis, under the direction of THE HAWAII THEATRE CENTER, until the fall of 1989 when it was closed for renovation; and

WHEREAS, with the renovation work led by Malcolm Holzman of Hardy, Holzman, Pfeiffer Associates (New York), on April 26 1996, THE HAWAI`I THEATRE was rededicated and re-opened as a premiere multi-purpose 1,400 seat venue; and

WHEREAS, in 2004, THE HAWAI`I THEATRE CENTER completed its restoration of the exterior of THE HAWAI`I THEATRE, including the stabilization and repair of spalling plaster, restoration of architectural details, new paint, a restored flagpole, a newly manufactured replica of the familiar art deco neon marquee featuring computerized LED signage, and a newly manufactured replica of the hallmark "HAWAI`I" vertical neon sign; and

WHEREAS, in 2005, THE HAWAI`I THEATRE received the 2005 Outstanding Historical Theater Award from the League of Historic American Theaters, which is an organization dedicated to restoration and sustainability of historic theaters and other historical buildings across the country and abroad, and The 2005 Kukulu Hale Award of Excellence for its restoration efforts from the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties-Hawaii Chapter; and

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that in the Year of Historic Preservation, this body recognizes and honors pioneer individuals and organizations committed to preserving Hawaii’s Sense of place.

Report Title:

Historic Preservation; Tax Credit