News from Pearl Harbor
Historic Naval Housing Reopens to the Public
By Krista Walton | Online Only | June 15, 2009
One of 19 bungalows that are being renovated for military housing on Ford Island's Nob Hill in Hawaii
Credit: Forest City Military Communities
On December 7, 1941, as bombs fell on Pearl Harbor, naval officers and their families took shelter in the basement of the Commanding Officer's Quarters in the Nob Hill neighborhood of Ford Island, a tiny landmass in the middle of Pearl Harbor where Army and Navy families lived. Huddled together, they witnessed the trail of destruction left by Japanese fighters attacking Battleship Row, and saw the USS Arizona explode in flames—a disaster that claimed more than 1,100 lives.
Now, after decades of neglect, and the addition of Ford Island to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2001 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, the Commanding Officer's Quarters and other adjacent houses have been restored. This month they opened to the public for the first time in 11 years.
The 19 houses in Ford Island's Nob Hill neighborhood—simple, single-story wood bungalows used by U.S. Navy officers and their families—were built between 1923 and 1936. Until 1998, the 500-acre island (part of the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex) was only accessible via ferry, so even as Honolulu grew more and more metropolitan, Nob Hill and the rest of Ford Island remained a military base. The Navy completed a bridge linking Ford Island to mainland Oahu in 1998, and announced plans to develop the island and build hundreds of new tract houses. By then, the historic bungalows on Ford Island needed repair.
After the National Trust drew attention to Ford Island by including it on its annual 11 Most list, the Navy began developing a new programmatic agreement to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and invited the National Trust and other preservation organizations to comment on plans for Ford Island.
On June 3, after four years of planning and about nine months of construction, the Department of the Navy and Forest City Military Communities, the private developer that manages the structures for the Navy, commemorated the restoration of the Nob Hill neighborhood by opening seven recently renovated houses to the public for tours.
"Because these units are on a military reservation, it's unusual for the general public to be able to see these historic military neighborhoods," says Will Boudra, vice president of development for Forest City. "This was a singular unique opportunity to take advantage of the units being empty, and allow them to come on base, see the neighborhoods, see the work we've done." (Forest City, rather than the Navy, oversaw the project because of Congress' 1996 mandate that military housing be privatized.)
About 100 people attended the traditional Hawaiian blessing, where docents from the Historic Hawaii Foundation and Mason Architects (which consulted on the renovation) were available to answer questions.
During the rehabilitation, workers replaced Nob Hill's water and sewer lines, updated electrical lines, repaired extensive termite damage, replaced the roofs, and updated the kitchens and air conditioning systems in each house. The rest of the houses on Nob Hill are still being renovated, and are expected to be completed by October, at a total cost of $11.5 million. Once completed, the renovated houses will be leased to military personnel assigned to Pearl Harbor, still an active base.
"It's a success story for both the Navy and for historic preservation," Kiersten Faulkner, executive director of the Historic Hawaii Foundation, said in an e-mail. "The rehabilitation project preserved the significant setting, vernacular architecture and historic associations, while also meeting the Navy's standards for family housing. Historic Hawaii Foundation was pleased to support this project and commends Forest City Military Communities and its project team for a job well done."
The work on Ford Island is not yet finished. The Historic Hawaii Foundation named six other bungalows, located adjacent to the Nob Hill neighborhood along the shore of Ford Island, to its 2005 list of the state's most endangered historic places. These six bungalows, which originally housed Chief Petty Officers (CPOs), have since been included in the new World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, designated by President Bush on December 5, 2008. Preservation groups hope that the so-called CPO bungalows, which the Navy continues to neglect, will be saved when their stewardship is transferred to the National Park Service—which hasn't happened yet.
As Forest City turns its attention to the 12 remaining houses in Nob Hill, the company is also working on renovating other historic homes around Oahu for military personnel, including houses in Pearl Harbor's Makalapa neighborhood and houses in the Heleloa neighborhood at the Marine Corps base in Kaneohe. All told, Forest City is investing more than $70 million in renovating military residential historic structures across Oahu.
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Comments
Submitted by veteran at: July 16, 2009
Congratulations to the US Government and Department of Defense DOD for supporting the preservation of America's historic places. The DOD is a great example of doing the right thing with a difficult situation! BRAVO - Dept of Defense! GOD BLESS AMERICA
Submitted by portagee at: July 7, 2009
I was 11 yrs old lived at 51A NAS Ford Island Pearl Harbor TH CPO qtrs didnt make it to the Captains quarters that day..we started, got as far as the golf course and turned around..finally ended up at the Naval Barracks for next 3/4 days to a BOQ and then home til Feb 42. To my knowledge all dependents on Ford Island were evacuated except us. Mother was an islander and refused to evacuate. Moved to 11th St then known as CHA and later to 304 Center Dr near the Bloch Arena. Grew up all during war years on Center Drive and cant remember one of us who had tramatic episodes from Dec 7 or any time during the war years. While living on Ford Island before the war we had to take a motor launch to get off the island every day to catch our bus to go to school. Brothers played in the Makalapa dump among other places. Its been many years and much time has passed but there are some things one never forgets.
Submitted by Anonymous at: July 2, 2009
Great news. My uncle, Louis Roffman, is a survivor of Pearl Harbor attack. He lives in Riverside, CA. He gave us a grand tour of the historic sites in 1996, fond memories. Thank goodness for the National Trust of Historic Preservation! Dave Roffman Georgetown, DC