The Aloha Tower is a retired lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the state of

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Opened on September 11, 1926, at a cost of $160,000 ($2,805,206 in 2024), the Aloha Tower is located at Pier 9 of Honolulu Harbor. It has been, and continues to be, a guiding beacon welcoming vessels to the City and County of Honolulu. Just as the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, the Aloha Tower greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Honolulu. At 10 stories and 184 feet (56 m) of height topped with 40 feet (12 m) of flag mast, for four decades the Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii. It was built in the Hawaiian Gothic architectural style.

History

Attack on Pearl Harbor

When the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

came on December 7, 1941, Coast Guardsmen from the were ordered to take up defensive positions around Aloha Tower and protect it from being occupied. The Aloha Tower was painted in

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

to disappear at night.

Redevelopment

In 1981, the Governor of Hawaii and the Hawaii State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism established the Aloha Tower Development Corporation. The public corporation was charged with developing the land around the Aloha Tower to benefit the state's commercial trade industry based at Honolulu Harbor while at the same time providing the residents of Hawaii with ample access to the downtown waterfront. The entire Aloha Tower Complex, as defined by the public corporation, was identified as Piers 5 and 6, Piers 8 through 23, and portions of Nimitz Highway and Iwilei.

Museum marketplace

In 1982, the Hawaii Maritime Center was opened near the Aloha Tower in an old royal pier to present the history of Honolulu Harbor and the relative industries it served. In 2002, the Hawaii Maritime Center became an incorporated institution of the

Bishop Museum The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu, Hawaii, Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1 ...

. The center was closed to the public on May 1, 2009 and was later converted into a Hawaii Pacific University dormitory in 2015. Docked at the royal pier is the '' Falls of Clyde'', a historic shipping vessel.

Recent developments

Aloha Towers adjacent Nimitz Highway has been thrown around with various proposals of projects to make it more efficient. In addition to this, proposals are being thrown around regarding redevelopment surrounding Aloha Tower.

Highway tunnel proposal

In 2004, a controversial proposal was made to construct an underground highway tunnel beneath the complex.

Future Skyline service

Proposals involving introducing rail transit near the Aloha Tower have been thrown around for years. Initially, this included the re-establishment of

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

s, but was changed to a

Light Metro A medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. MCS trains are usually 1 to 4 cars. Most medi ...

system once the Skyline Project was announced. This will result in the (Downtown) Skyline station being built near the Aloha Tower. As of 2024, this station is under construction and is expected to open in 2031.

Proposed redevelopment of adjacent areas

As part of the adjacent Skyline Station's transit oriented development plan, the parking lot fronting the Aloha Tower and the adjacent decommissioned Hawaiian Electric power plant, would be demolished for various mixed-use developments. In addition to this, the surrounding commercial offices would be converted into residential mixed-use condos. In fact, the first conversion: the Modea condo is already expected to be completed in 2025.

Hawaii Pacific University

in 2015, the Hawaii Pacific University has taken over the former Aloha Tower Marketplace and converted the facility into a expansion of its campus, including 78 student housing units for 278 students.

Security concerns following September 11, 2001 attacks

In consideration of heightened security measures after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, public access to the observation deck was restricted, but has since been reopened.

Concerts

American hard rock band Skid Row performed in concert at Aloha Tower Stage on October 10, 1992.

Gallery

Image:fallsofclydehonolulu.jpg, Docked at the Aloha Tower Complex is the '' Falls of Clyde'', the only iron-hulled, four-masted ship in the world. Image:Hawaii_Maritime_Center_from_Aloha_Tower.jpg, The Hawaii Maritime Center and the '' Falls of Clyde'' seen from Aloha Tower, looking east Image:Honolulu01.JPG, Downtown Honolulu featuring the Aloha Tower, the ''Falls of Clyde'', and First Hawaiian Center.

References

External links

Aloha Tower Development CorporationAloha Tower MarketplaceAloha Boat Days
* {{Registered Historic Places Lighthouses completed in 1926 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii Towers in Hawaii Observation towers on the National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in Honolulu Clock towers in Hawaii 1926 establishments in Hawaii National Register of Historic Places in Honolulu Skyscrapers in Honolulu Skyscraper office buildings in Hawaii