Point 15

Welcome to Point 15 of the Lihue Loop Audio Tour. I’m Gareson Carveiro from CKTV Media at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School and I’ll cover the Historic County Building and Lawn. In front of you, you can see the old, neoclassical county building dating back to the early years of the 20th century along with several monuments on the front lawn.
In the beginning, before its development or purchase, the land was owned by the Lihue Plantation Company to grow sugarcane. A county building was needed for our island and government for numerous reasons, one being a place for officials to carry out their duties. So in 1912, 5 acres of land was sold to the county for $30,000 which translates to $803,000 today, a small amount for the center of town, but quite a lot for a cane field!
In the summer of 1912, architecture plans were unveiled and requests for construction bids were advertised. This went to a Honolulu firm, Lord-Young Engineering Co. By spring, a driveway that encircled the building was complete along with preparations to lay the foundation.

Exterior concrete work of the building was then completed in January of 1914. For the next 3 months, painting and interior work would continue till it was declared complete in April.
Many celebrations are held here, including one after the end of World War 2 and the annual Lights on Rice Parade. Monuments are located near the building, the first being a five-storied stone pagoda gifted by Japan in 1961 to mark the 75 year anniversary of an immigration agreement. Another being a statue of a Philippines liberation hero made of bronze-covered, reinforced cement that was installed on June 19, of 1979. Also, the national tree of the Philippines was planted for the many citizens whose ancestors originated from the Asian country. In 2000, a granite plaque was added to the lawn to mark a century of Puerto-Rican immigration.

Many of the operations that took place in the historic building have been moved elsewhere. Today, the building is headquarters for the County Council and its support services. The Kaua’i Historical Society, a group that archives some of the county’s old records, retains offices on the ground floor. Here’s a fun fact: the building, along with the front lawn, the annex next door, and the former courthouse behind it, proudly comprise a National Register Historic District.

This concludes Point 15 of the Lihue Loop Tour. If you wish to continue, you may visit other points to learn more. As always, have a splendid day.