Our History, Our Legacy

Our History, Our

H i lt o n H a w a i i a n V i l l a g e

Our History, Our Legacy

The unveiling of the new History Wall replaces a smaller-scale version that once stood in the Tapa Tower. The project has expanded from seven panels to 16 museum-quality acrylic panels. The entire project took more than two years of scouring archives in Hawai‘i, at Hilton Hawaiian Village, throughout the U.S. and the world to acquire the content and images necessary. Hilton’s own regional director of marketing in Hawaii, Lora Gallagher, oversaw the project, including research, copywriting and creative direction. She led a team of contractors in Hawai‘i and the mainland through its conceptual design and construction.

Photographs provided by Hilton Hawaiian Village Archives, Getty Images, Bishop Museum Library and Archives, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Jeffrey Apaka, William Bixler, George F. Lee, Tom Moffatt, Honolulu Star Advertiser, Ron Miyashiro, Grant Suzuki, Ron Nakamura, and Kim Duffett.

“It is astounding to see the years of research come to life in this beautiful work of art. We hope that visitors to the History Wall will learn something new about the unique history of our property as well as gain an enriched appreciation for the many people who have made Hawai‘i such a special destination.”

– Lora Gallagher

Regional Director of Marketing Hilton Hawaii

1

19xx–19xx 1891–1927 Kālia, Subhead Waikīkī – The Early Years

King Kalākaua hosted this luau in 1889 for Robert Louis Stevenson and his mother.

Seated next to the King is his sister, the future Queen Lili‘uokalani. Photo taken at the Waikīkī residence of Henry Poor.

BISHOP MUSEUM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

Kalākaua Avenue 1915

BISHOP MUSEUM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

Beach Road (Ala Moana Blvd) in 1919, looking toward the intersection of Ena Road and Kālia Road on the right. The Kahanamoku family home lies behind the fence on the immediate right. The stream on the left is no longer there. It was diverted and filled in when the Ala Wai Canal was built in 1928.

Location of Hilton Hawaiian Village

1889 hula dancers in photo studio.

The early promotion of tourism to Hawai‘i.

Surfboards and canoes on Waikīkī Beach next to the ‘Āpuakehau Stream, ca. 1910

BISHOP MUSEUM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

THE GREAT MAHELE: Birth of Hawaiian Private Property The Kālia area under the Hilton Hawaiian Village, was once an ancient village of cultural significance. The area known as Kālia was once rich farmland and fishponds fed by the streams that flowed from the Ko‘olau mountains.

Oral traditions tell us that, sometime in the 15th century, O‘ahu chief Kalamakua was instrumental in developing the intricate water systems throughout Waikīkī.

Besides the large fishponds, the waters off shore from Kālia are said to have been excellent for fishing and diving. Residents of Kālia harvested limu (seaweed) and tended wetland lo‘i (taro fields).

The Great Mahele of 1848 divided the lands of Hawai‘i, deeding most of them to prominent chiefly families. The Kālia area, former fishponds dredged and filled by coral, was given to a high ranking chief, Mataio Kekuanaoa – the Royal Governor of O‘ahu and the father of King Kamehameha V.

The pier at the Pierpoint Hotel where the Hilton Hawaiian Village is located. The only place deep enough to swim was at the end of the pier.

Waikīkī – Pre 1900s

BISHOP MUSEUM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

BISHOP MUSEUM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES THIS 16-PANEL HISTORICAL DISPLAY WAS CREATED, RESEARCHED, AND DESIGNED BY LORA GALLAGHER.

Timeline

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

Photographs provided by Hilton Hawaiian Village Archives, Bishop Museum Library and Archives, Jeffrey Apaka, Jim Nabors, William Bixler, Tom Moffatt, Getty Images, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Archives, Hawai‘i State Archives, Honolulu Star Advertiser, Camera Hawaii Archives, Harry B. Soria and Larry Manetti.

Jan 20 1891 Hawai‘i’s King David Kalākaua dies of kidney disease and is succeeded by his sister, Queen Lili‘uokalani.

Jan 17 1893 Hawaiian Monarchy (under the rule of Queen Liliuokalani) is overthrown by a group led by business men consisting of Americans Jan 19 1893 and Hawai‘i-born sons Mrs. James T. White of Americans. builds Old Waikīkī Bathhouse on the present site of the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

She offered rooms for visitors as well as ocean bathing. It was one of two bathhouses in Waikīkī at the time.

Jan 7 1895 Queen Lili‘uokalani convicted of treason and served 2 years under house arrest at ‘Iolani Palace.

1891

1893

1895 Feb 9 1895 Volleyball is invented

by W.G. Morgan in Massachusetts.

United States and World Events

Mar 5 1891 The Music Hall in New York (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as guest conductor.

Feb 1 1893 Thomas A. Edison finishes construction of the first motion picture studio in West Orange, New Jersey.

Mar 20 1914 Honolulu Zoo opens at Kapi‘olani Park.

Aug 12 1898 Hawaiian Islands are annexed to the U.S. Feb 9 1895 John and Eliza Cassidy buy the Old Waikīkī Bathhouse at the present site of the Hilton Hawaiian Village and turn it into a boarding house and later into a hotel.

Nov 26 1895 Hawai‘i Sugar Planters Association was established by plantation owners from the U.S.

Hawaiian Flag is lowered at ‘Iolani Palace, Aug 12, 1898

1898 Nov 13 1895 First shipment of canned pineapple from Hawai‘i.

Mar 11 1901 The first major hotel in Waikīkī, The Moana Hotel opens on Waikīkī Beach.

Jul 19 1902 Honolulu Merchants Association proposed a permanent tourism promotion bureau for Hawai‘i. They started out with a budget of $15,000.

May 1912 Duke Kahanamoku wins a gold medal in 100-meter freestyle swimming event at Stockholm Olympic Games.

1901

1902

1912

Mar 17 1901 A showing of 71 Vincent Van Gogh paintings in Paris, 11 years after his death, creates a sensation.

Jul 1 1898 Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders charge up San Juan Hill in the SpanishAmerican War.

Aug 14 1920 Duke Kahanamoku wins gold medal in 100-meter freestyle swimming event in Antwerp Olympic Games.

1902 The airconditioning system is invented by Willis Carrier.

Apr 14 1912 RMS Titanic hits an iceberg at 11:40 pm off Newfoundland.

Nov 11 1917 Queen Lili‘uokalani, Hawai‘i’s last reigning monarch dies at the age of 79.

Apr 10 1919 Hawai‘i Tourist Bureau becomes the official marketing arm for Hawai‘i with a budget of $100,000.

1914

1917

1919

Mar 15 1914 Jul 28 1914 Henry J. Kaiser founds World War I begins a road-paving company, in Europe. one of the first to use heavy construction machinery.

Apr 6 1917 World War I: United States declares war on Germany.

Nov 14 1914 The Cassidy’s rename their boarding house at Kālia, The Pierpoint Hotel.

Feb 1 1927 Royal Hawaiian Hotel opens.

1920

1927

Feb 14 1920 The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago, Illinois.

Apr 8 1919 Conrad Hilton buys his first hotel, the Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas.

Feb 2 1927 Henry J. Kaiser accepts a $20 million contract to build roads and bridges in Cuba.

2

Our History

1928–1949 ASubhead 19xx–19xx Changing Neighborhood The ambassador of surfing; Duke Kahanamoku

BISHOP MUSEUM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

1937 Niumalu Hotel grounds. A bather returns from the beach with robe and bathing cap. The hotel consisted of a main building area, a dining room and guest cottages.

BISHOP MUSEUM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

Niumalu Hotel was on Hummel Lane off of Kālia Road and went towards the sea wall. It was the nucleus of the Hawaiian Village Hotel. The Heen investment company purchased the Pierpoint Hotel, Hummels Court and Cressaty Court for $385,000. The stock market crash in 1929 caused the Heens to lose the hotel. The hotel would come under several owners until Henry J. Kaiser and Fritz Burns purchased the land in 1954.

From Legend’s Birthplace to Resort Hawaiian Olympic Gold Medalist and waterman, Duke Paoa Kahanamoku grew up at Kālia on the grounds of what would become the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The Kālia area was a well-populated residential area that one former resident described as “a melting pot of Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, Hapa-Haole, Portuguese, and guys from the Navy stationed at Fort DeRussy.” It included the Paoa and Kahanamoku family homes and land that went from the corner of Kālia Road all the way to the ocean.

The peninsula also held the Niumalu Hotel, its cottages and large rectangular swimming pool. Henry Kaiser kept the cottages and swimming pool when he built his Hawaiian Village.

Niumalu Hotel cottages.

The Ala Wai Canal was built in 1928 for the purpose of draining the rice paddies and swamps which would lead to the development of the Waikīkī resort area.

The Niumalu Hotel was located on the peninsula at the end of Hummel Lane.

The 22 acre area highlighted in green was called, Kālia. It is where the Hilton Hawaiian Village is located today.

Up until 1957, it was primarily a residential neighborhood, made up of five street lanes: Nano Way, Luhi Way, Kali Way, Hummel Lane, Dewey Court and Dewey Way.

BISHOP MUSEUM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

1949 photograph of Ala Moana Blvd snaking up past the yacht harbor and turning left past Kālia Road and the open field of Fort DeRussy. The Kālia area was a well-populated residential area. The peninsula held the Niumalu Hotel and rectangle swimming pool. The white sand beach in the foreground of the peninsula would eventually become the area where Henry J. Kaiser would build the lagoon.

Young visitors under the hau tree arbor at the Niumalu Hotel when it was called Cressaty Court.

1925 view of the Kālia coastline area seen from the Cressaty Court (Niumalu Hotel) pier.

BISHOP MUSEUM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

BISHOP MUSEUM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

Hawaiian Olympic Gold Medalist and waterman, Duke Paoa Kahanamoku grew up at Kālia on the grounds of what would become the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

BISHOP MUSEUM LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES

Apr 17 1935 Pan American Airways makes its inaugural trans-Pacific flight to Honolulu.

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

1928 Niumalu Hotel opens on the site where the Hilton Hawaiian Village now stands.

1928 United States and World Events

May 20 1928 Charles Lindbergh is presented the Congressional Medal of Honor for his first transAtlantic flight.

Dec 7 1941 Japanese Navy attacks Pearl Harbor.

Jun 5 1936 Aloha shirts first advertised.

Shirt-maker Ellery Chun registers the “aloha shirt” term and begins mass production for his King Street store.

May 1 1929 The first Lei Day is held and becomes an official day to celebrate the lei.

Mar 10 1938 Harry Owens, Hawai‘i orchestra leader and composer, wins Academy Award for best film song for “Sweet Leilani.”

1935 Oct 29 1929 The Great Depression begins, caused by the sudden devastating collapse of US stock market.

May 1 1935 The radio program, Hawai‘i Calls debuts with a broadcast across the U.S. every Saturday morning for four decades.

Jul 7 1930 Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser begins construction of the Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam).

Jul 6 1946 Most decorated unit in America’s history, made up of Japanese-Americans, the 442nd Regimental Combat team returns to O‘ahu.

Aug 14 1945 Hawai‘i marks V-J Day with a three-day holiday ending with a big victory parade.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

1941 Aug 9 1936 African American Jesse Owens wins 4 gold medals at Berlin Olympic Games thwarting Adolph Hitler’s plan to have German athletes showcase their superiority.

Dec 11 1941 Germany and Italy declare war on the United States.

Sep 30 1938 Hitler takes over the Sudetenland and Czechoslovakia.

Comrades, Dan Inouye (left) and Kei Yamato (far right) in France during WWII.

Apr 1 1946 The most destructive tsunami waves ever to hit Hawai‘i arrived on April Fool’s Day, hitting the town of Hilo especially hard.

442nd Regimental Combat Team

1945 1942 About 1,400 Japanese-American volunteers leave Hawai‘i for Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, to train for WWII service. The 100th Battalion later serves with distinction in the European theater and is called the “purple heart battalion.”

Nov 8 1942 Henry J. Kaiser’s Kaiser Shipyard in California launches the Robert E. Peary, one of his famous Liberty Ships. He built ships in 4 days during WWII.

May 7 1945 Germany surrenders, ending World War II.

May 1 1947 United Airlines starts daily flights from the mainland to Honolulu.

Oct 26 1947 The first Aloha Week runs from October 26 through November 2, to boost tourism in the slow Fall season.

1947

Jackie Robinson

Apr 15 1946 Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American in the major leagues playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1949 Dec 16 1947 The “transistor” launches a revolution in electronics.

Apr 14 1946 Henry J. Kaiser founds Kaiser Aluminum.

Jun 2 1946 Conrad Hilton forms the Hilton Hotels Corporation.

Aug 15 1949 National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl dedicated on the fourth anniversary of V-J Day.

Apr 4 1949 Eleven Western nations sign the North Atlantic Treaty forming NATO.

3

Our Legacy

1950–1955 Creating 19xx–19xx Subhead the Vision A Hawaiian Village Lei greetings, thatched roof accommodations and great local music are the origins of the Hawaiian Village experience.

Every guest was greeted with a flower lei and bellmen transported them to their rooms in jeepneys.

For the grand opening of the Hawaiian Village, Henry Kaiser’s assistant, Handy Hancock painted the old jeepneys in pink (Kaiser’s favorite color) and had the roof thatched with hala leaves and the floor lined with lauhala mats.

Alfred Apaka was the headliner in the Tapa Room and packed the house each night. By 1955, he had recorded several albums and became popular in the U.S.

Approximate Previous Shoreline

WILLIAM BIXLER

Henry J. Kaiser, Alfred Apaka and Fritz Burns take a break in the Tapa Room. Kaiser loved Apaka’s voice and made him the main headliner at the hotel and later, the entertainment director.

Entrance to the Hawaiian Village Hotel: Notice the thatched roof Garden Cottages on the far left. These were cottages from the Niumalu Hotel that were moved from the beach front towards Kālia Road. Kaiser hired a Samoan chief and 40 Samoan weavers to thatch all of the roofs with palm and hala (pandanus) leaves.

Pier

Original pool from Niumalu Hotel.

Lagoon

The original Niumalu Hotel pool jutted out on a peninsula and was the largest pool in Waikīkī. It was kept and incorporated into Kaiser’s Hawaiian Village.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HARRY B. SORIA

WILLIAM BIXLER

Guests could enjoy the new beach, around the Kahanamoku Lagoon, after a short stroll from the Beach Cottages (in the background).

The Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon is the centerpeice of a yearlong government negotiation that changed the waterfront of the Hawaiian Village.

The Iconic Lagoon that Henry Built.

Henry J. Kaiser had a vision for the area and was an expert at taking on huge construction projects. There were many neighboring residential properties so Henry Kaiser would go door to door, offering to buy homes for a large sum at the time, $2,000. The Paoa family and Judge Cassidy would not sell their properties for many years and instead, leased the land to Kaiser.

Thatched cottages overlooking sparkling pools, swaying palms and luxurious Polynesian gardens.

Dancing under the stars and entertainment nightly by Hawai‘i’s brightest star, Alfred Apaka.

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

1950 Hawai‘i’s population totals 499,794 (2% pure Hawaiian, 12% part Hawaiian, 33% Caucasian, 33% Japanese, 10% Filipino with smaller numbers of Chinese, North Koreans and Hispanics.)

1950

Feb 28 1953 The first governor of Hawaiian ancestry, Samuel Wilder King, became the eleventh Territorial Governor of Hawai’i serving from 1953 to 1957.

Hand woven lauhala mats covered the floors of the cottages.

1954 Fritz B. Burns and Henry J. Kaiser purchase the Niumalu Hotel with 8 oceanfront acres on John Ena Estate.

WILLIAM BIXLER

1955 The first Hawaiian Village brochure.

Mar 1955 Waikīkī Biltmore Hotel opens at the current site of the Hyatt Waikīkī.

1953

1954 Jul 7 1954 In Memphis, Tennessee, WHBQ becomes the first radio station to air an Elvis Presley record.

United States and World Events

1950 The Korean War begins its three year conflict when troops of North Korea, backed with Soviet weaponry, invade South Korea.

Jan 1955 Hawaiian Village construction begins on the thatched roof Garden Cottages. The Tapa Room renovation, hotel gardens and landscaping and three swimming pools are completed in 90 days.

May 29 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary, an explorer from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese Sherpa, become the first people to successfully climb to the summit of Mount Everest.

In order to build the lagoon, it took Kaiser and Burns a year to negotiate a deal with the territorial government. They were deeded a two and half acre tideland area, which they agreed to dredge and make into a lagoon. In turn, the government agreed to build a crescent beach and bring in 30,000 cubic yards of sand. Later, a deeper ocean basin was dredged and a catamaran pier was built.

Apr 25 1955 Alfred Apaka and the Village Serenaders become the headliners in the Tapa Room.

Apaka becomes known as “Hawai‘i’s Golden Voice” and is extremely popular in Hawai‘i and the U.S.

May 1 1955 Henry Kaiser starts his own Hawaiian radio station KHVH radio and KHVH-TV to promote Hawaiian Village and its dining and entertainment. (KHVH stands for Kaiser’s Hawaiian Village Hotel)

Aug 5 1955 Henry Kaiser builds a pier fronting the hotel and creates a channel for water skiing and catamaran passage.

Jul 14 1955 Henry Kaiser begins construction of the Kaiser Lagoon, creates a new beach and builds the two story Beach Lanais next to the lagoon.

William Bixler

Sep 18 1955 Hawaiian Village Hotel opens with a gala celebration in the Tapa Room, with entertainment provided by Alfred Apaka and the Village Serenaders.

1955 May 14 1955 Cold War begins.

Eight communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, sign a mutual defense treaty called the Warsaw Pact.

Oct 24 1954 Dwight D. Eisenhower pledges United States support to South Vietnam.

Apr 15 1955 The first McDonald’s restaurant opens in Des Plaines, Illinois.

Mar 3 1955 Elvis Presley appears on television for the first time.

Jul 17 1955 Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California.

Dec 1 1955 American Civil Rights Movement.

In Montgomery, Alabama, seamstress Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat

4

Our History

19xx–19xx 1956–1957 Kaiser’ Subhead s Hawaiian Village

1957 view looking over the lagoon towards the Lagoon Cottages.

Today the Great Lawn and the Lagoon Tower are located where the Lagoon Cottages once stood.

WILLIAM BIXLER

Industrialist & Impresario

WILLIAM BIXLER

Henry Kaiser’s love of the color pink was showcased on the Dome for several years.

Eventually, the pink bars were painted silver.

The Dome would become an iconic symbol of the Hawaiian Village for 42 years. It would serve as the entertainment venue for many of Waikiki’s most popular shows and would also serve as a place for Elvis to practice for one of his concerts.

Henry Kaiser was a master promoter who valued a “can-do” attitude. He was involved in every aspect of the development, from construction to entertainment, of his Hawaiian Village.

He built the Kaiser Aluminum Dome in 20 hours and created a media sensation to promote it. The Dome would become an iconic venue for showcasing Waikīkī’s top entertainers.

The Kaiser Aluminum Dome was built to promote Henry Kaiser’s new company, Kaiser Aluminum. Always the master promoter, he created a media sensation about building it in 20 hours, just in time for the “World Premiere of Around the World in Eighty Days.”

Henry Kaiser promoting the Kaiser Aluminum Hour on KGMB (Honolulu television station). He did everything he could to promote his aluminum company while building the Hawaiian Village and getting ready to build Hawai‘i Kai.

Alfred Apaka, headliner of the Tapa Room and Entertainment director, interviews a hula dancer in the Tapa Room. Around table in front: George Kainapau, Hal (Aku) Lewis, Henry J. Kaiser and Alfred Apaka.

Fred Ing, standing on the luau imu (underground oven), was an electrician at the hotel and stage manager for Alfred Apaka.

He embodied the “can do” attitude that Kaiser valued. Years later he became the Director of Property Operations. He retired in 2001.

Henry Kaiser is shown supervising a photo shoot of his innovative “first dance floor of its kind in Hawai‘i”, a push-button “roll-a-top” cover over one of the hotel’s swimming pools for dancing under the stars.

The Shell Bar adjoining the Ale Ale Kai Dining Room was adorned with thousands of shells. It was a popular night club featuring Hawai‘i’s top entertainers.

The large salt water swimming pool near the Beach Lanai guest rooms was the old swimming pool from the Niumalu Hotel. It was kept in its original location and everything else was built around it.

Golden Dragon Room 1956

Feb 6 1956 The Longhouse is built for meetings and events.

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

WILLIAM BIXLER

Jan 3 1957 Hawaiian Village bartender, Harry Yee invents the Blue Hawai‘i and a host of other exotic Hawaiian drinks.

May 5 1956 Mirror ponds and Makahiki Gardens are added to the area fronting the Ale Ale Kai Lanais.

Mike Todd attended the event with his wife, actress Elizabeth Taylor.

Feb 4 1957 Conrad Hilton in talks with Matson Navigation to purchase the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. He makes an offer of $3 million and will go as high as $4 million. The offer is rejected by Matson.

Apr 14 1956 Alfred Apaka becomes the Director of Entertainment. He hires the most talented Hawai‘i entertainers from other shows and interviews new talent, in an effort to fulfill Henry Kaiser’s goal of making the Hawaiian Village “The Home of Hawai‘i’s Music.”

Jan 2 1956 Golden Dragon Room is built with an expanse of 17,800 square feet. The original Golden Dragon featured both Chinese and Japanese cuisine.

Ale Ale Kai Lanais and Ale Ale Kai Dining Room are added to the hotel grounds.

William Bixler

Ale Ale Kai Lanais and Mirror Pond

Aug 8 1956 The Waikīkī Shell opens in Kapi‘olani Park

Conrad Hilton and Duke Kahanamoku in front of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

1956 United States and World Events

Jan 15 1957 The Kaiser Aluminum Dome is built in just 20 hours for the world premiere of “Around the World in Eighty Days” directed and produced by Mike Todd.

1957 May 1 1956 The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.

Jan 1956 Rock and Roll dance craze hits the U.S. Jan 10 1956 Elvis Presley records “Heartbreak Hotel”

Apr 18 1956 Prince Rainier of Monaco marries actress Grace Kelly.

Sep 9 1956 Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time.

May 21 1956 Nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean, Bikini Atoll is nearly obliterated by the first airborne explosion of a hydrogen bomb.

Jan 5 1957 Major league baseballer Jackie Robinson retires.

Our Legacy

5

Henry J. Kaiser CREATOR OF THE HAWAIIAN VILLAGE.

Henry J. Kaiser, age 22

Henry J. Kaiser and his wife, Bess, 1946. They were married for 44 years, until her death in 1951.

President Roosevelt addresses Kaiser’s employees at his Portland, Oregon shipyard.

His son Edgar stands outside of the car next to his father.

INDUSTRIALIST. BUILDER. VISIONARY.

A GIANT OF INDUSTRY. HENRY J. KAISER MASTERED THE ART OF THINKING BIG.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS OF HIS LIFE May 9, 1883–August 24, 1967

He was a household name for decades because of his many companies and ties to helping the war effort for America.

1883

Born in a farmhouse in upstate New York to German immigrants.

His father’s shoe business failed and he left the family, leaving his mother to raised Henry and his three older sisters.

He had always loved Hawai‘i and decided to move to the island of Oahu at the age of 71. At the time, there were only a handful of hotels on the island and he saw great potential in the tourism industry. He also was able to envision the changes he could make to the residential area of Kalia where he would build his Hawaiian Village Hotel.

1895

At age 12, he left school to take odd jobs.

1904

He becomes a partner in a photography business in Lake Placid, NY at the age of 22. He buys it and expands it to Florida and the Bahamas.

1906

Sells gravel and cement in Spokane, WA.

1907

Marries Bess Fosburgh.

1908

His son Edgar is born.

1914

Forms Henry Kaiser Co. in Vancouver, Canada, and begins his first road-paving contract.

1916

At age 34, he forms his first U.S. company, Kaiser Paving Company to build roads in Washington, Idaho and California.

1917

His son Henry Jr. is born. He would be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 27.

1923

Opens a sand and gravel plant in Livermore, CA.

1927

Accepts a $20 million contract to build 250 miles of highways and 500 bridges in Cuba.

1928

Enters his first contract with Bechtel and forms a rock company in Oroville, CA.

1931

Forms partnership with Bechtel to build pipelines in the Midwest and Southwest.

1931

Builds the Hoover Dam and Grand Coulee Dam at age 44, by joining a partnership of contractors and builders called the Six Companies.

1939

Starts Permanente Cement Company.

1940

Ventures into shipbuilding contract with the British government, builds shipyards at Richmond, CA., and later at Portland, OR, and Vancouver, WA. He establishes the forerunner to Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation.

1941

Establishes forerunners to Kaiser Steel Corporation and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan.

1945

Manufactures automobiles and dishwashers. Starts building homes under Kaiser Community Homes.

1945

Establishes Kaiser-Permanente Medical Care.

1948

Establishes The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

1951

First wife, Bess Kaiser dies. Four weeks later, he marries her nurse, Alyce (Ale) Chester.

1954

He breaks ground to build the Hawaiian Village Hotel.

1957

He ventures into radio and television broadcasting in Honolulu with KHVH (Kaiser’s Hawaiian Village Hotel).

1958

He expands the Kaiser-Permanente Medical Care Program to Hawai‘i.

1959

At age 77, he starts developing and personally supervising Hawai‘i Kai, a residential community on Oahu.

1961

Sells his interest in Hawaiian Village hotel to Hilton Hotels Corporation. His youngest son, Henry Jr. dies from advanced multiple sclerosis.

1967

Henry J. Kaiser dies at the age of 87. Up to several months before his death, he was still running his 191 plants and facilities in 41 countries.

Marriage to his second wife, Alyce (Ale) Chester occurred four weeks after his first wife died.

HENRY J. KAISER DID NOT COME TO HAWAI‘I TO RETIRE IN 1954.

He would fly back and forth to Oakland and was on the telephone constantly directing and making all final decisions for 191 companies while building the Hawaiian Village Hotel.

Kaiser has his hand on a model of the geodesic dome that he would later build at the Hawaiian Village Hotel. Across from him sits the creator of the geodesic dome, Buckminster Fuller. Next to him, architect, Frank Lloyd Wright and movie producer, Mike Todd.

Henry J. Kaiser, 2nd from left, with fellow contractors at Boulder Dam – 1935.

He started KHVH radio and TV station and Kaiser-Permanente Hospitals in Hawai‘i, and developed the residential area of Hawai‘i Kai.

Kaiser’s Portland shipyard launches its first ship on Sept 27, 1941, two months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He could build one ship every 10 days. His four shipyards produced 747 ships.

© Camera Hawaii Archives

KAISER WAS A FAN OF THE COLOR, PINK. He often wore pink slacks and a pink shirt. His construction equipment and trucks were all painted pink. At the Hawaiian Village, the color pink was everywhere, on catamarans, life guard stands, upholstery, walls, cars, fringed jeeps and every surface that could be painted.

Compiled by Lora Gallagher

He did not care if the Royal Hawaiian Hotel was pink. He chose the color because it was different and it made his projects stand out.

He was going to “out Pink” the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

Henry and Ale loved to be on the water. She was an avid water skier and there was always a speed boat at the pier. Kaiser built several catamarans and named them “Ale Ale Kai” after his wife. He also named a wing of the hotel after her and a dining room called the Ale Ale Kai Lanais.

Handy Hancock (Kaiser’s close associate and Resident Manager), Kahu David Bray, Ale Kaiser and Henry Kaiser in front of the Long House.

Hancock went with Kaiser to assist him in developing the residential area of Hawaii Kai. A boat launch off of Hawaii Kai Drive is named after Hancock.

Henry J. Kaiser Henry J. Kaiser did not come to Hawai‘i to retire in 1954.

He would fly back and forth to Oakland and was on the telephone constantly directing and making all final decisions for 191 companies while building the Hawaiian Village Hotel.

He started KHVH radio and TV station and Kaiser-Permanente Hospitals in Hawai‘i, and developed the residential area of Hawai‘i Kai.

6

Our History

1957–1959

Stars Shine

No Business Like Show Business Henry J. Kaiser was a master marketer who sponsored popular television shows like “Maverick.” He jumped at the chance to have the Hawaiian Village be the location for a sexy new detective show called “Hawaiian Eye.” It was a show about a private investigation company with offices at the Hawaiian Village. Heart throb Troy Donahue made regular appearances with the main cast consisting of Robert Wagner, Connie Stevens, Anthony Eisley and Hawai‘i born actor, Poncie Ponce.

An Olympic size pool was a feature at the new Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower).

1958 aerial view of Hawaiian Village.

The hotel was quickly expanding into the neighborhood of Kālia. However, there were still a number of private homes abutting the hotel grounds. The large open parking lot encompassed more than 30% of the hotel. The Dome was a strange and unique landmark.

Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens star in Hawaiian Eye, filmed at the hotel.

Hawaiian Village Map

Robert Conrad dances with two hula girls on set at the Hawaiian Village.

Elvis Presley performed two sold out shows at the Honolulu Stadium on March 25, 1957.

Connie Stevens played Crickett, an undercover hotel lounge singer.

Kaiser’s pink pier fronts the 14-story Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower), the tallest hotel tower in Waikīkī in 1957. A radio station, KHVH (Kaiser’s Hawaiian Village Hotel) was located on the rooftop.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAM BIXLER

Why did Elvis stay at Hawaiian Village?

The answer has to do with Henry Kaiser’s connections to Hollywood and the fact that the hotel had a helicopter pad right next to the lagoon. It was easy to get Elvis in and out quickly to and from the airport. Elvis would be back in 1961 to shoot “Blue Hawaii.”

The Colonel’s Request Elvis stayed in the large suite on the 14th floor of the Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower) whenever he stayed in Waikīkī. When the Rainbow Tower was built in 1968, the Colonel Tom Parker (Elvis’ manager) requested the Duke Kahanamoku Suite on the 31st Floor of the Rainbow Tower.

KHVH disc jockey Tom Moffat interviews Elvis at Ocean Tower. He became a favorite of The Colonel (Elvis’ manager) and was given exclusive opportunities to interview and introduce Elvis at each of his concerts in Hawai‘i.

Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower) was built in 1957. It would become known as Elvis’ hotel.

WILLIAM BIXLER

Elvis Presley poses with hotel guest in front of Ocean Tower.

Hawaiian Village 1959

May 5 1957 The 14 story Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower) is completed.

It contained an Olympic size swimming pool on the first floor, shops and offices of Henry J. Kaiser and Fritz Burns, as well as the hotel’s executive offices.

Oct 2 1959 The 17-story Diamond Head Tower is built by Kaiser on leased lots owned by the Mun Estates and You Estates.

A bridge way is constructed so that if the lease on one of the lots was terminated, the buildings could be disconnected.

Mar 2 1958 A 40’ x 40’ hyperbolic parabolic umbrella structure is built to house a showroom and the Garden Bar.

Oct 1957 International Marketplace in Waikīkī opens.

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

Apr 28 1957 Alfred Apaka guest stars on the Ed Sullivan Show.

1957 United States and World Events

Apr 5 1958 The 13-story Village Tower is built with 132 guest rooms, shops, Village Café, and oval swimming pool (location of the Mary Ann Sears Swim School).

1958 May 6 1957 Pulitzer prize awarded to John F. Kennedy (Profiles in Courage).

Oct 4 1957 Launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.

Mar 22 1958 Mike Todd (Elizabeth Taylor’s husband) dies in a plane crash.

1959 Mar 30 1958 Several unidentified soldiers killed in action during World War II and the Korean War are buried at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.

President Eisenhower lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns March 30, 1958.

Jan 3 1959 Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. State.

Feb 3 1959 A plane crash kills rock-and-roll performers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper.

Aug 21 1959 President Eisenhower signs an executive order proclaiming Hawai‘i the 50th state of the union.

Oct 7 1959 Hawaiian Eye television series starring Connie Stevens and Robert Conrad debuts.

Henry Kaiser sponsored the show to promote the hotel and the show is shot at the Hawaiian Village. It ran for four seasons until April 1963.

Our Legacy

1960 A Lasting Influence Alfred Aholo Apaka MARCH 19, 1919 – JANUARY 30, 1960

19 year old Alfred Apaka has his first professional engagement as a bass player and vocalist at the Alexander Young Hotel in Honolulu.

Apaka’s “Broadway Wears A Lei” produced by Henry Kaiser and directed by famed composer Axel Stordahl, was about to bring him more fame in America.

Martin Denny and his trio were hired by Alfred Apaka to play at the Shell Bar. Denny was playing jazz at the time with Arthur Lyman on vibes and John Kramer on bass. A talented bongo player named Augie Colon began sitting in and from there a new sound called “Exotica” was created.

Ed Kenney was hired by Apaka to play in the Tiare Room at the Ocean Tower with Tahitian musicians and dancers, led by Terii Arua.

“Hawai‘i’s Golden Voice”

A Short but Prolific Professional Career 1938: First professional engagement at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel as a singer for Don McDiarmid and as a bass player and vocalist at the Alexander Young Hotel.

1940: Joined “Ray Kinney and His Hawaiians” at the Lexington Hotel in New York City. He made five recordings with Ray Kinney.

1943: Rejoined Ray McDiarmid as a bass player and vocalist at Kewalo Inn. 1944: Formed his own band at La Hula Rhumba and recorded with various labels.

1946: Performed on US mainland circuit, mainly on the West Coast, until 1949.

Alfred Apaka had a good eye for talent.

He hired all of the entertainers at the Hawaiian Village, influenced many careers, and made the hotel a popular hot spot in Waikīkī. With its number of show rooms and its focus to showcase entertainment, the hotel was clearly the leader in supporting Hawaiian music and musicians living in Hawai‘i.

Hilo Hattie was a popular entertainer at the Hawaiian Village. She was already well known in Hollywood and would play a role in the 1961 Elvis movie, Blue Hawai‘i.

His U.S. mainland success and numerous recordings made him a major player in the popularization of Hawaiian music throughout the 1940s and 1950s.

1949: Played at the Moana Hotel with his own four piece band until 1951.

Henry Kaiser was actively involved in finding ways to launch Alfred Apaka’s star. Kaiser created his own record label and hired composer Axel Stordahl to produce Broadway Wears a Lei. Stordahl worked with Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and many other great singers.

1950: Began recording with Decca and Aku Records.

1952: Joined Don The Beachcomber, where he was discovered by Bob Hope.

In May of that year, he appeared on Bob Hope’s radio show with Dorothy Lamour, and then appeared on Bing Crosby’s radio show.

He recorded with the Andrews Sisters and Danny Stewart. He played the U.S. mainland circuit until 1954.

Exotica, a form of tropical-jazz was pioneered at the Hawaiian Village by Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman and Augie Colon.

‘Iolani Luahine was hired by Alfred Apaka to introduce visitors to ancient hula. She was one of the leading hula dancers in the 20th century and a proponent of keeping the Hawaiian culture alive.

1955 Opening of the Hawaiian Village Hotel featured Alfred Apaka, the hotel’s headliner and Entertainment Director.

Nalani Isaacs was one of Apaka’s favorite hula dancers.

1954: Returned to Hawai‘i to work for Henry Kaiser at the Hawaiian Village.

1955: He had a summer engagement in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe.

1955: Opened at the Hawaiian Village with Benny Kalama’s band, recorded under Henry Kaiser’s record label and served as the entertainment director.

1957: Guest starred on the Ed Sullivan Show with Henry Kaiser.

1959: Appeared on the Dinah Shore Show.

1960: On January 30th, he dies of a massive heart attack after playing handball at the YMCA. “The Day Hawai‘i Cried.”

Jeffrey Apaka, age four with his father. Jeffrey was 13 years old when his father passed away on January 30, 1960.

Bob Hope was devastated by the news of Apaka’s death. He first discovered Apaka while he was performing at a luau in Waikīkī. He gave Apaka guest spots on three of his popular radio and television shows, and predicted that Apaka “would be with Crosby and Sinatra within one year.”

May 14 1960 For the first time, tourism overtakes sugar and pineapple industries in the amount of revenue earned.

Feb 28 1960 Henry Kaiser’s first homes built in Hawai‘i Kai go up for sale. Hawai‘i Kai is a new suburban housing development on the southeast shore of Oahu.

Jan 30 1960 Alfred Apaka dies after playing handball.

When Alfred Apaka died suddenly in 1960, Henry Kaiser finally contemplated selling his half share of the Hawaiian Village to Conrad Hilton. Apaka was like a son to Kaiser, who loved his voice and recognized his great talent. Apaka’s death made him think about his own mortality and pushed him to move on and focus on his housing development in Hawai‘i Kai.

May 1960 Kau Kau Corner, a popular drive-in restaurant, located on the corner of Kapiolani Blvd and Kalakaua Avenue, closes after 25 years of serving customers from around the world.

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

May 23 1960 A tsunami strikes the Islands killing 61 people. The tsunami destroys Hilo Bay on the island of Hawai‘i.

Thirty-five-foot waves bend parking meters to the ground and wipes away most buildings.

Sixty-one people die in Hilo, the worst-hit area of the island chain.

Jul 1960 Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau launches a mainland ad campaign that says, “Hawai‘i has plenty of rooms available right now.”

June 1960 Henry Kaiser tentatively agrees to sell Hawaiian Village to Conrad Hilton for $29.75 million.

Sept 19 1960 Hawai‘i National Bank opens its doors in Chinatown with recordbreaking opening-day deposits.

Sugar plantations mechanized harvesting machines.

1960 United States and World Events

Jan 1960 Aluminum cans were used for the first time commercially for food and beverages.

Feb 13 1960 France tests its first atomic bomb in Sahara and joins US, UK and USSR as Nuclear Powers.

Feb 1 1960 On February 1, 1960, four African American college students sit down at a lunch counter at Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina, and politely ask for service. Their request is refused.

When asked to leave, they remain in their seats.

Their passive resistance and peaceful sit-down demand helps ignite a youth-led movement to challenge racial inequality throughout the South.

Mar 1960 New commercial aviation record set by Pan American Airways 706 international jet clipper landing at Honolulu with 151 passengers aboard.

The flight from Portland, Oregon carries the largest number of passengers ever to fly a scheduled commercial flight.

Mar 1960 Xerox introduces the first Commercial Document reproduction machine.

May 19 1960 The Pill is FDA approved.

Apr 1960 Two Americans, Dr. William Chardack and engineer Wilson Greatbatch, are credited as having invented the first fully implantable pacemaker.

Apr 1 1960 The launch of TIROS I (Television and InfraRed Observation Satellite) marks the first day it becomes possible to observe the Earth’s weather conditions on a regular basis, over most of the world.

Aug 19 1960 US Pilot Francis Gary Powers is sentenced to 3 years imprisonment and 7 years of hard labor for espionage in the Soviet Union.

Jul 1960 Chubby Checker introduces his version of “The Twist” at the age of 18.

Sept 24 1960 The United States launches the world’s first nuclear powered Aircraft Carrier, the USS Enterprise.

Oct 29 1960 Louisville, Kentucky, 18 year old Cassius Clay (who later took the name Muhammad Ali) wins his first professional fight after having won the Gold Medal in Rome in the Olympic games.

Nov 8 1960 Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy wins the United States Presidential elections, defeating current Vice President, Richard Nixon.

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8

Our History

Elvis Presley’s Hotel THE HILTON HAWAIIAN VILLAGE. Each time Elvis Presley came to Hawai‘i from 1957 to 1972, he stayed only at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

ELVIS PRESLEY Each time Elvis Presley came to Hawaii from 1957 to 1972, he stayed only at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Why? There are several answers. The first answer has to do with the fact that Henry J. Kaiser was a very famous person and he had ties to Hollywood. Another reason is that Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker was once stationed at Fort DeRussy and he had fond memories about this area of Waikiki. The Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower) was the tallest building in Waikiki in 1957, and its location away from the center of Waikiki made it easier to secure Elvis and his entourage. The hotel’s management and employees respected Elvis’ privacy. When the Ala Wai Helicopter Pad was installed at the parking lot near the Duke Kahanamoku Lagoon, it enabled Elvis to be brought in to the hotel quickly from the airport.

ELVIS WAS DRAFTED INTO THE US ARMY two years after his 1957 concert in Hawai‘i.

His manager, Colonel Parker planned that Hawai‘i would be the location of his second major concert, after his release from the army in 1961.

This concert would be a benefit for the building of the USS Arizona Memorial. In addition, a few days after the concert, Elvis would begin filming his first major motion picture in Hawai‘i, Blue Hawaii.

He arrived in Hawai‘i on March 25, 1961 on a Pan American Airways plane and was greeted by 3,000 screaming fans. At the Hilton Hawaiian Village, 200 fans were waiting for him in the lobby area. He was escorted to the Carousel Room for a press conference with students from 27 island high schools and intermediate schools.

Elvis Presley loved Hawai‘i. One of the reasons he loved staying at Hilton Hawaiian Village was that hotel management and employees respected his privacy.

Disc Jockies Tom Moffatt and Ron Jacobs, flank Maria Velardo (contest winner) and Elvis Presley on set at the hotel during Blue Hawaii filming.

A press conference of college and high school students interview Elvis in the hotel’s Carousel Room.

ELVIS’ HOTEL BILLS FROM 1961 Elvis came to Hawai‘i with his “Memphis Mafia,” they kept him company and took care of things like signing his hotel bills. Below are a few bills from his time at the resort during the filming of Blue Hawaii. One of the members was Joe Esposito.

He first met Elvis while serving in the military in 1958. He signed many of the hotel checks for Elvis, along with Sonny West, Vernon Presley and Alan Fortas.

Elvis coming out of surf fronting Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower)

Elvis on the balcony of his 14th floor Mahele Suite in the Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower). He longed to be on the beach and in the ocean.

Again, the entire 14th floor of the Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower) was booked for Elvis and his entourage which included his “Memphis Mafia”, his band and Colonel Parker. Elvis would stay much longer this time, a total of 16 days from March 25 – April 9th. It was a huge challenge for security because of the long stay and for five of those days, the hotel served as a movie set for Blue Hawaii.

Hotel employees recalled that Elvis would come down in the evening with a few of his “Memphis Mafia” buddies to go for an evening swim, put on a cap to disguise himself so he could have a drink at the Garden Bar. Hotel employees were told to keep his movement around the hotel strictly confidential.

Hawaiian Village Security Plan for Elvis Visit.

“BLUE HAWAII”

“ALOHA FROM HAWAII” SATELLITE CONCERT Above: January 9, 1973, Elvis lands at the Helicopter Pad fronting the Rainbow Tower. Greeted by 1000 screaming fans.

He was here for his last concert in Hawai‘i, the famous “Aloha From Hawaii” satellite concert.

Lucky KPOI contest winner, Maria Velardo won tickets to the 1961 Elvis Hawai‘i concert and she also got to spend time with Elvis on set for Blue Hawaii in Hawai‘i and in Hollywood.

Below: The concert was a benefit for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund. Lee was a Hawaiian singer and composer who died of cancer at the age of 34 in Dec 1966. He had composed the song, “I’ll Remember You,” a song Elvis recorded in Nashville in 1966 and which he also sang at the satellite concert.

Elvis at a press conference at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Nani Lee, the widow of Kui Lee sits on the right.

Blue Hawaii was shot on location at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The movie provides a peek into what the hotel looked like in 1961.

This scene takes place in the Makahiki Gardens (current location of Hau Tree Bar) Note the “HV” on the catamaran sail.

Elvis at the wheel of the Hawaiian Island Tours’ Dodge Dart convertible as he makes his way to the hotel lobby. Note the thatched roof guest cottages fronting the lagoon.

Elvis at the hostess podium of the Garden Bar (current location is Tropics Bar & Grill).

Elvis and Joan Blackman leave through the main entrance.

Note the lava rock pillar with the Hilton Hawaiian Village sign.

Elvis driving in to the hotel porte cochere to pick up his tour.

Note the Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower) in the background. The pointed roof of the Long House peeks above the lobby roof.

Elvis on the Hilton Pier with the Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower) in the background.

The pink catamaran pier, a remnant of Henry Kaiser’s influence on the hotel.

He sold the hotel to Hilton a few months before the filming.

Our Legacy

1961

Hilton Blue & Blue Hawaii Ocean Tower

Elvis came to Hilton Hawaiian Village in March 1961 to perform a benefit concert for the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial and film “Blue Hawaii” which was shot at the hotel, around the islands of O‘ahu and Kauai. He stayed in the Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower 14th Floor suite)

ELVIS SIGHTINGS Excitement continued when Elvis Presley came back in 1961 to perform a benefit concert for the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.

He stayed 16 days and shot the movie, “Blue Hawaii” at the hotel.

Rare photo of Conrad Hilton wearing an Aloha shirt at Hilton Hawaiian Village and sipping a martini with his third wife, Mary Frances Kelly.

Betty Shiroma, a cashier, recalled, “Elvis stayed in the big suite on the 14th floor of the Ocean Tower.

He would throw souvenirs (neck ties and records) to the crowd from his balcony. Tons of kids used to hang out in the lobby, waiting for him to throw stuff. There was a pool under his balcony and the kids would jump in the pool with their clothes on, just to get a souvenir. One day I heard Elvis was walking on the beach.

I wanted to see him. I got to stand right next to him.”

Helipad

In 1961, Hilton Hotels Corporation took over the management and half ownership of the 1,111 room Hilton Hawaiian Village.

(Note the triangular helipad off of the Lagoon where Elvis would be flown in by helicopter for subsequent visits.)

Elvis snapshot during break in filming of Blue Hawaii.

Hilton Enters the Picture

Accountant, Jojo Aoyama recalls, “When Elvis came back to the hotel from his concert, there were lots of people in the lobby. They all got up and followed him like a magnet to the elevator. We took care of him and we wouldn’t act ‘star struck’ when he walked around the hotel.

That’s why he kept coming back here. He could walk around and none of us bothered him.”

“Kaiser Pink” would soon be replaced with “Hilton Blue” upon Hilton’s $21 million dollar purchase of Henry Kaiser’s share of the Hawaiian Village Hotel.

Conrad Hilton founded the Hilton Hotel empire and grew it into one of the largest private companies in the U.S., which in 2015 consisted of over 4,600 hotels worldwide.

Joan Blackman, Elvis Presley and Hilo Hattie relax on set of “Blue Hawaii” at the Honolulu International Airport.

Comic hula dancer Hilo Hattie was a popular performer at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Feb 1961 Hilton Hotels Corporation buys Henry Kaiser’s share of the Hawaiian Village for $21,000,000.

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

Mar 25 1961 Elvis Presley performs to raise money for the USS Arizona Memorial.

Mar 27 1961 Blue Hawaii, a new Elvis Presley movie, begins filming at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Apr 20 1961 Kaiser -Teleprompter pioneered cable television in Hawai‘i making KHVH the first cable television company in Hawai‘i.

May 4 1961 Pali Highway opens replacing the narrow twisting road that had carried travelers across the Ko‘olau Mountains since ancient times.

May 7 1961 Legislature appropriates $1.4 million to begin the first phase of “Magic Island” off Ala Moana and $1 million to develop land on Sand Island for industrial use.

Elvis posing on his 14th floor suite in the Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower).

Elvis wrote the set list for his 1961 concert on hotel stationary.

Aug 4 1961 Barack H. Obama is born in Honolulu at Kapi‘olani Hospital.

In 2009, he becomes the 44th President of the United States.

1961 United States and World Events

Nov 20 1961 The revolving restaurant on the top of the Ala Moana Building La Ronde opens preceding Seattle’s Space Needle (1962)

Aug 15 1961 “Hawaiian Eye,” a detective television series filmed at Hilton Hawaiian Village is shown in Japan. It becomes so popular it spawns a Hawaiian music and fashion boom in Japan, laying the groundwork to embed Hawai‘i in the Japanese middle-class mind-set as a top vacation destination.

Oct 4 1961 Businessman Chinn Ho organizes a group of investors to buy the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and becomes the first Asian to be principal owner of a major daily newspaper.

Robert Conrad, Connie Stevens, Anthony Eisley, Poncie Ponce

Sep 1961 USSR performs 18 nuclear tests throughout September and October.

Jan 20 1961 John F. Kennedy Inauguration Ceremony.

He becomes the 35th President of the United States.

Mar 1 1961 President Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps.

Apr 12 1961 The Soviet Union launches the first spacecraft to take a man into space. The Vostok 1 carries Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin.

May 5 1961 The United States launches its first man in space Alan Shepard on the Freedom 7.

Aug 17 1961 First concrete elements and large blocks put in place to create the Berlin Wall.

May 14 1961 Bus with 1st group of Freedom Riders bombed and burned in Alabama.

Sep 5 1961 United States begins underground nuclear testing.

Dec 1 1961 Fritz Burns forms a HiltonBurns partnership by using his 50 percent share of the Hawaiian Village property.

Oct 6 1961 President Kennedy advises Americans to build fallout shelters in their homes fearing the possibility of nuclear war.

Nov 29 1961 White mob attacks Freedom Riders at bus station in Mississippi.

Nov 15 1961 United Nations bans the use of nuclear and thermo-nuclear weapons.

The first American helicopters arrive in Saigon along with 400 U.S. personnel.

Dec 11 1961 Elvis Presley’s “Blue Hawaii” goes to No. 1 on the Billboard charts and remains there for 20 weeks.

Dec 12 1961 Martin Luther King Jr. and 700 demonstrators arrested in Albany, Georgia.

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10

Our History

1962–1965

Host to World Leaders President Kennedy traveling with Senator Spark Matsunaga and Representative Thomas Gill, arrives at Honolulu International Airport and is greeted by Gov. John Burns, Senator Daniel Inouye and lei greeters from the Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau.

“Hawai‘i is what the rest of the world is striving to become.”

– From John F. Kennedy’s civil rights speech made on June 9, 1963 at Hilton Hawaiian Village to the U.S, Conference of Mayors.

On stage at the Long House minutes before the President’s speech.

Left to right: Mayor Neal S. Blaisdell, Honolulu; President Kennedy; Mayor Arthur Selland, Fresno, CA; Mayor Hayden Burns, Jacksonville, FL; Mayor Stanley Church, New Rochelle, NY and Mayor Lewis Cutrer, Houston, TX.

JFK’s motorcade rounds the intersection of Kapahulu and Kalākaua Avenues.

He would ride through Waikīkī while visitors and residents climbed on rooftops to get a better view.

Aloha Mr. President 100,000 Honolulu citizens enjoyed something that they would never experience again: a presidential motorcade carrying a president standing openly in a convertible limousine.

JFK leaving the old main lobby of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, June 9, 1963.

As he rode through the city, he was greeted with lei and shouts of “Aloha Mr. President” and “we love you.”

Historic Presidential Visit.

President John F. Kennedy was coming off of a five-day tour of the western states, when he learned of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Hawai‘i. He decided to fly to the islands to deliver an important speech on civil rights.

The President’s visit thrilled the mayors and their wives, but because it was an impromptu visit, conference organizers and the hotel management had to scramble to make arrangements to receive the president.

The stage of the Long House (the largest meeting space in Hawai‘i in 1963) was covered with fragrant plumeria lei strands.

The President’s speech proposed courses of action for the mayors to improve race relations in their cities. The speech provided the catalyst to spark change in many cities across the U.S.

Photos from John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

May 1962 The USS Arizona Memorial is established to honor those who died in the Dec. 7 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Aug 1962 Singer Don Ho performs at Duke’s in Waikīkī and will go on to become a Hawaiian icon for the next forty years.

JFK seated with Hawai‘i Gov. John A. Burns and Senator Daniel Inouye in the President’s favorite blue Lincoln Continental convertible, the same vehicle that would carry him through the streets of Dallas exactly five months and 13 days later.

Nov 1962 Governor John A. Burns is elected Governor of Hawai‘i Mar 1963 Henry Kaiser offers his first homes in Hawai‘i Kai for sale through a special “Hawai‘i Kai Parade of Homes”—thousands come out to see the 12 homes available for sale.

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

1962

Jun 9 1963 President Kennedy visits Hawai‘i and delivers a speech at the U.S. Mayors Conference in the Long House at Hilton Hawaiian Village, urging them to integrate AfricanAmericans into their work force.

JFK meets the parents and grandparents of Hawai‘i Senator Daniel Inouye.

Aug 1964 Honolulu International Center (HIC) is built and in 1984 renamed Neal S. Blaisdell Center.

Jan 3 1963 Thomas Gill becomes a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1963-1965.

Oct 12 1963 The Polynesian Cultural Center opens in Lā‘ie O‘ahu.

1963

1965 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship debuts bringing together 24 of the world’s best surfers

Mar 27 1964 An 8.4 Richter scale earthquake originating in Alaska generates tsunami waves that flood Kahului, Maui and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

1964

1965 Jul 2 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law.

United States and World Events

Jul 10 1962 Martin Luther King Jr. arrested during demonstration in Georgia.

Aug 5 1962 Film actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead in her Los Angeles home.

Nov 2 1962 The Cuban Missile Crisis ends as President John F. Kennedy announces that Soviet nuclear missiles are to be withdrawn from Cuba.

Jul 1 1963 Jun 11 1963 United States introduces President Kennedy says ZIP Codes for mail. segregation is morally wrong and that it is “time to act.”

Nov 22 1963 President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas Texas.

Jun 12 1964 Nelson Mandela and seven others are sentenced to life imprisonment in South Africa.

Oct 14 1964 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr receives the Nobel Peace Prize.

Feb 9 1965 The first United States combat troops are sent to South Vietnam.

Our Legacy

1966–1970 The Gathering Place Conrad Hilton, Senator Daniel Inouye, Ed Hastings and Barron Hilton 1968.

More than 16,000 color tiles were hand painted, glazed and fired to produce the world’s largest ceramic-tile mosaic in the world, spanning 286 feet high by 26 feet wide on each end of the tower.

In the far bottom left corner of this photo, a construction crew relaxes while guests gather on the lawn for the unveiling of the Rainbow Tower mosaic.

A Blend of Old and New

Conrad Hilton shakes hands with Senator Spark Matsunaga, while Monsignor Charles Kekumano and Mayor Neal Blaisdell look on.

Waikiki was becoming a popular meetings destination. The need to have more guest rooms and meeting rooms was in the plan for Hilton Hawaiian Village, but there was no “Master Plan” to guide the overall development of the 20-acre resort.

The older wooden Beach Cottages and the 2-story Beach Lanais were showing their age.

They would be torn down to make way for the Lagoon Apartments and Rainbow Tower.

A parking structure was built to house 1700 cars and topped off with Hawai‘i’s largest meeting facility, the Mid-Pacific Conference Center. And the unique Rainbow Bazaar shopping village was added to provide guests with interesting shops and boutiques.

George retired in 2009 with 40 years of service, Nancy is still working at the hotel and has 46 years of service as of 2016.

Above (l-r): George Gaspar, Nancy Festerling, Fritz Burns, Conrad Hilton and Barron Hilton 1968

In August 1969, the Mid-Pacific Conference Center was going through its final phases of construction. The emergency staircase is going up in the background while Robert Munro (Munro Burns Jackson Brothers Construction), Clyde Doran (General Manager), Fritz Burns (Vice Chairman of Hilton Hotels Corp.) and Edwin Hastings (Senior Vice President, Hilton Hawaiian Village) look at the scale model of the conference center.

Conrad Hilton at the side of Rev. Abraham Akaka during the traditional Hawaiian blessing of the Rainbow Tower mosaic.

At the base of the Hilton Tower (which would later be named the Rainbow Tower) Conrad Hilton and Fritz Burns pose at the plaque which states that the mural is the tallest in the world.

A view from the Ocean Tower (Ali‘i Tower) of the thatched roof Lagoon Cottages, which were demolished to make way for the Lagoon Apartments and Rainbow Tower. In the distance, Kaiser’s first hospital in Honolulu was built on an expensive yacht harbor location next to the ‘Ilikai hotel construction site.

Beach Lanais

Aug 20 1967 The Hilton Tower (later renamed Rainbow Tower) is built with 30 stories.

Lagoon Cottages

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

Jun 3 1966 The Beach Lanais and the coconut thatched Lagoon Cottages were demolished to make way for the Rainbow Tower and Lagoon Apartments.

Sep 20 1968 Hawai‘i Five-O starts its first season starring Jack Lord and James MacArthur directed by Leonard Freeman.

Jan 22 1968 Duke Kahanamoku dies in Honolulu at the age of 77.

Jun 1967 Lagoon Apartments Aug 24 1967 is built with 235 apartment units. (Name Henry J. Kaiser dies at the age of 85. changed in 1998 to Lagoon Tower.)

Jul 3 1966 Construction finished on the hotel’s six story parking garage.

1966

1967

Designed by renowned artist Millard Sheets, the colorful ceramic tiles climb the entire height of the 31-story tower. By design, the murals welcome all visitors to O‘ahu, the focal point for the murals is 2.5 miles away, which on the ocean side coincides with the air corridor in and out of Honolulu International Airport.

As the large veil covering the Rainbow mural falls away at dusk to reveal the lighted mural, Fritz Burns and Conrad Hilton look on.

Nov 8 1968 The Hilton Tower becomes the Rainbow Tower when the two Rainbow tile murals are unveiled at a ceremony blessed by Rev. Abraham Akaka. Attendees included Conrad and Barron Hilton, Governor Burns, Senator Sparky Matsunaga, and Senator Daniel Inouye.

1968

Jun 1969 Mid-Pacific Conference Center opens with The Coral Ballroom and the Tapestry Lounge (today called the Coral Lounge) the largest ballroom in the state of Hawai‘i.

1969

Apr 7 1970 The Rainbow Bazaar is completed.

Aug 1969 Benihana Restaurant is constructed at the resort.

1970

Apr 1969 Statues of King Kamehameha I and Father Damien are placed in Washington D.C.’s National Statuary Hall.

United States and World Events

Sep 8 1966 “Star Trek” premieres on NBC-TV.

May 1 1967 Elvis Presley marries Priscilla Beaulieu.

Aug 30 1967 Thurgood Marshall is confirmed as the first African American Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Jun 5 1968 U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles California.

Jan 12 1970 Boeing 747 makes its maiden voyage.

James Lovell, William Anders, and Frank Borman

Dec 24 1968 The crew of Apollo 8 become the first humans to enter into orbit around the Moon.

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12

Our History

1971–1980

Dawning of a New Era

Village Tower

Tapa Room Location of Fire

October 20, 1973, an electrical fire destroys the popular Tapa Room. $500,000 in damage include the Shell Bar and the Alfred Shaheen clothing shop.

Hilton Hawaiian Village in the 1970s.

Beginning of Major Change By the mid-1970s, tourism in Hawai‘i was growing at a rapid rate. New hotels were springing up in Waikīkī.

At Hilton Hawaiian Village there was room to improve and make better use of the 20 beach front acres.

The Tapa Tower was on the horizon.

Elvis and his entourage took the entire top floor of the Rainbow Tower from August 9 - 20, 1973.

He stayed in the Duke Kahanamoku Suite.

The devastation of the Tapa Room and the surrounding area caused Hilton Hotels Corporation to think about the future development of the resort.

James MacArthur, Leonard Freeman and Jack Lord at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The resort was featured in many episodes because of the ease of shooting on the 22-acre property.

Elvis’ arrival to the Hilton Hawaiian Village January 9, 1973, a large crowd assembled to greet Elvis as he arrived at Hilton Hawaiian Village. The heliport in front of the Rainbow Tower served as the quickest way to get him into the hotel. He stayed in the Rainbow Tower in the Duke Kahanamoku Suite.

Jim Nabors invested in an elaborate set in the Dome for his Polynesian Show. The show was extremely successful and sold out 6 days a week. After two years, Nabors decided that it was too taxing on his health and decided to end the show.

He generously went around the perimeter of the fence and shook hands, received flower and candy lei, and kisses from his fans.

Elvis was 38 years old.

Elvis touches the cheek of a young fan.

1971 Last protesters removed from Kalama Valley to make way for Henry Kaiser’s Hawai‘i Kai development. Kokua Kalama organizes as one of the first modern sovereignty groups.

Aug 30 1972 United States President Richard Nixon arrives in Honolulu for a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka.

1973 Olomana started in 1973 by Jerry Santos and Robert Beaumont.

They recorded three albums: Like a Seabird in the Wind, And So We Are and Come to Me Gently.

1973 Cecilio & Kapono, a Hawaiian pop music duo formed in 1973 by Henry Kapono Ka’aihue and Cecilio Rodriguez.

The duo released three albums on Columbia Records: the self-titled Cecilio & Kapono, Elua, and Night Music.

Jan 6 1973 Clyde Aikau becomes the first native Hawaiian to win the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship.

Oct 20 1973 Tapa Room is destroyed by fire. $500,000 in damage included the Shell Bar and the Alfred Shaheen shop.

1972

1973

Dec 15 1977 Prudential Insurance Company bought Fritz Burns’ interest in Hilton Hawaiian Village forming the Hilton Hawaiian Village Joint Venture dba Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Sep 12 1975 Aloha Stadium opens in Honolulu hosting baseball and football games as well as concerts.

Dec 16 1973 The first Honolulu Marathon is held.

1971

Elvis stops to greet the Aiea Swingin’ Singers, high school students who serenaded him upon his arrival.

Jan 1975 The Sugar Act expires leading to the end of quotas and tariffs imposed to maintain U.S. sugar prices. Sugar prices decrease causing the shutdown of many sugar plantations in Hawai‘i.

Jan 14 1973 Elvis Presley performs at O‘ahu’s Honolulu International Center (later renamed Neal S. Blaisdell Center) in his Aloha From Hawai‘i concert.

The show is broadcast live via satellite to an estimated 1.5 billion people worldwide.

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

Tom Moffatt had the only media interview at the heliport with Elvis

1974

1975

1976

1977

Jan 11 1973 Trial of Watergate begins in Washington D.C.

United States and World Events

1971 Cigarette advertising ends on television in USA.

1972 American Swimmer Mark Spitz wins a record 7 gold medals in the Summer Olympics in Munich.

Mar 16 1978 The Hōkūle‘a voyaging canoe capsizes in large swells off the island of Lāna‘i forcing the crew’s 15 members to cling to the canoe’s overturned hull. Eddie Aikau volunteers to paddle his surfboard toward Lāna‘i for help and is never seen again.

Sep 9 1973 Willie Mays announces retirement at end of 1973 season at age 42.

Oct 9 1973 Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s six-year marriage officially ends

Apr 30 1975 Vietnam War ends with the fall of Saigon Aug 9 1974 President Richard Nixon to communist North resigns and Gerald Ford Vietnam. becomes President of the United States.

Sep 19 1975 Patti Hearst becomes Most Wanted and is arrested for armed robbery.

Jul 30 1976 American Bruce Jenner wins gold in the decathlon at the Montreal Olympics.

Aug 16 1977 Elvis Presley dies of heart failure at the age of 42.

May 1980 The television series Hawai‘i Five-O ends after twelve seasons having debuted in 1968 on CBS. Jul 10 1978 Police net large quantities of marijuana through Operation Green Harvest.

Dec 11 1980 Magnum PI’s first episode airs.

Jan 3 1979 Conrad Hilton dies at the age of 91

1978 Mar 1978 After nearly 30 years The Volkswagen Beetle stops production having manufactured 20 million cars.

September 1979 - The Village Tower is imploded to make way for the Tapa Tower. A month earlier, the Golden Dragon building was demolished.

Aug 1979 The Golden Dragon Room is torn down to make way for Tapa Tower construction.

1979

Sep 1979 The Village Tower is imploded to make way for the Tapa Tower.

1980

Jul 25 1978 First Test Tube Baby is born from in vitro fertilization.

May 3 1979 Margaret Thatcher elected as the Prime Minister in the United Kingdom.

Aug 10 1979 Michael Jackson releases his breakthrough album “Off the Wall” establishing him as a serious solo artist.

Dec 8 1980 John Lennon is assassinated near his apartment in New York City.

Our Legacy

13

Home of Hawai‘i’s Music ENTERTAINERS & MUSICIANS AT THE HAWAIIAN VILLAGE: Alfred Apaka with the Hawaiian Village Serenaders (Jules Ah See, David Kupele, Benjamin Kalama and Jimmy Kaopuki).

Alex McAngus with Hilo Hattie

1930 to 2016

Bill Dana

1930–1950 1930 1930–1938 1935 1950–1952 1950–1952 1951–1955 1954

Ray Andrade – singer, recording artist, band leader, composer | Niumalu Hotel Henry M. Pa with Sam Alama Troupe | Niumalu Hotel Billy Hew Len – steel guitarist, band leader | Niumalu Hotel Ray Kinney singer, musician, band leader, composer | Niumalu Hotel Clem Low – pianist, composer, band leader | Niumalu Hotel Sterling Mossman – comic, musician, singer | Niumalu Hotel David Kupele – singer, musician, composer with Billy Hew Len | Niumalu Hotel George K. Paoa – singer with Johnny Spencer’s band | Niumalu Hotel Ed Kenney stars in the “Sunset Serenade Show” | Niumalu Hotel 1954–1960 Alfred Apaka – singer, musician, recording artist, band leader, entertainment director | Tapa Room

Jules Ah See – steel guitarist with Alfred Apaka | Tapa Room Jimmy Kaopuiki – musician with Alfred Apaka | Tapa Room Benjamin Kalama – guitarist, musical director with Alfred Apaka | Tapa Room David Kupele – musician with Alfred Apaka | Tapa Room Sonny Kamahele – musician with Alfred Apaka | Tapa Room Pauline “Nalani” Isaacs – hula dancer with Alfred Apaka | Tapa Room Iolani Luahine – hula dancer and living treasure | Tapa Room 1955–1958 Gary Aiko | Shell Bar 1956 Martin Denny formed a trio with John Kramer on bass and Arthur Lyman (Jan 1956) | Shell Bar Augie Colon – percussionist - began sitting in with Martin Denny

Arthur Lyman Group Hilton Vice President, Ed Hastings shakes the hand of Benjamin Kalama.

Kalama was with Alfred Apaka from 1954 and performed at the Hilton throughout the 1960s. He is flanked by Pappy Bowman (on drums) and Sonny Kamahele (on rice can).

Dixieland Band at Garden Bar

and created the new music genre “Exotica.” | Shell Bar

1957 Gene Rains – played “Exotica music.” Hired by Alfred Apaka after Martin Denny left in 1957. | Shell Bar

Don Ho

1957–1965 Arthur Lyman – steel guitar, band leader, left Martin Denny and started his own group and played “Exotica” music and Hawaiian tunes. | Tapa Room

1957–1961 George Kainapau – falsetto singer, musician | Tapa Room 1959 Ed Kenney – Polynesian show and performed with Tahitian dancers.

Leinaala Heine – comedian, dancer

| Tiare Room

| Hawaiian Village Luau

1960–1967 Benjamin Kalama band leader of the Hawaiian Village Serenaders 1960 Mel Abe – steel guitarist with Benjamin Kalama | Tapa Room

FROM 1930 TO THE PRESENT DAY, the Hilton Hawaiian Village has been a major promoter of Hawaiian music and entertainment. Large cast shows in the Dome, employed many dancers and entertainers throughout the years. Today, our Waikiki Starlight Luau, nightly entertainment at the Tropics and Tapa Bar, and Rockin Hawaiian Rainbow Revue & Fireworks Show, keep the tradition alive.

Iolani Luahine

1960–1961 1960–1969 1961–1964 1962 1963–1965

Martin Denny and his band.

Augie Colon in on the far right top.

Trummy Young Ron Miyashiro with Loyal Garner, Garden Bar

1965 1967–1968 1968

Al Lopaka with Benjamin Kalama | Tapa Room Sonny Nicholas with Benjamin Kalama | Tapa Room Jimmy Moikeha with Benjamin Kalama | Tapa Room Entertainers Five | Garden Bar Pappy Bowman musician with Benjamin Kalama | Tapa Room “Hawaii Calls” radio broadcast recreated at Hilton Hawaiian Village | Garden Bar Hilo Hattie mixed music with mirth, and baritone Alex McAngus | Tapa Room Ron Miyashiro – pianist | Golden Dragon Room Berne Hal-Mann – pianist, band leader | Tapa Room, Garden Bar Rene Paulo Quartet presented “Adventures in Sound” | Shell Bar Polynesian Show starring Masako, Danny Kaleikini, Tafili, Lani and the Hilton Hula Maids, with Benjamin Kalama and the Village Serenaders | Tapa Room Fred Ditto Quartet Dixieland Jazz band | Garden Bar The Dixie Cats | Garden Bar Danny Kaleikini – singer, musician | Tapa Room Loyal Garner and Ron Miyashiro | Garden Bar Danny Marcelona, long-time drummer with Louis Armstrong, joined the Berne Hal-Mann group | Garden Bar

Danny Kaleikini

Berne Hal-Mann presented “the best dance music in town”

| Tiare/ Tahiti Room

1969 Trummy Young, who formerly played trombone with Louis Armstrong formed a Quintet and played at the Garden Bar

Kalani Cockett with Jo Flanders’ Polynesian Revue | Tapa Room Leialoha Cunningham – singer | Hilton Hawaiian Village Luau Puanani Gamiao – hula dancer with Ed Kenney | Tapa Room Billy Gonsalves – singer, musician, recording artist | Luau 1970–1973 Liz Damon & the Orient Express with Sydette Sakauye and Edda Damon | Garden Bar 1971–1973 Bill Dana performed a comic spoof, Polynesian show spoof. He mixed Yiddish with Hawaiian songs, sang with a quintet and two hula dancers. | Tapa Room

In 1962 Ron Miyashiro, pianist at the The Golden Dragon Room, celebrated his birthday with Danny Kaleikini who MC’d the Hawaiian Show at the Tapa Room.

Liz Damon

Carole Kai

Iva Kinimaka

Melveen Leed Jimmy Borges

Al Harrington – singer and dancer with a Polynesian Revue | Tapa Room 1971 Carole Kai – singer, musician, dancer | Garden Bar Emma Veary – co-starred with Ed Kenney | Tapa Room Buddy Fo – singer, musician | Shell Bar Dick Jensen Show – variety | Dome 1972 Ed Kenney – “Hawaii is Forever” | Dome Beverly Noa – singer with Ed Kenney in “Hawaii is Forever” | Dome Leilani Almeida – chanter, singer, dancer with Ed Kenney | Tapa Room Patricia Lei Anderson – singer, dancer | Tapa Room Barry Kim – singer, entertainer | Long House 1972–1976 Iva Kinimaka – singer, composer, musician | Garden Bar, Long House and Tapa Bar Colleen Nomura and Sandy Sueoka – hula and jazz dancers with Iva Kinimaka | Garden Bar

1973–1975 Paradise Found – a Claude Thompson production, directed by Robert Hollaway | Dome

1973 Winona Beamer – consultant for “Paradise Found” 1974 Jeffrey Apaka – singer | Garden Bar

| Dome

(also performed at Tapa Bar from 2011–2015)

1976–1979 1977 1980–1981 1981–1991 Jim Nabors

1983 1987

Al Harrington and hula dancers

1987–1992

Rudy Aquino – musician, singer with Berne Hal-Mann | Tapa Room Tony Bee – ukulele, singer | Shell Bar Eddie Bush – ukulele, singer, recording artist | Garden Bar Al Harrington Luau Show | Dome Melveen Leed sings with Berne Hal-Mann band | Garden Bar The Fabulous Krush debuted at the Garden Bar | Garden Bar Jim Nabors “Jim Nabors Polynesian Extravaganza” | Dome Kimo Kahoano choreographer of Jim Nabors’ Polynesian Extravaganza | Dome Don Ho and Friends, 8:30 pm nightly except Saturday | Dome The Ali‘i’s performed with Don Ho | Dome Barry Kim singer, musician | Long House Ed Greenberg – pianist | Paradise Lounge Mokulani Young – singer, musician | Shell Bar Noly Pa‘a – musician, singer | Shell Bar Jimmy Borges – presented jazz stylings of George Gershwin and Cole Porter, backed by the Betty Loo Trio | Paradise Lounge

Charo – musician, guitarist, dancer, Tuesday thru Saturday

| Tropics Surf Club

1987–2009 Aloha Friday King’s Jubilee – a tribute to Hawaii’s Merrie Monarch, King David Kalakaua | Super Pool

1989–1992 1990 1991–1998 1991–1998

Charo

John Rowles

John Hirokawa

Don Ho with his dancers and The Ali‘i’s

John Rowles – singer, dancer and group leader | Tropics Surf Club Leon Siu and Malia Elliott – musicians, singers | Shell Bar John Hirokawa – Magic of Polynesia | Dome Johnny Kai – musician, singer | Shell Bar Sonja Mendez - musician, singer | Shell Bar 1992 Iva Kinimaka, Melveen Leed, Loyal Garner, Dick Jensen, and Nephi Hanneman – formed a group called Hawaii’s Very Best | Tropics Showroom

1992–present Jerry Santos and Olomana – musican, singer, composer, with Haunani

Apoliona and Wally Suenaga

2008–present Waikiki Starlight Luau – Tihati Productions

| Paradise Lounge and Tapa Bar

| Rooftop Garden at Mid-Pacific

Conference Center

2009–2011 Taimane Gardner – ukulele virtuoso, singer | 2009–present Henry Kapono – musician, singer, composer |

Jerry Santos and Olomana with Haunani Apoliona and Wally Suenaga

Nohelani Cypriano

Tihati Productions

Henry Kapono

Rockin Hawaiian Rainbow Revue Tropics Bar & Grill

Nohelani Cypriano – singer | Tropics Bar & Grill Kailua Bay Buddies – band | Tropics Bar & Grill Little Albert – singer, guitarist | Tapa Bar Piranha Brothers – band | Tropics Bar & Grill Jon Basebase – musician, singer | Tapa Bar Juke Joint – band | Tropics Bar & Grill Acoustik Playground – band | Tropics Bar & Grill 2009-2015 Beach 3 – band | Tropics Bar & Grill 2009–present Rockin Hawaiian Rainbow Revue – Tihati Productions

Entertainment

| Tapa Room

| Super Pool

This list of entertainers, musicians and dancers was compiled by Lora Gallagher from hotel records and advertisements from 1930 to present day. We apologize in advance if we have left anyone off the list or have recorded incorrect years.

From 1930 to the present day, the Hilton Hawaiian Village has been a major promoter of Hawaiian music and entertainment. Large cast shows in the Dome, employed many dancers and entertainers throughout the years. Today, our Waikiki Starlight Luau, nightly entertainment at the Tropics and Tapa Bar, and Rockin’ Hawaiian Rainbow Revue & Fireworks Show, keep the tradition alive.

14

Our History

1981–1996

The Master Plan: “Return to Paradise”

Friday Night Fireworks tradition started in 1988.

In 1988, a colony of eight African Penguins became part of our Hilton Hawaiian Village family. There were loved by employees and guests for 25 years.

By 2013, the colony had decreased in size and we needed to find them a larger colony. As sad as we were to see them leave, a new state-of-the-art penguin habitat at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore had just opened and it proved to be the perfect new home for our penguins.

In 1981, the $95 million Tapa Tower project was underway. The project included the 1,056 guest room tower, meeting facilities, Tapa Pool, Tapa Bar, two restaurants (Tapa Cafe and Bali Room) and retail space.

BEFORE & AFTER: A Bird’s-eye View of the Master Plan Changes

The Need for a Master Plan

Master Plan architect: Wimberly, Whisenand, Allison, Tong & Goo.

After the Tapa Tower was built in 1982, the 20-acre resort was a blend of old and new structures. Barron Hilton looked down from the Tapa Tower on the disjointed accumulation of rooftops and exposed mechanical equipment and said, “We’ve come this far, let’s finish it.”

The seed for a Master Plan was planted and dramatic changes would be made to enhance every aspect of the resort. The biggest change would be the elimination of the hodge-podge of rooftops that housed various showrooms and restaurants.

Hilton’s Senior Vice President, Peter H. Schall helps master tapa artist, Puanani Van Dorpe and her husband, Robert carefully unroll the fine tapa cloth created for the renovated Tapa Bar in 1996.

The main lobby was opened up to take advantage of views of the largest Super Pool in Waikīkī and the beach and ocean beyond. Restaurants would be relocated to ocean front venues and the footprint of the resort would be designed to showcase over 50% green space, made up of waterfalls, exotic flora and fauna, and meandering pathways.

Finally, the Ocean Tower (Ali‘i) would be gutted and renovated. The beachfront tower was transformed into a concierge tower, offering exclusive amenities and services, privacy and upscale touches.

BEFORE A disjointed accumulation of rooftops and

BEFORE The view looking over the roof of the Long House from

AFTER

AFTER The Master Plan view shows how the addition

exposed mechanical equipment was the view from the Tapa Tower in 1982.

The Master Plan created more green space and open areas.

the Ocean Tower (Ali‘i) showed the red tile roofs of the newly renovated main lobby offices. of gardens and lawn enhanced the area.

BEFORE The 10,000 sq. ft. Super Pool was constructed where

the old Makahiki Gardens, Garden Bar, Mirror Pond and Ale Ale Kai Lanais once stood.

AFTER The Master Plan view shows the new Super Pool and the refurbished Ali‘i Tower.

Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton enjoy a light moment prior to the president’s speech on the beach fronting Ali‘i Tower, July 11, 1993.

Barbara Bush and President George Bush, December 5, 1991.

Hilton Area Vice President, Don Madsen released prized Japanese koi into the new pond near Tapa Tower.

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

Nov 1981 Eileen Anderson, first woman inaugurated as Honolulu mayor.

Jul 2 1982 35-story Tapa Tower is built, the tallest building Mar 1983 Del Monte closes in Waikīkī. pineapple cannery on O‘ahu and lays off Nov 23 1982 half of Moloka‘i field Hurricane ‘Iwa hits employees.

Kaua‘i.

June 7, 1993 - Margaret Thatcher returns to Hilton Hawaiian Village. She was in Hawaii to deliver a speech at the PATA conference.

Nov 8 1985 Princess Diana and Prince Charles arrive in the Hawaiian Islands, staying for 18 hours before heading on to Washington D.C.

May 1986 Mary Kawena Pūku‘i, one of Hawai‘i’s most revered scholars of Hawaiian culture, literature, and language, passes away in Honolulu at the age of 91.

Nov 5 1986 John Waihee becomes first governor of Hawaiian ancestry since Gov. Samuel Wilder King in 1952.

Jan 1984 Duke Kahanamoku is inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame

1981 United States and World Events

Apr 11 1986 “Return to Paradise,” the Master Plan for Hilton Hawaiian Village begins with demolition of The Longhouse and the Garden Bar to create more open green space and make way for the Super Pool.

May 15 1987 Ocean Tower is remodeled, made a private hotel within the resort and a 15th floor is added. The tower is renamed Ali‘i Tower (Ali‘i means royalty or chief in Hawaiian)

May 16 1990 May 5 1989 Daniel Akaka becomes The Charo Show begins first U.S. Senator of at Tropics Showroom Hawaiian ancestry (Charo resides at the Lagoon Apartments until 1996.)

1985 The Blackstone Group is founded by Peter G. Peterson and Stephen A. Schwarzman.

(Schwarz is German for black; Peter, or Petra in Greek, means stone or rock.)

Oct 15 1983 Commercial cellular telephone service begins.

Jun 11 1982 “E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial”, directed

by Steven Spielberg, is released.

Oct 31 1984 Indira Gandhi assassinated.

Sep 11 1992 Hurricane ‘Iniki strikes the Islands; the hurricane is the most devastating natural disaster in Hawai‘i’s history, causing $1.8 billion in damage.

April 7 – 10, 1988 Hilton Hawaiian Village celebrates “Return to Paradise,” a $100 million architectural renewal of the 20 acre resort.

1986

1981 AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome officially recognized by the Centers for Disease Control.

Dec 5 1991 President George Bush checks into the Hilton Hawaiian Village and delivers a speech at Pearl Harbor on the 50th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec 7, 1991.

1990 Apr 11 1986 Halley’s comet passes near Earth. Halley’s Comet makes closest approach to Earth this trip, 63 M km

Feb 25 1986 Corazon Aquino becomes President of the Philippines, deposed President Ferdinand Marcos flees to Honolulu

Nov 9 1989 Berlin Wall falls.

Feb 24 1987 LA Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores his 36,000th NBA point Sep 8 1986 ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ is first broadcast nationally

Jun 11 1987 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is 1st British PM in 160 years to win 3rd consecutive term

Jun 4, 1989 Hundreds of prodemocracy protesters killed at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

Feb 11 1990 Nelson Mandela released after 27 years in South African prison.

Nov 22 1990 Margaret Thatcher resigns after three consecutive terms as British Prime Minister.

Jun 7 1993 Margaret Thatcher returns to Hilton Hawaiian Village.

She was in Hawai‘i to deliver a speech at the PATA conference.

Dec 2 1994 Ben Cayetano elected governor, thereby becoming the first governor of Filipino descent elected in the United States

July 11 1993 Bill and Hillary Clinton check into the Presidential Suite in Ali‘i Tower. Bill Clinton delivers a speech on Waikīkī Beach.

Aug 14 1995 Fiftieth anniversary of VJ Day celebrated with a visit by President Clinton.

1993

1996

Jun 1993 Ty Warner USA launches the first Beanie Babies

Dec 4 1991 Journalist Terry Anderson is released after seven years’ captivity as a hostage in Beirut

Nov 1992 Bill Clinton becomes 42nd President of U.S.

December 20 1996 Tapa Bar undergoes a complete renovation with the relocation of the bar, an addition of a refrigerated glass food counter, a stage and the installation of a large tapa cloth (32 ft.), made by artist, Puanani Van Dorpe.

Jun 17 1994 OJ Simpson flees police in his white Ford Bronco

Apr 19 1995 Truck Bomb devastates Oklahoma City Federal Building killing 168 people

Aug 28 1996 Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales get divorced

Our Legacy

1997–2015 Making the News

In the Summer of 2014, the Rainbow Tower played a starring role in the remake of Godzilla.

Photo by George F. Lee

HAPPY TO BE ALIVE! RESCUE AT SEA CHRISTMAS DAY 1998

Sir Richard Branson flashes a smile from the Hilton Hawaiian Village limousine.

Sir Richard Branson, Steve Fossett and Per Lindstrand traveled 8,200 miles and became the first to fly across Asia in a hot-air balloon, before going down off the coast of Oahu.

Hula dancers encircled Michael as he made his way to the Ali‘i Tower and was escorted to the Mahele Suite - the same suite that Elvis Presley stayed in 36 years prior.

Michael Jackson’s Last Concert in the U.S. took place in Hawaii on January 4, 1997.

Michael Jackson was escorted to the main lobby by Hilton Hawaiian Village’s “Village Guards.”

January 2, 1997 Michael Jackson arrived in Honolulu and spent 7 days at Hilton Hawaiian Village for his HIStory World Tour, his last two concerts in the U.S. on January 3 and 4 at the Aloha Stadium.

His arrival at Hilton Hawaiian Village was a spectacle. The hotel provided its “Village Guards,” an award winning rifle drill team, to escort Michael Jackson to the main lobby.

Barron Hilton, an avid balloonist, had General Manager Noel Trainor send a stretch limousine to pick them up, complete with a hot breakfast.

Hotel suites awaited them at the Ali‘i Tower.

The hotel provided them with shoes, shirts, and other items to help them get ready for a Christmas Day press conference.

Asked how they felt following what Branson described as the “most hairy landing” he’s ever been through, Branson, responded, “Grateful to be alive.” Steve Fossett recalled how the US Coast Guard rescue swimmer greeted him in the water with, “Merry Christmas!”

Photo courtesy of Honolulu Star Advertiser

Above: Richard Branson, Steve Fossett and Per Lindstrand were happy to be alive and thankful for the hospitality at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Right: Sonja Swenson, Public Relations manager for Hilton, escorted Richard Branson to the press conference.

Noel G. Trainor, general manager of Hilton Hawaiian Village points out the limousine waiting to take Richard Branson and his fellow balloonist to the Ali‘i Tower. “’

The Hilton Hawaiian Village was privileged to host the USS Arizona and Pearl Harbor Survivors for the 73rd Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Our customers, employees and the community enjoyed meeting these brave men.

Beyonce

Hotel employees joined hands and served as human barricades to keep fans away from his path. His own security detail and the Honolulu Police Department were on hand.

Joe Jackson, Quincy Jones and entourage were booked in to the top two floors of the Ali‘i Tower. He stayed in the same suite (Mahele Suite) that Elvis stayed in 36 years prior.

Photo by Ron Nakamura

When he needed to leave the property, he was escorted through the kitchen and out the delivery area. He always wore his black leather face covering and was extremely generous with waves to his curious fans. Hilton employees would volunteer to help security, just so they could catch a glimpse of him coming and going.

James Brown, “The Godfather of Soul” is greeted at the main lobby of Hilton Hawaiian Village.

He performed in the Coral Ballroom on December 31, 2000.

Above: April 24, 2000, MTV filmed a Britney Spears special live from the beach fronting Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Right: Beyonce (at the time with Destiny’s Child) performed live with Britney.

Hawai‘i and Hawaiian Village

Jan 2 1997 Michael Jackson arrives in Honolulu and spends 7 days at Hilton Hawaiian Village for his HIStory World Tour, his last two concerts in the U.S. on Jan. 3 and 4, 1997 at the Aloha Stadium.

Sep 11 2001 Grand Opening of the Kālia Tower & Kālia Executive Conference Center.

May 4 1998 81 contestants of the Miss Universe Pageant converge on the Hilton Hawaiian Village for 2 weeks for the 1998 Miss Universe Pageant in the Coral Ballroom.

1999 Hilton Hotels Corporation purchases the old Waikikian Hotel adding an additional Dec 31 1998 Ray Charles performs at 2 acres to the 20 acre Hilton Hawaiian Village, Hilton Hawaiian Village property.

Coral Ballroom.

1997 United States and World Events

Jul 1 1997 Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule from UK rule.

Aug 31 1997 Princess Diana is killed in a car crash in Paris August 31st.

Jun 22 2003 Michelle Wie, a 13-year-old Punahou student, gains national attention when she wins the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship.

2000 The spacious Lagoon Apartments re-opens as the Lagoon Tower under Hilton Grand Vacations Club.

Dec 31 2002 James Brown performs at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom.

2000 1998 Europeans agree on a single currency the Euro.

1999 The year 2000, Y2K problem and the millennium bug is the most important thing on most company’s minds in 1999.

2000 U.S. presidential election, 2000 Republican challenger George W. Bush defeats Democrat Vice President Al Gore, but the final outcome is not known for over a month because of disputed votes in Florida.

Jan 2009 Paradise Pool with the longest waterslide in Waikīkī opens at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Sep 10 2005 The cast of the television series LOST, sign autographs at Hilton Hawaiian Village to raise money for the Red Cross to aid those suffering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Apr 14 2007 Legendary singer, Mar 16 2006 Don Ho dies of heart The $6 million Ocean Crystal Chapel opens at failure at age 76. Ho Hilton Hawaiian Village. performed at the Hilton Sep 3 2008 Dome from 1981 – 1991. First showing of Waikīkī Starlight Luau at the Dec 2007 resort.

Rejuvenation of the Great Lawn and Duke Dec 18 2008 Kahanamoku Lagoon is HGVC’s Grand completed.

Waikikian Tower opens.

May 2009 The oceanfront Tropics Bar and Grill reopens with more seating and full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, and nightly entertainment.

2005 Sep 11 2001 Hijackers simultaneously took control of four U.S. domestic commercial airliners.

2002 United Airlines files for bankruptcy protection.

2003 The last old-style Volkswagen Beetle rolls off its production line in Puebla, Mexico.

Aug 28 2005 Hurricane Katrina strikes the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coastal areas.

Sep 2010 Hilton Worldwide and Hilton Hawaiian Village enter into a five season partnership with the new Hawai‘i Five-0 series starring Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan and Daniel Dae Kim.

Nov 12 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APEC descends on Oahu, President Obama stays at Hilton Hawaiian Village, along with Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

Jun 2014 The Rainbow Tower mosaic mural is refurbished with 31,000 Jan 2013 new tiles. LED lights are Elvis Presley Enterprises added to enhance the 2015 Inc. and thousands of mural.

The Tapa Conference Elvis fans converge on Center undergoes a the Hilton Hawaiian Jan 2014 $7 million makeover, Village to celebrate the Ground is broken on which includes the 40th anniversary of his the Grand Islander– Tapa Ballroom, Palace “Aloha From Hawai‘i” a Hilton Grand Lounge, Honolulu concert held on Jan. 14, Vacations Club vacation Suites and ‘Iolani 1973 in Honolulu. ownership tower.

Suites.

2010 Oct 9 2006 Google purchases YouTube for US$1.65 billion in stock.

Dec 25 2006 James Brown, “Godfather of Soul” dies at the age of 73.

2007 Blackstone, a private-equity firm purchases Hilton Hotels Corporation in a $26 billion merger agreement.

Feb 19 2008 Fidel Castro steps down as president of Cuba after almost 50 years in power.

Jan 20 2009 Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America.

Jun 25 2009 Michael Jackson dies in his home in Los Angeles.

Jan 12 2010 A magnitude 7 earthquake hits Haiti and devastates the country.

2015 Mar 11 2011 An underwater earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 hits off the coast of Japan, causing a tsunami that hit the Iwate prefecture with waves over 130 feet high.

Apr 8 2013 Margaret Thatcher dies at age 87.

Oct 15 2013 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits the Philippines.

Dec 13 2014 University of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is named the 2014 Heisman winner.

He is the first player from the University of Oregon and the first native of Hawai‘i to win the Heisman.

Jun 26 2015 The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in favor of same sex marriage, making it legal in all 50 states.

15

16

Our History, Our Legacy

Major Milestones TAKING US INTO THE 21ST CENTURY

MAJOR MILESTONES The Kaiser Aluminum Dome

Once the Master Plan, “A Return to Paradise”, was completed in 1988, the resort would be praised as an example of a renovation that focused on creating a “sense of place”. It was one of the first renovations in Waikiki to add green space with indigenous plants, water features, artwork by Hawaii’s artists and wildlife. Throughout the following years, the resort would continue to go through more “major milestones”.

was built in Jan. 15, 1957 to promote Henry J. Kaiser’s aluminum company and Kaiser Aluminum Domes.

Many said that the dome would fall down with the first large gust of wind, but it was very sturdy and showed no sign of falling apart even after 42 years.

The stone and wood beacon at the

corner of Kalia and Ala Moana Blvd was built in the 1970s and

Sculptor, Kim Duffett works on the intricate, life like details of his central hula kahiko dancer.

would be torn down to make way for the magnificent bronze statues created by sculptor, Kim Duffett.

The Dome was an iconic fixture on the corner of Kalia Road and Ala Moana Blvd until August 2, 1999, when it was torn down to make way for the construction of the Kalia Tower and the new landscaping and entrance to the resort. Employees who worked there, were given the opportunity to “say goodbye” to the old Dome at a commemorative Hawaiian blessing.

The bronze sculpture is entitled “Kaha ka ‘Io me na Makani,” which means “the hawk soars with the winds.” Kaha ka ‘Io is the male figure who represents the hawk, the amakua of the ali’i, who is about to take flight. The standing dancer, Ku Makani, represents the rising wind.

And, Ka Leo o Haukani is the voice of the wind. In a seated position, she invokes the voices of ancestors.

In 1999, Hilton Hotels Corporation purchased the old Waikikian Hotel adding an additional 2 acres to the 20 acre Hilton Hawaiian Village property.

Ground breaking ceremony and Hawaiian blessing for The Grand Waikikian.

The Grand Waikikian by Hilton Grand Vacations Club opens on December 18, 2008.

In January 2009, Paradise Pool with the longest waterslide in Waikiki opens at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Ground breaking ceremony and blessing for The Grand Islander by Hilton Grand Vacations Club. from left to right: Paul Brussow, Rider Levett Bucknall David Desforges, Senior Vice President, Hilton Grand Vacations Brad Jeanneret, Hensel Phelps Stephen Jacobson, Senior Director Project Management, Hilton Worldwide Tracy Walker, General Manager, Hilton Hawaiian Village Bryan Klum, Hilton Grand Vacations Henry Perez, General Manager, Hilton Grand Vacations Jerry Gibson, Area Vice President - Hilton Hawaii/Southern California Brian Kim, Managing Director, Real Estate Group, Blackstone

Kahu Sherman Thompson Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell Tyler Henritze, Senior Managing Director, Blackstone Mark Wang, President, Hilton Grand Vacations Matt Richardson, Global Head Architecture & Design, Hilton Worldwide Zach Harding, Manager Real Estate Group, Blackstone Pat Volz, Principal, Blackstone Michael Elliott, Vice President Project Management, Hilton Grand Vacations Jeffrey Overton, Group 70.

Tapa & Tiki Menus and Media

The first rate card for Kaiser’s Hawaiian Village, 1955 - 1956 Room Rates

Restaurant and Bar Menus

Hilton Hawaiian Village HISTORY WALL

The Ali‘i Plaza

The Ali‘i

The Hilton Hawaiian Village History Wall is located in the Tapa Tower (ground floor) in the breezeway corridor.

2005 Kālia Road, Honolulu Hawaii 96815-9999 www.HiltonHawaiianVillage.com