One of the most popular Mālama Mānoa recurring activities is the self-guided walking tours of our historic Mānoa Valley neighborhoods. Our first tour was in 1996 when Spencer Leineweber lead a group from Kamanele Park through the lower Mānoa neighborhood of College Hills Subdivision. Sixty-six walkers participated in this hugely successful event.
In 1998, Mālama Mānoa, in celebration of National Historic Preservation Week, conducted a tour of five (5) historic properties, four (4) of which are listed on the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places.
In 2000 Mālama Mānoa sponsored a Historic Walking Tour of the College Hills neighborhood as part of Historic Hawaii Foundation’s annual conference. An enthusiastic 350 people toured this area of lower Mānoa.
In 2003 Mālama Mānoa presented another walking tour. The 2-mile walk through lower Mānoa Valley featured over 27 properties listed on the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places, seven of these homes were open to the public. Over 400 people took part in this tour.
In 2005 another 400 participants walked a mile and a half through the College Hills subdivision, viewing 23 homes listed on the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places. Interiors of six of these homes were open and U.H. President and Mrs. David McClain hosted refreshments at College Hill, the University President’s residence.
The 2007 tour was held on Mother’s Day. 350 people explored the neighborhood of Mid-Pacifric Institute, University Avenue, Armstrong Street, Mālama and Parker Places and Oahu Avenue. In addition to entering four historic homes, walkers were treated to numerous historically informative signs adding insight to the significant sites and former residents of the area along the route.
The Pu’u Pueo area and Terrace Drive were the focus of the 2009 Tour. Fifteen homes were featured in an informational booklet, six of which are currently listed on the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places. Eight homes on this tour were open to the public. Additionally, eight sites and former sites of historical significance were featured in the booklet. Over 400 people attended this Mother’s Day Tour.
In 2011 the 8th Biennial Historic Mānoa Homes Tour featured homes in the Pu’u o Mānoa (Rocky Hill), McKinley Street and Kakela Drive neighborhood. Thirty-eight homes, six listed on the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places, were featured in the booklet with eight homes open for public viewing. An overwhelming 700 persons participated !
In 2013 on Sunday, May 5, torrential rains dampened the route a bit, but over 400 folks still managed to enjoy and learn about the historic homes and sites along Awapuhi, Ferdinand, Aleo, Sonoma, Venture and Manoa Road. This west side of Mānoa was the agricultural district of Pahao, extending from Pu’uhonua Street towards Kapunahou above Pu’upueo and along the verdant slopes of ‘Ualaka’a. Today homes built by well-known architects line the streets, including the former residence of Hart Wood, veteran Hawaiian regionalist architect. We featured 63 homes in this year’s booklet, including eight that were open to the public; seven of which are listed on the State Register of Historic Places.
The June 11, 2016 Historic Mānoa Walking Tour was back in the College Hills area with 9 homes opened for viewing. Additionally 55 homes, aged 50 years plus, were featured in this year’s Tour Booklet, including 28 homes listed on the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places. Starting at Kamānele Park, in sight of President Barack Obama’s former childhood home on Univerity Avenue, we ventured to Malama and Parker Place, Armstrong Street, Oahu Avenue, Mohala Way to Kamehameha Avenue and down Kaala Way back to the Park. It was a very eventful tour for the 650 people who joined in and plans are already under way for the 2019 Walk !! E Komo Mai !!
Our 2019 Historic Mānoa Walking Tour took place on Saturday, June 15. With beautiful Hawaiian weather, the crowds gathered in Kamānele Park with the sounds of Hardy Spoehr’s mighty bagpipes a’playin’. After a brief introduction to the historical significance of Kamānele Park, our route out of the Park travelled mauka on Oahu Avenue to Armstrong Street, then makai on Liloa Rise to Kamehameha Avenue. In addition to entering seven homes, the tour included architectural and social history tidbits for 37 Mānoa homes along this route. We finished up at College Hill, former residence of numerous UH presidents, listed on the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places as The Frank Atherton Residence. As a new feature, a contemporary bungalow was included in this Tour. Built in 2018, the style of the home exemplifies the classic Mānoa styles of the neighborhood and we felt it was a good example of a contemporary building in an historic neighborhood. With 400 prepaid walkers, 50 ticket purchasers on the day, together with the 100+ volunteers, we all felt very happy to have been treated to such a successful Tour!
Questions: email Linda LeGrande at: Malamamanoa12@gmail.com