The Wailuku Civic Center Historic District is a group of four historic buildings and one non-contributing property in

Wailuku Wailuku is a census-designated place (CDP) in and county seat of Maui County, Hawaii, United States. The population was 17,697 at the 2020 census. Wailuku is located just west of Kahului, at the mouth of the Iao Valley. In the early 20th centur ...

Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

that currently house the governmental offices of both the County of Maui and the

State of Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. The historic buildings were built during a time span from 1901 to 1931. They incorporate several architectural styles and two of the four historic buildings were designed and built by Hawaii-based architect C.W. Dickey. The non-contributing property houses most of the County of Maui's main offices.

Old Wailuku Courthouse

The Courthouse was built in 1907, allowing the court to move in 1908 from an inadequate facility just across the street (where the current Territorial Building now stands), which had been built in 1880. The old Courthouse was then used as Maui County's Town Hall.Engebretson pg. 98 Designed by Henry Livingston Kerr, the design incorporates

Beaux-Arts architecture Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorpora ...

.Pohaku pg. 90Engebretson pg. 99Bartholomew & Bailey pg. 128Pruitt pg. 70-72 The , by structure is built of concrete block cast-like stone set upon a below-grade reinforced foundation that also houses another floor of office space. The "cast stone" was created onsite and patterned randomly to prevent repetition. This was deemed more economical than hauling quarried stone, though the blocks were just as difficult to install at each. The current hipped wood-framed roof was installed in 1929, replacing the original flat roof which had been leaking. In 1962, a further was added to the courthouse, which included the addition of a basement. The building's use as a courthouse ended when a new Circuit Court building was built just down the street. Bought by the County of Maui, it currently houses the offices of the Prosecuting Attorney.

Kalana Pakui Building/Old Police Station

The Kalana Pakui Building was built in 1925 and designed by Maui architect William D'Esmond, incorporating

Mediterranean Revival Style architecture Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...

. The building is built using reinforced concrete. It is two stories with one floor below grade, with a u-shaped floorplan. Arcaded lanais run across the main body of the building, with steps accentuated by curvilinear concrete railings, and capped by a low-pitched hip roof of Spanish tile. The building was originally used as a County Office Building, then as a police station;Engebretson pg. 100-101 it is currently used as the Planning Department Offices for Maui County.Engebretson pg. 100-101

Wailuku Library

The current Wailuku Library was built in 1928 to replace another building on the same site used by the Maui County Free Library, which was created by the Maui Women's Club in 1919 as the first Library on Maui.Engebretson pg. 96 Designed by Hawaii-based architect C.W. Dickey, the building incorporates both

Mediterranean Revival Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...

Hawaiian architecture Hawaiian architecture is a distinctive architectural style developed and employed primarily in the Hawaiian Islands, buildings and various other structures indicative of the people of Hawaii and the environment and culture in which they live. Tho ...

cues. It is a single story asymmetrical building with a prominent double-pitched hip roof, which shelters the main building. The entryway features a tiled

drinking fountain A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and s ...

with a Silversword tiled motif. Two wings, each with lower but equally dramatic double-pitched hip roofs, extend to the right rear and left of the building. The walls are plastered, and contain long, thin casement windows. A large Monkey-Pod Tree sits to the west of the Library; it is the first site of Maui's first public telephone in 1878. The library, operated by the

Hawaii State Library System The Hawaii State Public Library System (HSPLS) is the only statewide public library system in the United States. The system has 51 libraries on all the major Hawaiian Islands: Big Island of Hawaii, Kauai, Lānai, Maui, Molokai and Oahu. ...

, is open Monday-Friday, and houses a

Bookmobile A bookmobile or mobile library is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Bookm ...

Territorial Building

The Territorial Building was built in 1931, on the site of the former Courthouse/Town Hall for Maui next to the

Ka'ahumanu Church Kaahumanu Church is a Church in Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii. Upon visiting a religious service in Wailuku in 1832 by Jonathan Smith Green, Queen Ka'ahumanu requested that a more permanent church structure be named for her, but her request was not ho ...

. Designed by Hawaii-based architect C.W. Dickey, the building incorporates both

cues. The two-story stucco-covered stone building features a similar double-pitched hip roof like the library, with the addition of overhanging eaves and exposed rafters. A central entryway has a shed roofed lanai with decorative tiled elements, including a Spanish tile bench. Wrought-iron mock balconies, with French Doors, are to either side of the entryway lanai.

It currently houses the Governor of Hawaii's Liaison office among other state offices.

Kalana O Maui County Building

Within the historic district is the Kalana O Maui County Building of Maui, which is situated between the Courthouse and Old Police Station. The nine-story building, built in 1972, occupies a site formerly occupied by a firehouse and jail. It is listed as part of the historic district as a non-contributing property.

Notes

*a. According to the NRHP nomination form: ''...constructed of cast hollow concrete block which mimetically perpetuates distressed stone.'' Whereas the Pohaku entry states: ''...was built of smooth-finished, poured-in-place concrete walls up to the second floor level and rusticated concrete blocks above. ''Pohaku pg. 90

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Authority control Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii Mediterranean Revival architecture in Hawaii National Register of Historic Places in Maui County, Hawaii Hawaii Register of Historic Places Protected areas established in 1985 Beaux-Arts architecture in Hawaii