International Marketplace - Waikiki (11679046364)

International Market Place is an open-air shopping center located in

Waikīkī Waikiki (; haw, Waikīkī; ; also known as Waikiki Beach) is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the south shore of the island of Oahu in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Waikiki is most famous for Waikiki Beach, which is one of six beaches in the district ...

on the island of

O‘ahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O’ ...

. It first opened in 1956 as a commercial, retail and entertainment center. After closing for complete renovation in 2013, the International Market Place reopened on August 25, 2016. Revenues from the International Market Place directly support The Queen’s Medical Center.

Historical roots

King William Charles Lunalilo, the first elected king in Hawaiian history, at one time owned the land where the International Market Place is located, using it as grounds for his residence. Known as ke ali’i lokomaikaʻi, or "the kind king", Lunalilo later gifted the land to Queen Emma, wife of

King Kamehameha IV Kamehameha IV (Alekanetero ʻIolani Kalanikualiholiho Maka o ʻIouli Kūnuiākea o Kūkāʻilimoku; anglicized as Alexander Liholiho) (February 9, 1834 – November 30, 1863), reigned as the fourth monarch of Hawaii under the title ''Ke Aliʻi ...

. Queen Emma was well known for her tireless humanitarian efforts, and saw The Queen’s Hospital being named in her honor as part of her charitable legacy.

Donn Beach Donn Beach (born Ernest Raymond Gantt; February 22, 1907 – June 7, 1989) was an American adventurer, businessman, and World War II veteran who was the "founding father" of tiki culture. He is known for opening the first prototypical tiki bar, Don ...

moved to Honolulu in the mid-1950s before Hawaii had become a state and leased a piece of land from the Queen Emma Foundation. He founded The International Marketplace in 1956, eventually opening a new ''Don the Beachcomber's'' restaurant there. A book co-authored by Beach's ex-wife claims the marketplace was the brainchild of Beach and "Pete" Wimberly, "conceived on wrapping paper in the back of the old Moana Cottages." He commissioned celebrated carver Edward “Mick” Brownlee to create much of the original woodwork for the Market Place. A large banyan tree saw Beach's installation of an office tree house where he could be seen surveying the activity in the Market Place below. Other buildings included the ''Dagger Bar'', and several representations of small villages meant to symbolize Korea, China, Japan, and the South Seas. During the 1960s, the Market Place also included the Hawaiian Hālau, Japanese Tea House and Esplanade buildings. Generations of notable musicians performed at the Market Place’s nightclubs. This included

Martin Denny Martin Denny (April 10, 1911 – March 2, 2005) was an American pianist and composer best known as the "father of exotica." In a long career that saw him performing up to 3 weeks prior to his death, he toured the world popularizing his brand of l ...

, the bandleader behind the fusion of new wave jazz and jungle noises called

exotica Exotica is a musical genre, named after the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same name that was popular during the 1950s to mid-1960s with Americans who came of age during World War II. The term was coined by Simon "Si" Waronker, Liberty Records ...

. Singer

Don Ho Donald Tai Loy Ho (August 13, 1930 – April 14, 2007) was a Hawaiian traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer. He is best known for the song "Tiny Bubbles" from the album of the same name. Life and career Ho was a singer of Native ...

later had a regular gig at the International Market Place before he hit it big at places like Duke Kahanamoku's Nightclub. At its height the International Market Place encompassed 50 shops, night clubs, and restaurants, three of which were owned by Beach himself, including ''The Colonel's Plantation and Beef Steak and Coffee House''. Beach was honored with a House Resolution Tourism Award in 1957. He died in Hawaii in 1989. The International Market Place had experienced almost complete turnover since its inception, and all of its buildings were finally bulldozed in 2013 after it had fallen into great disrepair. Preservationists ensured that the main banyan tree remained for the completely new International Market Place's grand reopening in 2016. A

commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other ...

installed on the new "Don's Treehouse" reads in part: "The opening of Dagger Bar and the Bazaar Buildings in 1956 marked the establishment of Waikiki Village. Donn Beach...lived and worked in this treehouse...it was also the broadcasting home of radio personalities like J. Akuhead Pupule, who shared Hawaiian music with the world."

Tenants

The International Market Place's tenants include approximately 90 stores and 10 restaurants. Its former anchor tenant was a three-level, 80,000-square-foot

Saks Fifth Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue (originally Saks & Company; Colloquialism, colloquially Saks) is an American Luxury goods, luxury department store chain headquartered in New York City and founded by Andrew Saks. The original store opened in the F Street and ...

, the department store’s only full-line Hawai‘i location. The department store closed during the summer of 2022, to be replaced by a

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

store at the relocation.

Ownership

International Market Place is situated on six acres of land owned by Queen Emma Land Company. The center itself is owned by Taubman and CoastWood Capital Group through a long-term land lease with Queen Emma Land Company. Taubman leases and manages the project.

Gallery

File:Grand Re-Opening of the International Marketplace (28866377234).jpg File:International Marketplace - Waikiki (11678945933).jpg File:International Marketplace - Waikiki (11678675015).jpg File:International Marketplace - Waikiki (11678911133).jpg File:International_Market_Place_--_part_of_the_ground_floor.jpg File:International_Market_Place_--_the_treehouse_today.jpg File:International_Market_Place_--_sign_on_the_treehouse.jpg File:International_Market_Place_--_drink_menu.jpg

References

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External links

Market Place Cultural Narrative

Official Web site
Shopping malls in Hawaii Shopping malls established in 1956 1956 establishments in Hawaii