Kapālama, now often called Pālama, is a neighborhood of

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

. It is often combined with the adjacent

Kalihi Kalihi is a neighborhood of Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi, United States. Split by Likelike Highway (Route 63), it is flanked by Liliha, Chinatown, and Downtown Honolulu to the east and Mapunapuna, Moanalua, and Salt Lake t ...

and referred to as a single entity, Kalihi–Pālama.

History

The name comes from ''ka pā lama'' in the

Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...

which means "the enclosure of lama wood". "Lama" is the Hawaiian name for endemic

ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also includes the persimmon tree. A few ''Diospyros'' species, such as macassar and mun ebony, are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is fin ...

trees of genus ''

Diospyros ''Diospyros'' is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark timb ...

'' that were used in religious ceremonies. Traditional land divisions ('' ahupuaa'') in

ancient Hawaii Ancient Hawaii is the period of Hawaiian history preceding the establishment in 1795 of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great. Traditionally, researchers estimated the first settlement of the Hawaiian islands as having occurred sporad ...

were agricultural units that ran from the seashore to mountains. The shoreline areas of Kapālama were later developed into part of

Honolulu harbor Honolulu Harbor, also called ''Kulolia'' and ''Ke Awa O Kou'' and the Port of Honolulu, is the principal seaport of Honolulu, Hawaii, Honolulu and the Hawaii, State of Hawaii in the United States. From the harbor, the Honolulu County, Hawaii, City ...

. The upland areas of Kapālama developed into ‘Ālewa Heights, and the main campus of

Kamehameha Schools Kamehameha Schools, formerly called Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate (KSBE), is a private school system in Hawaii established by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, under the terms of the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who was a formal membe ...

. Other educational institutions range from Honolulu Community College to the Kapālama Elementary school. Palama Street at , and Kapālama Avenue at , are named for the neighborhood. The Kapālama Stream starts at and then runs into the Kapālama canal and basin. To the northwest is the neighborhood of

, and to the southeast

downtown Honolulu Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of Honolulu, the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the n ...

. The Kapalama Military Reservation, constructed for logistical support in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

was scheduled to close. A museum has been proposed in a building that served as a

morgue A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cu ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

in the 1960s. The Palama fire station at 879 North King Street was added to the

National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

as site 76000661 April 21, 1976, along with other Fire Stations of Oahu. It was designed in 1901 by Oliver G. Traphagen. The Kaumakapili Church was moved to 766 North King Street after the 1900 fire in

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

. It was originally established on April 1, 1838, as a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

church for common people, to supplement the Kawaiahao Church which was generally intended for nobility. From 1881 to 1888 a new brick and wood-frame structure was built. Temporary services were held until the new structure was built. Ground was broken on May 7, 1910, and the new building dedicated on June 25, 1911. It is located at the southern end of Palama Street at After much damage through the years, members raised US$2.4 million for a renovation starting in 1993 of the

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

building.

Peter Cushman Jones Peter Cushman Jones (October 12, 1837 – April 23, 1922) was a businessman and politician during the Kingdom of Hawaii, Provisional Government of Hawaii, Republic of Hawaii and Territory of Hawaii. He founded the second bank in the Hawaiian Islan ...

established a Palama Chapel in the area in 1896. After the 1900 fire, James Arthur and Ragna Helsher Rath added social services to the center and called it Palama Settlement. The center, located at 810 North Vineyard Boulevard at Palama Street continues to offer community recreation and educational programs. The martial art of

Kajukenbo Kajukenbo ( Japanese: カジュケンボ) is a hybrid martial art from Hawaii. It was developed in the late 1940s and founded in 1947 in the Palama Settlement on Oahu, Territory of Hawaii. Kajukenbo training incorporates a blend of striking, ...

was developed at the Palama Settlement.

History

References

Further reading