You are here

Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu and Vicinity » Kalihi-Palama » Palama Theater

Palama Theater

-A A +A
1930, Louis Davis. 709 N. King St.
  • (Photograph by Augie Salbosa)

The Honolulu press greeted the opening of the Palama Theater in 1930 with pronouncements ranging from “a major step in the beautification of the populous Palama district” to “unique in design and bizarre in decorations.” With its green tile roof with flared eaves and exposed rafters, three-tiered pagoda tower, and assertive entrance, the theater, situated in a predominantly Asian neighborhood, makes a strong architectural statement. Although the reinforced-concrete theater has seen better days, its Chinese motifs still evoke its former grandeur. Alas, its once colorful facade has been painted, the freestanding pagoda-shaped ticket office no longer exists, and the neon sign carried by the smaller rectangular tower has also disappeared, as have the cast-stone dragons which ornamented the corners of the roof.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Don J. Hibbard
×

Data

What's Nearby

St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church
Kaumakapili Church
Palama Fire Station
Buck Toy Association Building
Liliha Public Library

Citation

Don J. Hibbard, "Palama Theater", [Honolulu, Hawaii], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/HI-01-OA9.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of Hawaii

Buildings of Hawaii, Don J. Hibbard. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2011, 87-87.

If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.

SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.

,