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Koloa Field System and Hapa Trail Visitor Center
The last intact remains of the Koloa Field System which is comprised of a continuous and integrated complex of auwai, fields and habitation sites is located along the east side of the Hapa Trail. The Kōloa Field System spreads over 700 acres in Kōloa hema and was a successful agriculture enterprise that met the needs of the communities in each ahupuaʻa it occupied for over 500 years. Its demise was due to lands leased by sugar plantations that disrupted the water system of over 100 miles of ʻauwai built to bring water to irrigate the crops from Paʻa, Weliweli, Kōloa and Lāwaʻi. AEPAC has created a concept design for the visitor’s center. The site shape and existing conditions are challenging; however, plans include incorporating the auwai on the site into the teaching component of the building and using the preserve as a working site. The visitor’s center will include an exhibit space explaining the Field System and its history, a community gathering space for Hula, Hawaiian bands, and Farmer’s Market. A full functioning rest stop with restrooms. A Train Stop and transportation Hub – trail line. Pedestrian, and bike route on the Hapa Trai
Hilo High School Auditorium Renovation
AEPAC is proud to announce our newest project. We will be providing architectural and engineering services to renovate the Hilo High School Auditorium! This is a historic building listed on the Hawaii Register of Historic Places.
Hilo High School was the only high school on the island of Hawaii for many years. Before its establishment, children on the island would have to travel and board in Honolulu, which was difficult for those families who could not afford it. Hilo High School first opened their doors in 1905 at the neighboring site of the Hilo Union School. In 1909, the first graduating class of 7 students was celebrated.
The auditorium, built in 1928, is a reinforced concrete building with a stucco finish also built in the Classical Revival Style, featuring an entrance portico facing the courtyard and a T-shaped plan with the top of the “T” facing the courtyard. The land slopes down to the back of the building and accommodates the raked concrete floor of the 801- seat auditorium, though the original official seating capacity was noted as 781.
The alumni association donated the money to build the Auditorium building with a fund-raising campaign that started in 1924. Alumnus Frank Arakwa, who designed many Neo-Classical buildings in Hilo such as the District Courthouse and Police Station (Hawaii and National Registers), the Hilo Frist State and the Hilo Hongwanji, designed the building. A 16” x 24” marble cornerstone was laid on September 23, 1927 with the following inscription: “Dedicated 1927, by the Hilo High School Alumni Association. Shigeru K. Oda, contractor, Frank F. Arakawa, architect.” Shigeru Oda also attended Hilo High.