Come here to see and ride the antique, manually operated elevator. The framed press coverage on the wall says the building this elevator is in used to be the Blaisdell Hotel, constructed in 1912 and designed by Emory and Webb (the same architects that designed the ca. 1922 Hawaii Theater building around the corner), where rooms rented for $5.75 in 1968 (Honolulu Magazine, July 2009). Honolulu Magazine says it's the last manually operated elevator in the state, and by "manually operated" they mean someone has to sit in the elevator all day running it between the building's four floors as people come and go. That someone for the last decade or so has been Javier. With a good sense of humor, he is also an avid reader to pass the down time. Look for the Jojo's sign on the HPU/mauka and 'ewa end of Fort Street Mall if you're in the area, not far from 1132 Bishop. Jojo has inexpensive breakfast and coffee (and maybe other things to eat, too).
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| Blaisdell Hotel Palm Garden. Photo credit: Hawaii State Archives. |