Suit delays razing of war relic
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
A former Pearl Harbor preservation architect who raised alarm over what he believes is the Navy's wanton destruction of historic buildings filed suit yesterday in Washington, D.C., seeking to save a shipyard structure that has become a rallying point for preservationists.
Honolulu resident Douglas P. Luna's suit, which names Navy Secretary Gordon R. England, maintains that the Navy has not complied with two sections of the National Historic Preservation Act as it has moved forward with plans to demolish "Building 1C," a battleship-gray, three-story wooden office building dating to 1942.
"Building 1C is the last building of a type unique to Pearl Harbor, and the last remaining of the major World War II-era wooden buildings in the shipyard that were so critical to the Navy's mission during the war," Luna said in his suit, filed in U.S. District Court.
Section 106 of the act requires that if demolition carries adverse historic effects, there must be consultation with the state's historic preservation officer and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to avoid such a loss, the suit states.
The law also calls for federal agencies to "minimize harm" to a National Historic Landmark as part of Section 110. The Pearl Harbor naval base in 1964 was designated such a landmark.
According to Luna's lawsuit, the Navy failed to consult with the state's historic preservation officer and the advisory council, and failed to provide the latter group a "reasonable opportunity" to comment on the proposed demolition.
A Navy spokeswoman yesterday said it would be "inappropriate" to comment, given ongoing discussions. But in a Feb. 15 letter to the Historic Hawai'i Foundation, Capt. Jennifer Mustain said the Navy "fulfilled Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act consultation requirements" in accordance with a past memorandum of agreement.
The suit notes that the Navy could have proceeded with demolition of 1C, which Mustain called an "excess, severely deteriorated" structure with relatively minor historic value, as early as this weekend. With the filing of the lawsuit, however, a Navy lawyer assured Luna that no alterations would be made for several weeks that would affect the "structural or historical integrity" of 1C.
"It's a major victory for as long as it lasts," Luna said. "What it buys is breathing room so we can gain (public) support."
Luna, a former consultant to the Navy, charged last fall that the Navy has razed 257 historic buildings over two decades. The Navy countered that it had done a good job of preservation with limited money.
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.
