Aloha Tower deck to reopen
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
The Aloha Tower observation deck, which has been closed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, will be reopened to the public on Monday, the state Transportation Department announced yesterday.
Advertiser library photo
Transportation officials closed the landmark building to public visits immediately after the attacks. It has remained closed while officials assessed its security risks and tried to provide additional security.
The Aloha Tower observation deck has been closed since Sept. 11. But, beginning Monday, it will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Transportation Department officials said.
"It's great news," said Sherry Tanaka, director of marketing for Aloha Tower Marketplace, the retail business development around the tower that has been hard hit by the loss of the visitor attraction. "A lot of our visitors have been waiting for this."
Starting Monday the observation deck will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Transportation Department officials said. However, they are advising visitors that all hand-carried items will be subject to search prior to entering the elevator at the base of the tower.
Aloha Tower Marketplace officials had said they were frustrated by the long closure, which they said had contributed to the center's bankruptcy filing early this year.
"The timing for the reopening couldn't be better," Tanaka said. "We're just starting a new Saturday at the Tower promotions. Our merchants are very excited to have our main attraction back."
Before it was closed, nearly 5,000 people a week visited the 10-story tower. It is the state's second-most recognizable landmark; Diamond Head tops that list.
First opened in 1926, the 184-foot tower at the foot of Honolulu Harbor was once the tallest building on O'ahu.
The structure has been closed only three other times: during World War II, when the marketplace was built in the early 1990s and a few years ago for renovation.
