Main mission house under repair

By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

One of the earliest examples of American domestic architecture using native Hawaiian materials is undergoing a $1.2 million restoration.

Cy Perkins of Western Waterproofing Inc. removes cement from a wall of the Chamberlain House at the Mission Houses Museum. Cement was applied in 1949 to protect the coral foundation but it trapped excessive moisture. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Construction began in 1830 on what is now known as the Chamberlain House. After the adobe homes of missionaries collapsed following torrential rains in 1826, more permanent structures were sought to house the American Congregationalist families who had come to Hawai'i from the East Coast.

The Chamberlain House, also called Hale Kamalani, is being restored after extensive damage in recent years because of an exterior facing of cement.

"This is a pretty important building," Mission Houses Curator Stuart W.H. Ching said. Missionary secular agent Levi Chamberlain and his family lived and worked in the building.

"The mission depository, located in the Chamberlain House, doubled as the mission and a store house for goods coming from Boston and even Chinese exports. From this warehouse, goods were distributed to the various mission houses in the Hawaiian Islands. This was sort of the headquarters of the warehouse."

The renovation is being done in four phases. Phase 1, already completed, was to repair the windows and exterior doors using original and replacement glass.

For Phase 2, the building has been covered with scaffolding as workers remove the exterior concrete facing put on in 1949 to protect the coral. But concrete is not porous enough to allow the escape of moisture drawn up from the low water table in the area, Ching said. The water has soaked the interior plaster walls, which are being replaced.

The Mission Houses Museum depicts the life of the Christian missionaries who first came to Hawai'i. Three of the original 19th-century buildings remain.

Preservation architect Spencer Leineweber, who oversaw the $1 million face-lift to return the museum's two-story wooden house built in 1821 to its original form in 1996, is in charge of the current restoration project.

"This building, because it is made of coral, has certain considerations for how to protect the exterior walls," Leineweber said. "We are putting back the original finish that was on that exterior, which is a lime plaster."

Leineweber said lime for the plaster is being brought in from Scotland — the source of the original material. The permeable mixture will also be applied to the inside walls and whitewashed.

"The more you can save of buildings like this, it tells the whole story of Hawai'i," Leineweber said. "There aren't many other structures from that early period. It is older than Kawaiaha'o Church in terms of the coral construction. People used some of the techniques learned on the Chamberlain House for other coral buildings."

The final phases of the yearlong project will include the exterior woodwork and installing air conditioning to stabilize the temperature and humidity inside the home and preserve the historic furnishings.

Financing for Phase 2 comes from a $310,000 National Park Service grant under the Save America's Treasures federal program to preserve nationally significant historic structures and sites. Matching funds for this project were previously awarded by the Atherton Family Foundation, the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation and the Cooke Foundation Ltd.

Although the Chamberlain home will be closed during renovation, the old printing house, called Hale Pa'i, and the wood-frame house, called Hale La'ua, remain open.

The Mission Houses receives about 25,000 visitors a year and has a museum shop and tea room offering breakfast and lunch.

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.