Posted on: Sunday, August 1, 2004

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

The ladies have been joking about taking bets on what's inside "the monster."

"There could be a million dollars," Dee Anderson says. "There could be anything.

We have no idea."

"The Monster" — a huge metal safe almost 4 feet tall — came with the building. The Assistance League of Hawai'i, an all-volunteer philanthropic organization, is hoping to find a volunteer safecracker to solve the monster mystery.

The Assistance League bought the nondescript two-story building on Kaheka Street several years ago. Since then, League members have been raising money to renovate the space, which will serve as headquarters for their charitable projects.

The renovation is almost complete. Before the flooring could be finished, the safe had to be moved out of the way. It took a Bobcat loader to lift it.

"We don't know what to do with it," says Dot Mason, who has been in charge of the building campaign for the Assistance League.

"We can't even find anyone strong enough to haul it away. And we'd love to get into it."

The building has a bit of a colorful past. It was previously owned by Hilda Shiraki, a lunch wagon proprietor who invested all her earnings in real estate and formed a charitable foundation that continued on after her death.

At different points in time, the building was home to a school, a flophouse and a bail bondsman who, judging by the proximity to the old Pawa'a police station and the bullet holes that used to be in the windows, saw a lot of action.

"All of the construction guys who have been working on the building have tried to crack the safe, and none of them have been able to do it," Mason says. "Someone said, 'Oh, so-and-so the painter was in jail for years because he was a safecracker. We oughta get him!' But so-and-so the painter hasn't been able to do it."

The safe is now sitting on the sidewalk outside the building. No one worries it might be stolen. It's just too big to move.

Meanwhile, the volunteers are busy moving into the building. The unofficial blessing is Saturday. The Assistance League has about 57 active members who volunteer for a range of projects, including reading to children, buying school clothes for kids in need, supporting care homes and organizations such as Gregory House, and securing emergency, one-time assistance for people in crisis. Usually the volunteers are looking for grants and donations. This time they're looking for a safecracker.

"We can't afford to hire some fancy locksmith," Mason says. "It's just sitting out there. It looks like an old Bendix washer on steroids. This is a job for Superman."

Any safecracker willing to donate services can contact Dot Mason at 526-4008. "We're just really curious about what's inside," she says.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sunday. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.