Demolition begins at Kona Lagoon Hotel
Associated Press
KAILUA, Hawai'i — Demolition of the long-shuttered Kona Lagoon Hotel began this week, part of landowner Kamehameha Schools' 20-year plan to turn the Keauhou resort area into a traditional Hawaiian resort.
Tearing down the 30-year-old hotel, which has been closed since 1988, began Monday with the demolition of a longhouse on the property. The demolition is expected to be completed by November, said Rick Robinson, director of Kamehameha Schools' Commercial Assets Division.
Honolulu-based contractor R.H.S. Lee Inc. is using conventional methods — a wrecking ball and "hydraulic shears," a scissors-like device attached to the end of heavy equipment — to tear down the seven-story concrete hotel.
"We considered implosion, but it was built too close to the ocean," Robinson said. "It would have cost less, but we had to consider the heiau and the near-shore waters. It's going to be slower, but the most important thing is that historical sites are protected and debris isn't blown out into the water."
The hotel grounds have several Hawaiian archaeological sites, including petroglyphs and three heiau — including Ke'eku, which belongs to a class of temples known as luakini, or temple of human sacrifice, and pu'uhonua, or temple of refuge.
The 454-room Kona Lagoon Hotel was completed in 1974 at a cost of $10.5 million.
In 1988, Japanese developer Azabu USA announced a $65 million plan to renovate and combine it with the neighboring Keauhou Beach Hotel into a single resort, but the collapse of the Japanese economy and other issues prevented the company from carrying out its plans.
Since then, the hotel had grown "functionally obsolete," Robinson said.
"We went through eight proposals to redevelop the property, and none of them could make it work economically in its current configuration," he said.
A cultural preserve will replace the hotel at the historically significant north end, with time-share units to be built at the south end of the property. The site of the old hotel will be replaced with landscaping, Robinson said.
"We're not going to leave it an empty lot," he said.
In February, Kamehameha Schools announced an $800 million upgrade of the 2,400-acre Keauhou area over a 20-year period that calls for Keauhou to become more of a traditional Big Island-style resort emphasizing Hawaiian cultural activities.
The school will maintain a presence through a community learning center.
Kamehameha Schools has participated in a lengthy process to demolish the hotel, Robinson said.
"We've met with the community and tried to keep everyone well informed," he said. "The permitting took quite a bit of time, but we're trying to be a good neighbor when we remove the hotel."
