The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-05-03
ADIEU! PICTURESQUE
is FAST DISAPPEARING UNDER
IMPROVEMENTS.
Lily Pond on Hotel Annex Grounds to
Be Filled in-Many Fine Trees to be
Destroyed.

The strengthening of the Waikiki
road will destroy one of the pictures
que hooks that are rapidly becoming
less and less a feature of Hawaiian
landscapes. The artistic side of the
community is considerably aroused
over what it terms the vandalism of
the road wideners and a movement for
a petition of reconsideration is already
on foot
The landmark, against the removal of
which the protest has been raised, is the
well known lily pond surrounded by the
COcoanut palms situated on the grounds
of the hotel annex The proposed
Strengthening of the road cuts off a
portion of the curve and in straighten-
ing will necessitate the filling in of the
pond and the destruction of the line of
Cocoanut trees nearest the road.
The pond. with it's overhanging palm
fronds and its lily padded surface stud
ded with crimson, white and azure lilies
has long been the admiration of all the
tourists who visit Hawaii. 1t has been
dubbed by one of them the patriotic
pond on account of the tri-cOlors of it's
lilies. Gold fish swim lazily between
the lily stalks and the pond is a typical
bit of tropical scenery all traces of
which are rapidly disappearing from
the close vicinity of Honolulu 1t has
been kodaked and photographed by pro-
fesSiOnal and amateur alike and has
( furnished the inspiration for many let
/ ters home and dreams of mainland
/ dwellers of the beauties of Hawaii. Now
/ it is soon to be shorn of it's beauty, the
! sloping trunks of the palms torn up,
/ the gold fish chOked, the lilies killed
and the heart of the lover of the beau
. tiful disappointed at the passing of
still another of the typical beauty spots
round and about Honolulu.
/ a well known artist-traveller who
/ has been Honolulu at various times and
under different phases is emphatic in
his protest against the way that COM
mercialsm is spelling the appearance Of
Honolulu. "COmmercialism," said he,
lis of course the main spring of Homo
/ lulu but surely it is carried to an ex-
| treme. The twin date palms outside
! the cathedral that were cut down some
time ago, entirely altered the aspect of
that street. The meeting monkeypOds
that made so conspicuous and charac-
teristic an archway went first, perhaps
by necessity, but at the cathedral when,
except on festal occasions you never see
more than three people pass at once,
surely it was barbarism to take away
those palms, spoil the look of the cathe-
dral and it's interest. The picturesque
ness should have been preserved as
carefully as the beauties of the mission
in California towns
IF Honolulu is looking for the tourist
as is generally thought to be the case,
the authorities are doing their best to
destroy the charm of the place for that
class of visitors. They expect to see
something different down here, sOme-
thing typical. In an interview with
your paper Mrs. Stanford said, IL l re-
member right that the chief charm of
n {
There are many others like that. Under
the proposed improvements however
visitors will come here to find a replica
of a third rate American city with
buildings and civic arrangements that
are not by any means the most COM
Portable for a semi tropical city. The
Waikiki road Is not going to be any the
more desirable as a boulevard by max
: ing it as straight as the avenue of some
Dutch landscape gardener. The beau
; I-ties Of the Waikiki road lie in the benC
Immediately after it starts from King
street. Widen it if you will but you are
not making a military highway.
81 understand that they are going tC
cut down the palms and fill in the lily
pond besides demOlshing several fine
monkeypOdS on the Waikiki road. Now
it may be all right to eliminate the
trees in the city proper but why cannot
! you leave the picturesqueness of the
outskirts alone? Rather the tropica
surroundings Of the Waikiki roaC
should be enhanced by planting NOR,
palms more tropical foliage and sug
, gestiOns. Boardings with advertising
placards should not be allowed. The 10
> cal color of the place should be en-
. couraged not destroyed. Take away al
the pretty bits from the drives and tou
: rists will go away with a feeling of dis
appointment. The title Paradise of tn
. Pacific will be as applicable as that o
Paradise Alley in the hlthiest part o
New York's slums. A brilliant eXampl
Of the city's retrogression in this res
I peCt is shown at Thomas square, ono
T filled with flowers and tropical shrub
5 berry and now looking like anything bu
= a park. The English admiral in who's
e honor it was named would be justihe,
= in thinking the honor all on his sid
o still if he We're able to see the condi
i ton of his park