The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-02-07
ESTATE
IMPROVEMENTS
Transforming Swamp Lands Into
Industrial Sites on the
Waterfront.

No one unfamiliar with the tremendous
Improvement work being accomplished
by the Bishop Estate can realize the
changes which have occurred during
the past few years in many districts
where the estate owns large tracts of
land.
Steadily and surely transformation
is setting in which turns former swamp
and rice lands into residence dis
tricts, and is making the waterfront,
in many places: able to be utilized by
industrial and commercial enterprises.
All this work of improvement con-
Quoted by the estate means an added
asset to Honolulu as a city beautiful
and practical, while the elimination Of
the tidal overflow lands and swamp land
makes for higher standard of health
in the community and removes one
danger of infectious disease.
Beneficial improvements.
This is particularly noticeable in the
Kakaako district, where the estate has
disbursed in the neighborhood of $780,
600 in improvements, which are gen
eral benefit to the city, county and Ter
ritory. This district is bounded by Ha-
lekauwila street, Punchbowl street, the
naval station, the sea and the boundary
of the Ward Estate, excepting a few
lots at the foot of Punehbowl street,
near the rear entrance to the naval
station, and one lot on Halekauwila
street, owned by the Kapiolani Estate.
No part Of this large district is now
subject to tidal overflow, nor are any
houses there now built on stills. Many
of the old tenements have been torn
down and all the dwellings and tene-
ment houses remaining are connected
with the sewer system which has been
installed, fact which is on record with
the department of public works on the
sewer maps, since 1898.
AS for sidewalk construction, it has
been carried on by the estate to large
extent, but is at present at a standstill
on account Of a failure on the part OF
various government departments to do
their share in the general Improvement.
Tracts Under Lease.
In this same district the Honolulu
Iron Works, the Union Feed Company,
the Cation, Neill & Co., Inter-Island
NdNikdllOA dClhC
Engineering and Construction Company
and the city and county Of Honolulu,
have taken under lease large areas,
which they have improved, amounting
to about fifteen acres.
"A tract of over four acres of i'm
proved land, known as "Atkinson
Park, - is now under lease to the public
works department at a nominal rental
government purchased three acres for
site for the new Kakaako school.
Other lots of the improved swamp lands,
amounting to about two and half
acres. are now occupied by the United
States naval coal piles.
OF the remaining thirty-two acres in
this district owned by the Bishop Es-
tate, more than three.fourths have been
filed in to the established official street
grades, or higher, and the remainder
is being filed in to grade as rapidly
as material can be bought, and the es-
tate is in the market to purchase all
available grading material at reason
able rates, for this purpose.
The work of filling, building roads
and improving generally is progressing
on several vacant lots on South street,
where old leases have expired.
To Eliminate Tenements.
New leases are not to be granted un-
til the district is put in a thoroughly
sanitary condition. Three or four large
tenement houses were demolished last
year and no new ones are to be al
lowed on the lands of the estate at
Kakaako.
The All Leong lease, mal1ai of Ha-
lekauwila street and mauka of the
iron works, expires in 1919, and the
two largest tenements in the district
will probably disappear, as an extern
sion or renewal of the lease has been
refused. These tenements are inhabit-
ed by japanese fishermen and the news
that the lease renewal is refused 10
good news.
Extensive road improvements have
been made by the road department, but
largely with the assistance Of the es.
tate, which provided thousands Of
yards Of coral, and the county did
the work under q mutual agreement be-
tween the county officials and the trus.
tees Of the estate.
10 Complete Fllla.
An old agreement between the Bishop
estate and the public works depart