6/19/13

Let's visit HAWAII IN THE 1930s: Aloha Tower


A few months ago I had a moment in an antique store where my eyes bugged out and I held my breath. I'd found vintage snapshots of Hawaii in the 1930s. Oh heart be still. A few minutes passed before I realized they were actually commercially produced shots that were probably sold at the Moana Hotel and the Royal Hawaiian in the 1930s to tourists who visited the islands via the Matson Lines. Perhaps they were even sold aboard the ships in the gift shop.

Each image is numbered and I have no idea how many were in the set. I imagine there are still quite a few old photo albums that contain sets of these from grands and great-grands that visited the exotic isles of Hawaii long ago. How nice it would be to find a complete set.

We'll start off with the Aloha Tower which was where you docked when you first arrived on Oahu.
The Aloha Tower is a lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the state of Hawaii in the United States. Opened on September 11, 1926 at a then astronomical cost of $160,000, the Aloha Tower is located at Pier 9 of Honolulu Harbor. It has and continues to be a guiding beacon welcoming vessels to the City and County of Honolulu. Just as the Statue of Liberty greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year to New York City, the Aloha Tower greeted hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Honolulu. At 10 stories and 184 feet (56 m) of height topped with 40 feet (12 m) of flag mast, for four decades the Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii. It was built in the Hawaiian Gothic architectural style. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)
Fond memories of that tower and the Matson Liners coming and going. I've talked about this in the past.

Click on image to see it larger.

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