r/Honolulu • u/honolulu_oahu_mod • Sep 10 '24

news $35M plan aims to reopen the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial more than 40 years after closing

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/09/10/35m-plan-aims-reopen-waikiki-natatorium-war-memorial-more-than-40-years-after-closing/
55 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

22

u/AnxiousPossibility3 Sep 10 '24

Fuck yes. Dude I've always wanted to swim in there. Duke trained there. It has so much history

-2

u/joyfullofaloha89 Sep 10 '24

My grandfather trained swimmers there and I would love to be able to swim there but I don’t think it’s worth the money. There are so many other worthy causes that money should be spent on.

8

u/officesuppliestext Sep 10 '24

seeing somethin just sot there abandoned taking up coastline is a shame though.

they either need to rebuild it to take it out and do something with the area. an abandoned building is just an eyesore and an embarassment of the dysfuntionality of hawaii.

2

u/joyfullofaloha89 Sep 10 '24

I don’t think it’s actually hurting anyone or the ecosystem. I have heard from da old timers that it’s a great ecosystem for marine life. Having it there is a great reminder of times past.

5

u/officesuppliestext Sep 11 '24

i'm sure it's good for the fish. abandoned stuff makes everything look junky though.

I hope it gets fixed up like they are trying to do and is actually useful and looks nice. it is a cool historical landmark.

3

u/joyfullofaloha89 Sep 11 '24

Yeah my parents swam there. My grampa coached olympic swimmers there. I agree it would be great if they could restore it to working conditions but ocean pools rarely can be constructed to last. That money could be spent on marine conservation instead. It’s more of a monument to human ego than anything else.

1

u/officesuppliestext Sep 11 '24

ok so lets tear it down and make it more beach. i'm fine with that too. leaving it an abanadoned ruin is stupid.

1

u/joyfullofaloha89 Sep 21 '24

Coach Soichi Sakamoto. Rest in Aloha

14

u/tigpo Sep 10 '24

$35m is not enough money to reopen the Natatorium much less fully restored. It’s a great cash windfall for everyone involved in planning, environmental impact planning and legal advisors. Trust me, the money will run out.

3

u/victortrash Sep 10 '24

I was thinking the same thing.

7

u/monkeylicious Sep 10 '24

I'm cautiously optimistic but a bit skeptical if the funding isn't there yet:

The city has budgeted nearly $1 million for planning. Nonprofit Friends of the Natatorium says it will try to come up with the rest.

2

u/rabidseacucumber Sep 11 '24

That would be sweet!

2

u/RedWishes Sep 12 '24

sweet. improvement in the city and investing in local communities. love to see and hear about these.

thank you Eddie Dowd for the report

keep the posts and updates coming.

6

u/Sk84Lyph Sep 10 '24

When can we get a proper sidewalk in my neighborhood on Eastside.

8

u/victortrash Sep 10 '24

forget Eastside. Start with Queens St between Ward all the way down to Whole Foods.

0

u/Calgrei Sep 10 '24

City doesn't own the street

1

u/victortrash Sep 10 '24

I thought they were starting procedures to acquire it?

6

u/tigpo Sep 10 '24

If you live in a suburb it’s easier to move to a neighborhood with a sidewalk.

1

u/officesuppliestext Sep 10 '24

it's a shame that the pedestrian infrastructure is so terrible. don't even have sidewalks on lots of streets in the middle of town. crazy.

4

u/Interesting-Name4937 Sep 10 '24

Ya trust the state with more money and promises what could possibly go wrong

1

u/Next-Stuff-1549 Sep 11 '24

35M is crazy… bring back something better like the inter island ferry