HONOLULU (KHON2) – In the ahupuaʻa of Honolulu, which lies in the moku of Kona here on Oʻahu, stands what was once the main business street in the islands.
We’re speaking of Merchant St.
Officially named in 1850, Merchant Street stands as one of the earliest named streets in Honolulu.
The oldest commercial building is the Melchers Building, dating back to 1854.
Made out of coral block, it housed the German import company Melchers and Company.
Since 1954, it has served as office space for the City & County.
Completed in 1871, the Kamehameha V Post Office is the oldest concrete-block building in the United States.
Serving the community until 1922.
Since 1993, the structure has been called home by the Kumu Kahua Theatre.
Today, First Hawaiian Bank is the largest bank in Hawaiʻi.
But did you know that its beginnings started on Merchant Street in this building, considered the last remaining example in Hawaiʻi of northern Italian Renaissance Revival?
The plastered brick building housed Hawaiʻi’s first permanent bank, Bishop Bank, from 1878 until 1923.
In 1900, many buildings throughout Downtown Honolulu were destroyed by the Chinatown plague fire that grew out of control.
One of the few buildings to have survived was the Royal Saloon, built in 1890.
It is now home to Murphy’s Bar & Grill.
Considered as Hawaiʻi’s first skyscraper, the 6-story-tall Stangenwald Building was completed in 1901.
Built with a structural steel frame with concrete foundations, it was hailed as being Honolulu’s first “fireproof” building.
Did you know? Now you do!