| Lahaina Historic District | |
| Nrhp Type: | nhld |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Location: | W side of Maui on HI 30, Lahaina, Hawaii |
| Coordinates: | 20.8733°N -156.6781°W |
| Designated Nrhp Type: | December 29, 1962[1] |
| Added: | October 15, 1966 |
| Refnum: | 66000302 |
| Designated Other1: | Hawaiʻi Register of Historic Places |
| Designated Other1 Abbr: | HRHP |
| Designated Other1 Date: | October 15, 1966[2] |
| Designated Other1 Number: | 50-50-03-03001 |
| Designated Other1 Num Position: | bottom |
Lahaina Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District encompassing most of the community of Lahaina, Hawaii, on the west side of the island of Maui in the US state of Hawaii. Designated in 1962, the district recognizes Lahaina for its well-preserved character as a 19th-century port, and for its social and economic importance in the 19th century as a major whaling center in the Pacific, and as one of the capital cities of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Lahaina was a popular residential center for the kings of Maui prior to the arrival of European explorers in the late 18th century. Kamehameha I made his landing here when he began the conquest of Maui in 1795, and Kamehameha II established a residence here in 1819. That same year, the first whaling ships arrived, beginning the community's rise in economic importance. Lahaina eclipsed Oahu as a preferred whaling port between 1840 and 1855, because of its better deep-water anchorage. When Kamehameha III ascended to the Hawaiian throne in 1825, he made Lahaina his capital, preferring it to the busier Honolulu. The town declined in economic importance in the 1860s, as the whaling industry waned.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962.[1] [3] The district is bounded on the north by Puʻuona Point, the south by Makila Point, and the east by the ridge of hills above the town. Its western bound extends all the way out to the island of Lānaʻi, encompassing the Lahaina Roads, the roadstead which enabled the town's growth in the 19th century.[3] Donn Beach and Pete Wimberly played an important early role in establishing building ordinances to govern restoration and preservation projects in Lahaina.[4] [5]
When the landmark district was designated in 1962, nine buildings were called out for their specific contribution to the district. The Historic American Buildings Survey collected detailed drawings in the 1960s and 1970s.[6] The district suffered catastrophic damage in the 2023 Hawaii wildfires with historic structures being destroyed (highlighted with red background).
| Notes ! | Thumbnail | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baldwin House | 1835 | A two-story home used by early missionaries, including Rev. Dwight Baldwin. Destroyed in the 2023 Hawaii wildfires[7] | ||
| 2 | Old Spring House | 1823 | Built by Rev. William Richards to enclose a spring and used for fresh water by the community. | ||
| 3 | Court House | 1859 | Replaced the Hale Piula, a former palace used for government offices damaged during an 1858 windstorm. Rebuilt in 1925 with significantly altered appearance. Ruins of outer walls were left standing after the August 2023 wildfire, roof and interior destroyed. | ||
| 4 | Old Prison (Hale Paʻahao) | 1852 | Main cell block (plank structure) completed in 1852, and enclosing coral-block wall completed in 1854. Original cell block burned in 1958; reconstructed in 1959 along with the wooden gate house. | ||
| 5 | 1953 | Construction started in 1828 and completed in 1832. Destroyed by winds twice and again by fire in 1894. Present structure was completed in 1953, when the name was changed to Waiola. Hawaiian nobility are interred in the cemetery, which dates to 1823. Destroyed in the 2023 Hawaii wildfires[8] | |||
| 6 | Hale Aloha | 1858 | Meeting house completed in 1858, replacing an earlier stone church dating to 1823. School house and church, restored in the 1980s | ||
| 7 | United States Marine Hospital | 1842 | Herman Melville noted one of his shipmates died at this hospital in 1843. Sold in 1865 and served as a school for girls, then a vicarage for the Episcopal Church. Ruins of outer walls were left standing after the August 2023 wildfire, roof and interior destroyed. | ||
| 8 | 1858 | This church, erected in 1858, replaced an earlier church at the same site built in 1846. The present building was erected in 1928 on the same foundation, but is said to be an exact replica of the 1858 structure. Survived the 2023 Hawaii wildfires[9] | |||
| 9 | 1901 | Lahaina's first hotel. Destroyed in the 2023 Hawaii wildfires[10] [11] |