Special to the Star-Bulletin
Efforts by various community groups to save this home
formerly at 30 Iliahi St. fell short: it was not on the
National Register and was torn down by new owners.

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Celebrate National
Historic Preservation Week

"Preservation Begins at Home" is the theme of National Historic Preservation Week, which begins Sunday. Across the nation, there will be events celebrating how historic preservation has helped communities be a better place to live and work.

For every preservation success story, however, there's a failure. Takes the case of the Stangenwald home at 30 Iliahi St. A charming, frame structure built sometime during the American Civil War, it passed eventually into the ownership of the Charles Liu family. A few years ago, when the Lius became interested in building a new structure on the lot, architect and preservationist Nancy Bannick had a bright idea -- why not move the house to Foster Botanic Garden for the garden's new education center?

Various City agencies fell in line with the proposal, as long as the community paid for the move. The Liu family liked the idea as well, for it would not only spare them the cost of demolition, it would provide them with a tax-exempt charitable donation as well. Besides, they liked the house.

Things were proceeding slowly but surely, Bannick thought, even though the property was sold to another family, the Dieps. So imagine her surprise when the Diep family demolished the house a few months ago.

"We didn't even know about it," said Tonia Moy, Oahu architecture specialist for the State Historic Preservation Division. "Of course, it wasn't on the National Register, so there's nothing we could have done to keep from losing it. Still, we were hoping it could be saved."

There are a variety of events during Historic Preservation Week. They include:

Mission House Museum hosts the public reopening of the restored "Hale La'au" frame house, free admission Kama'aina Day, Saturday.

The Historic Hawaii Foundation's annual preservation conference, today and tomorrow, Campbell Estate. Tomorrow, 9 a.m., panel discussions on historic districts, Manoa Valley, Ke'anae Maui and The Main Street program, a bus tour of Ewa Village and a living history performance. Admission, $30, includes tour. Information: 523-2900.

Manoa Historic Houses Walking Tour, Sunday, 4 p.m., starting at Triangle Park between East Manoa and Manoa roads.

Community briefing, Kamoku-Pukele power line installation, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Noelani School.

"A Capitol Day Down Capitol Way," the Judiciary History Center, Mission Houses Museum, Iolani Palace, Washington Place, Kawaiha'o Church, St. Andrews Church, the State Capitol and DLNR Education and Visitor Center in the Kalanimoku Building will be open to the public on May 17.

Manoa community 'rules'

Street don'ts: Wide, "suburban"-style streets and paved sidewalks that promote fast driving speeds, hotter daytime temperatures; removal of shade trees

Street dos: Grassed-over walking areas next to streets; parking inside the lot; many shade trees and plantings

House don'ts: Excessive paving; Bare chainlink or solid fences that wall off the neighborhood; large, crammed garages that face the street; massive or awkwardly designed new building facades that overwhelm the lot

House dos: Landscaping instead of concrete or asphalt, such as using "grasscrete" pavers for parking areas; garages that don't dominate the lot or are located in back; new facades or building additions that are compatible with size or scale of neighboring houses