Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 2, Number 2, 1 February 1985 — Linekona Seen as Hawaiian CulturalCenter [ARTICLE]

Linekona Seen as Hawaiian CulturalCenter

"It's about time," exclaimed the Rev. Darrow Aiona when the Board of Education's Hawaiian Education Affairs Committee responded favorably to his suggestion of eonverting the old Linekona School at Thomas Square into a Hawaiian education center and gathering plaee for Hawaiians. In speaking to Ka Wai Ola recently, Aiona envisions the plaee as an institute of Hawaiian education, culture and the arts with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs playing a prominent role. In fact, he suggests OHA relocating to the historic site from its present commercial space at Kawaiahao Plaza. Aiona admits there are some legal prob!ems involving ownership. It appears the property was never deeded over as DOE land and may be owned instead by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

He reported that the matter was now in the hands of DLNR but expressed confidence the situation could be resolved and that plans to convert the plaee into a Hawaiian center could proceed. Linekona School, built in 1908 and placed on the State Register of Historic Places in 1979, is in need of major repairs estimated variously as high as $5 million. It has not been used for more than two years because of its dilapidated and unsafe condition.

The ever enthusiastic and optimistic Aiona, however, said: "I have a funny feeling. If the Hawaiians pulled together, we ean get it renovated. We ean have it fixed up where it ean be a showplace in the community." "Here we have this big pieee of property sitting out there with no one using it. We ean get OHA and other Hawaiian groups together in an interagency thing and have one big Hawaiian center for Hawaiians," Aiona went on. "Hawaiians like Rocky Jensen and the Hale Naua artists will finally have a plaee they ean eall home — a plaee for them to exhibit their works," the BOE chairman added.

He was also ecstatic about the Linekona auditorium. Aiona said the plaee could be refurbished and put in first class condition "where we ean have Hawaiian performing groups put on shows, recitals and other cultural affairs." "The possibilities are'endless," he declared, "and the Hawaiian people will finally have their own plaee." Other ethnic groups, Aiona was quick to point out, "have their own centers so why not one honoring and perpetuating Hawaiian culture." "I feel its about time we have something like this for us Hawaiians," Aiona concluded.