Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 10, 1 October 1987 — 13-Year $2.5 Million Project [ARTICLE]

13-Year $2.5 Million Project

Mauna 'Ala Chapel Restoration Nears Completion

By Linda Kawai'ono Delaney Land Officer Restoration of the quiet splendor of Mauna 'Ala has been in progress for the last 13 years. Guardian and overseer of the project is Auntie Healani Doane, president of Ka Mamakakaua (Daughters and Sons of Hawaiian Warriors). True to the fighting spirit of her ancestors, Auntie Healani has battled for both the funds and attention to detail needed to sustain the project. First dedicated in 1865, by Queen Emma for her husband Alexander Liholiho (Kamehameha IV) and their young son Prince Albert, the Royal Mausoleum is now the final resting plaee of the Kamehameha and Kalakaua dynasties and their families. All the monarchs of the Kingdom except Kamehameha I (whose grave remains a secret) and King Lunalilo (resting in a separate crypt at Kawaiaha'o Church) continue to be honored at Mauna 'Ala. When Prince Kuhio died in 1922, a resolution was passed in the Congress of the United States forever reserving the grounds of Mauna 'Ala in Nu'uanu as the Royal Mausoleum and decreeing that only the Hawaiian flag would stand vigil over the ali'i graves.

However, after more than a century of exposure to the rains of Nu'uanu and little or no attention to structural maintenance, the Mausoleum was showing the signs of neglect. Even the flag waved a tattered salute. In response, a phased recovery plan was designed and initiated. Next month the Royal Chapel — physically and spiritually the "centerpiece" of Mauna ' Ala — will be rededicated. The cost of the Chapel restoration will total more than $2.5 million. Last year, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees approved a $10,000 grant to assist with the repair of the Chapel pews,. Like the other furnishings, the pews were damaged by rough handling — especially the dragging rather than the lifting of the heavy benches had ripped the wooden supports pieces. Under the loving hands of Thor and Victoria Minniek, the pews are recovering their beauty and strength. One of the hardest parts of the job is the minimum of three by-hand-sandings whieh accompany the restoration of eaeh pew. Such care is reflected throughout the renovation project. Onee the original Mausoleum, the Chapel is a beauti-

ful example of European architecture gentled by Hawaiian hands and materials. Built in the shape of a cross, the plain exterior of the Chapel combines a sense of Christian devotion and the starkness of death's separation. Entering the Chapel, though, begins a transformation of scale, mood and appreciation. The entrance of the Chapel is flanked by two pink plumeria trees. That same shade of captured sunset is in the stained glass of the alcove windows. Even as you walk into the foyer, there is the soft glow of that filtered light. Koa panels the walls throughout the Chapel and warmly responds to the !ight. Wherever possible, the originai wood has been removed, coded for location, refinished and returned to its original plaee. In keeping with royal wishes, this panelling has been extended to include the foyer. The exceptionally high ceilings give a sense of space unimagined from the outside. Without effort, both eyes and heart lift following the outline of pine and prayer. Soon, Mauna 'Ala — a fragrant hill sweet with laua'e and memories — will be finished.