Construction of Hālau of ʻŌiwi Art expected to begin April 28

Construction of the Hālau of ʻŌiwi Art project is slated to begin April 28, a milestone in moving ahead with the $40 million project for which a Native Hawaiian site blessing was held nearly seven months ago.

Planned on a parcel in the heart of Wailuku town next to the 393-stall Wailuku Garage and southeast of the corner of Church and Vineyard streets, the Hālau of ʻŌiwi Art is a Maui County initiative designed to celebrate and perpetuate Native Hawaiian culture through hula, education and community engagement.

According to the project’s draft environmental assessment, the Hawaiian arts facility will be a two-story, 46,000-square-foot structure with an intermediate mezzanine level on the makai side of the building. The project design aims to achieve flexibility and cultural purposes, with community gathering spaces including multiple workshop and studio areas for dance, crafting and teaching, as well as a kitchen, offices and venues for exhibitions, presentations and performances. The center will operate during the day and into the evening, with hours potentially extending to 10 p.m.

The ground floor will feature a spacious vestibule to welcome visitors and provide space for educational and cultural exhibits. A landscaped internal courtyard will serve as a semi-private garden, supporting hula, lāʻau lapaʻau (traditional medicine), and other cultural practices. Ground-level retail and restaurant spaces along West Vineyard Street will offer opportunities for local businesses, cultural practitioners and artisans to connect with the public.

The site will also include a performance-ready outdoor area along the driveway leading to a parking structure, with the flexibility to close the space to vehicles during community events. This design allows for smooth pedestrian flow between Market Street and Hālau of ʻŌiwi Art, enhancing connectivity during public gatherings.

On the second floor, project plans call for multiple dance studios, classroom spaces and a large, multi-functional event space. This area will have adjoining lānai with views mauka and makai. The inclusion of a kitchen and planter-ready lanai will support sustainable food production and align with the facility’s mission of sustainability and community empowerment.

The project’s environmental assessment makes clear that its focus will be on hula.

“Hula is an ʻŌiwi Art that preserves knowledge and traditions which have been passed down for generations and has the power to inspire, enlighten, motivate, transform, and connect all people,” it says. “The goal for Hālau of ʻŌiwi Art is to create a center through the manaʻo of Maui’s kumu and hālau hula that will advance the cultural, social, and historical impact of Native Hawaiian ʻŌiwi Art. Through these efforts, all people in Hawaiʻi and the world will be empowered to keep these traditions alive for future generations.”

The Hālau project replaced the three-story County building that was originally proposed for the site as part of the Wailuku Civic Complex project. That project was not funded, but utility upgrades and property acquisitions were already in place, including improvements to Vineyard and Church streets.

Once complete, the facility is foreseen as a cultural and creative hub, providing space for the community to dance, learn, create, shop, support artists, and uplift the spirit of Wailuku through Hawaiian arts and values.

The project could also help draw resident and visitor foot traffic to Wailuku town, which has struggled for years to regain its former stature as a business and cultural hub. Late last year, the Empanada Lady Restaurant and Lounge, a Caribbean-inspired eatery, closed permanently. It also offered live jazz music on West Vineyard Street.

The restaurant opened in 2019 and was hit by the double-whammy of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic fallout from the August 2023 wildfires.

To visit the project’s website, click here.