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Kapālama, now often calledPālama, is a neighborhood ofHonolulu, Hawaii.[1] It is often combined with the adjacentKalihi and referred to as a single entity,Kalihi–Pālama.
The name comes fromka pā lama in theHawaiian language which means "the enclosure of lama wood".[2] "Lama" is the Hawaiian name for endemicebony trees of genusDiospyros that were used in religious ceremonies.[3]
Traditional land divisions (ahupuaʻa) inancient Hawaii were agricultural units that ran from the seashore to mountains. The shoreline areas of Kapālama were later developed into part ofHonolulu harbor. The upland areas of Kapālama developed into‘Ālewa Heights, and the main campus ofKamehameha Schools.[4] Other educational institutions range fromHonolulu Community College to the Kapālama Elementary school.Palama Street at21°19′24″N157°51′53″W / 21.32333°N 157.86472°W /21.32333; -157.86472, and Kapālama Avenue at21°20′5″N157°51′58″W / 21.33472°N 157.86611°W /21.33472; -157.86611 (Kapālama Avenue), are named for the neighborhood. The Kapālama Stream[5] starts at21°21′27″N157°49′46″W / 21.35750°N 157.82944°W /21.35750; -157.82944 (Kapālama Stream) and then runs into the Kapālama canal and basin.[6] To the northwest is the neighborhood ofKalihi, and to the southeastdowntown Honolulu.
The Kapalama Military Reservation, constructed for logistical support inWorld War II was scheduled to close.[7] A museum has been proposed in a building that served as amorgue during theVietnam War in the 1960s.[8]The Palama fire station at 879 North King Street was added to theNational Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu as site 76000661 April 21, 1976, along with otherFire Stations of Oahu. It was designed in 1901 byOliver G. Traphagen.[9]
TheKaumakapili Church was moved to 766 North King Street after the 1900 fire inChinatown. It was originally established on April 1, 1838, as aProtestant church for common people, to supplement theKawaiahao Church which was generally intended for nobility. From 1881 to 1888 a new brick and wood-frame structure was built.Temporary services were held until the new structure was built. Ground was broken on May 7, 1910, and the new building dedicated on June 25, 1911. It is located at the southern end of Palama Street at21°19′17″N157°51′59″W / 21.32139°N 157.86639°W /21.32139; -157.86639 (Kaumakapili Church)[10]After much damage through the years, members raised US$2.4 million for a renovation starting in 1993 of theGothic Revival architecture building.[11]
Peter Cushman Jones established a Palama Chapel in the area in 1896. After the 1900 fire, James Arthur and Ragna Helsher Rath added social services to the center and called itPalama Settlement.[12] The center, located at 810 North Vineyard Boulevard at Palama Street21°19′24″N157°51′51″W / 21.32333°N 157.86417°W /21.32333; -157.86417 (Palama Settlement) continues to offer community recreation and educational programs.[13]The martial art ofKajukenbo was developed at the Palama Settlement.[14]