WAIMEA – After much patience and perseverance, the long awaited renovation of the historic Waimea Theatre was culminated this past Thursday with the Premiere Opening Seat Sponsor Event. Sponsors were treated to live entertainment provided by Kane Turalde, wonderful pupus
WAIMEA – After much patience and perseverance, the long awaited renovation of
the historic Waimea Theatre was culminated this past Thursday with the Premiere
Opening Seat Sponsor Event.
Sponsors were treated to live entertainment
provided by Kane Turalde, wonderful pupus from westside restaurants and
markets, and a feature showing of the hit movie “Anna and the King.”
Having
been closed in 1972, due to the economics of the times and competition with
home television viewing, the theatre was converted into warehouse use and
subdivided into retail space.
The decorative marquee and architectural
elements of the building facades were further damaged and nearly destroyed by
Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
With a vision to return the theatre to its former
status as a gathering place, the West Kaua’i Main Street organization, a
participant in the national program to help stimulate business activity which
compliments community lifestyles and cultural traditions, obtained a lease on
the property in the winter of 1992.
Working closely with Mayor Maryanne
Kusaka, West Kauai Main Street utilized proceeds from its annual Waimea Town
Celebration to fund feasibility and architectural studies.
In 1994, the
County of Kaua’i Housing Agency purchased the theatre; and the County of Kauai
Officeof Economic Development utilized U.S. Economic Development Administration
monies to renovate and restore the theatre.
Final fund raising took the
form of “Seat Sponsorships”, in which community businesses,
organizations and individual residents supplied the much needed operating
capital to begin offering cinema films and other performances to community
members and visitors alike.
The West Kaua’i Professional and Business
Association (WKPBS) will operate the theatre with the goal of offering a mix of
cinema films, live performances, and community utilization of the auditorium.
Future activities include visitor films to showcase the historical,
cultural and natural resources of Kaua’i.
Equipped with an 864 square foot
stage, big screen and Dolby Surround Sound, the 2,800 square foot auditorium
seats 260 and is ADA compliant.
Handicapped accessibility is possible, not
only into the auditorium, but onto the stage as well. Mamo Cummings, current
President of the Kaua’i Chamber of Commerce and former project manager for the
County of Kaua’i Office of Economic Development, credits designer and architect
Lloyd Sako for creatively “bringing this 1930’s structure into the year
2000’s building code.”
Renovation of the structure was performed by
the Kikiaola Construction Company. As stated by Jo Shimamoto, Administrative
Director of the County Housing Agency, “The theatre stands as a landmark,
preserving and protecting Waimea’s unique architectural character and historic
resources.”
Regular seat and rattan loge seat sponsorships are still
available. Anyone wishing to be a seat sponsor is asked to contact Mark Nellis
at 338-0021.
Seat sponsors have their names displayed on the
“Sponsors’ Commemorative Plaque” located in the theatre lobby, as
well as on name tags placed upon the individual seats.
