The area was probably used by fishermen in
ancient Hawaii but little evidence of this remains.
Kealiimaikai, the brother of
Kamehameha I lived in the area at the end of the 18th century. One of the first early settlers from outside was
Isaac Davis, who lived there until 1810. Spaniard Don
Francisco de Paula Marín lived in the southern end of the area in the early 19th century, and planted a vineyard in the northern end, for which Vineyard Boulevard is named. During the 19th century laborers were imported from
China to work on
sugar plantations in Hawaii. Many became merchants after their contracts expired and moved to this area. The ethnic makeup has always been diverse, peaking at about 56% Chinese people in the 1900 census, and then declining. The 1900 fire started during the destruction of a building infected with
bubonic plague; the plague was confirmed in Honolulu on December 12, 1899. Schools were closed and 7000 residents of the area were put under
quarantine. After 13 people died, the Board of Health ordered structures suspected of being infected to be burned. Residents were evacuated, and a few buildings were successfully destroyed while the
Honolulu Fire Department stood by. However, on January 20, 1900, the fire went out of control after winds shifted, and destroyed most of the neighborhood instead. The neighborhood was rebuilt and many of the current buildings date from 1901. Very few are over four stories tall. It was established to supervise the public health of the people of Hawaii, and to protect them against epidemic diseases. The Board of Health, which at that time was under the control of three physicians,
Nathaniel B. Emerson,
Francis R. Day and
Clifford B. Wood, played an integral role during the
bubonic plague outbreak that started in 1899. The situation had become so dire in Honolulu that Emerson, Day and Wood were afforded absolute dictatorial authority over Hawaii. This was the result of an agreement between the President of the Provisional Hawaiian Government, Mr.
Sanford Ballard Dole, and the Attorney General, Mr.
Henry E. Cooper, who concurred that nothing should impede the battle of the "dread disease". Cooper also served as the President of the Board of Health. According to the Annual Reports published by the
Hawaii State Department of Health, the first case of the bubonic plague was Yon Chong, a 22-year-old Chinese man who worked as a bookkeeper in Chinatown. Chong fell sick on December 9, 1899, and formed
buboes, leading his attending physician to suspect the plague. A jointly-conducted diagnostic exam was performed by other doctors, who confirmed the suspicion. Their diagnosis was reported to Board President Cooper on December 11, 1899. Yon Chong died the following day, and Cooper made an announcement to the public about this first bubonic plague death. After the public announcement, Cooper ordered an immediate
military quarantine of the Chinatown area. In hopes of containing the plague in Honolulu, the Board of Health also closed
Honolulu Harbor to both incoming and outgoing vessels. According to the official Board of Health records, only three human cases of the plague were recorded during the quarantine. On December 19, 1899, the quarantine of Chinatown and Honolulu Harbor was lifted. However, only five days after the quarantine was lifted, nine more cases were reported by the Board of Health. Of those 12 reported cases, 11 would die. Additionally, an influx of
Chinese immigration to Hawaii had resulted in crowded residences, poor living conditions, and improper sewage disposal in Honolulu's Chinatown. The Board of Health responded by incinerating garbage, renovating the sewer system, putting Chinatown under quarantine, and most of all burning affected buildings. Forty-one fires were set in total, and on January 20, 1900, winds picked up one fire and spread it to other buildings. The fire burned out of control for seventeen days and scorched of Honolulu, devastating the Chinese community. There were no deaths, but many people (of various ethnicities) were displaced with their livelihoods destroyed. There were another 31 controlled burns after the incident. The refugees of the fire were now considered homeless and rounded up and moved to quarantine camps until April 30. White residents who had gathered to watch the fire escorted the victims to refugee camps by force, using baseball bats and pick handles to ensure compliance.
Rebuilding and preservation Many critics accused the government of
Sinophobia, believing that the fires were deliberately set to destroy their community. An exodus occurred. While the former residents rebuilt Chinatown, many moved to the suburbs, hoping not to relive a similar incident. The post-fire architecture used masonry rather than wood, since stone and brick buildings were fire resistant. Many of the people who filed damage claims were represented by lawyer
Paul Neumann, but he died before the cases went to court. After the fire, new businesses were established focusing on the Chinese community. Instead of viewing Chinatown as a segregated community, it became an area full of economic opportunities; with many of the wealthier Chinese finding different ways to commercialize the
exoticism of Chinatown. With the increased tourism and foot-traffic, existing buildings; such as the
Wo Fat Restaurant (reopened in 1938) revamped themselves in a distinctive "oriental" style to attract more visitors. During
World War II the area in and around Chinatown became a
red-light district, with their main clientele being American servicemen stationed in Hawai'i after
Pearl Harbor. The area gained a negative reputation - with popular rhetoric claiming Chinatown was full of exotic immorality. Additionally, some Chinatown landmarks, such as
Smith's Union Bar and
Club Hubba Hubba, gained notoriety from consistent patronage by the troops stationed in Hawai'i. Although earlier promotional efforts had made Chinatown an exotic attraction for wartime tourists, the postwar period saw reduced attention and investment in the neighborhood. Additionally, with changing economic priorities, tourism shifted to other parts of Honolulu. During the administrations of mayors
Frank Fasi and
Jeremy Harris the area was targeted for revitalization. Restrictions on lighting and signs were relaxed to promote nightlife. Special zoning rules were adopted for the area. These revitalizations efforts displaced thousands of residents, erasing vibrant and tightly knit ethnic communities. The
Hawaii National Bank was founded in the district in 1960, and has its headquarters there. There was opposition to these urban renewal projects, particularly from groups like
People Against Chinatown Eviction (PACE). By January 17, 1973, about of the district were officially listed on both the
National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu and the
National Register of Historic Places, as site 73000658. By the late 1970s, initiatives like the
Maunakea Marketplace helped draw local commerce back into the core of Chinatown. Although these later efforts helped protect the district and were crucial to its survival, they also aligned the district with urban developers, city beautification committees, and a cosmopolitan vision of Honolulu. As a result, many of the low-income residents who were displaced in earlier revitalization phases were not able to return. On the eastern edge of the district, the
Hawaii Theatre was restored and re-opened in 1996. The area around the theatre is called the
Arts District. In 2005 a small park near the theatre at the corner of Hotel and Bethel streets was opened and named Chinatown Gateway Park. In November 2007 the park was renamed to honor
Sun Yat-sen, who came to Chinatown in 1879; he was educated and planned the
1911 Revolution during his Hawaiian stay. ==Government and infrastructure==