Waikiki Biltmore Hotel
| Waikiki Biltmore Hotel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Address | 2424 Kalākaua Avenue |
| Town or city | Honolulu, Hawaiʻi |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 21°16′34″N 157°49′31″W / 21.27611°N 157.82528°W |
| Groundbreaking | November 1953 |
| Opened | February 19, 1955 |
| Demolished | May 28, 1974 |
| Cost | $4,000,000 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 11 |
| Lifts/elevators | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | D.N. Ivanitsky and R.G. Waanabe |
| Developer | Joseph Greenbach |
| Main contractor | Sawai Brothers |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 274 |
| Parking | underground |
The Waikiki Biltmore Hotel was a resort hotel in Waikīkī, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, that operated from 1955 to 1974. The Biltmore was the first high-rise hotel on Waikīkī but operated for only 19 years, after which it was demolished and replaced with the Hyatt Regency.[1]
History
[edit]Permits were filed for an eight-story hotel in March 1953, with groundbreaking taking place in November of that year.[2] Joseph Greenbach constructed the building, which opened on February 19, 1955. Construction cost $4 million.[3][4] The hotel was built on the site of Canlis Charcoal Broiler, the first restaurant opened by Peter Canlis, which opened in 1947.[5] The opening was met with great fanfare, including a flight from California chartered by Greenbach.[6]
The hotel opened with 247 rooms, featuring amenities such as the Top of the Isle club on the 11th floor, the Kiki Room, and the Luau Lounge.[3] D.N. Ivanitsky and R.G. Wanabe were the architects of record.[7]
In late 1955, Greenbach sold the hotel to Massaglia Hotels, Inc.[8]
The hotel was sold again to the Kimi chain, operator of the Hukilau hotels, in 1966 for $2.5 million. The Kimi owners spent $100,000 on a renovation, but a planned renaming never occurred.[9]
In 1973, a man fired a shot at a woman sitting at an adjacent hotel from a room at the Biltmore.[10]
The hotel suffered a small fire on the 10th floor in August 1973 caused by a discarded cigarette, and a larger fire in November 1973 that destroyed the second-story Port O' Paradise nightclub.[11]
Closure and demolition
[edit]The King's Alley shopping center opened near the hotel in 1972, and after the hotel's purchase by developer Christopher Hemmeter there were plans to renovate the hotel as part of a $20 million area rejuvenation.[12][13] In 1973, the hotel began offering monthly rentals due to an oversupply of hotel rooms.[14] By 1974, the plans had changed to redevelop the hotel as two 40-story towers, which became the Hyatt Regency.[15]
The hotel was imploded at 8 a.m. on May 28, 1974.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Bone, Robert W. (May 25, 1974). "Memories of a hotel's past". The Honolulu Advertiser. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Application filed for million-dollar hotel". Honolulu Advertiser. March 3, 1953. p. 1.; "Waikiki-Biltmore Site". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 7, 1953. p. 14.
- ^ a b "Waikiki Biltmore captures island charm". Honolulu Advertiser. February 19, 1955. p. 11.
- ^ a b "Biltmore demolition set for Tuesday". The Honolulu Advertiser. May 25, 1974.
- ^ "Nostalgia reigns as Canlis' celebrates quarter century". Honolulu Advertiser. March 12, 1972.
- ^ "Greenbach Sons join father in hotel project". Honolulu Advertiser. February 19, 1955. p. 15.
- ^ "Hotel architect among special guests on plane". Honolulu Advertiser. February 19, 1955. p. B4.
- ^ "Hukilau Owners seek Biltmore". Honolulu Advertiser. December 15, 1965. p. A26.
- ^ "Kimi Chain buys Waikiki Biltmore". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. March 21, 1966. p. 28.
- ^ "13 Feb 1974, 25 - The Honolulu Advertiser at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- ^ "Minor loss in hotel fire". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. August 29, 1973. p. 3.; "$300,000 fire in Waikiki". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 30, 1970. p. B3.
- ^ "business indicators". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 23 June 1972. p. B7.
- ^ "Pair of 40-story hotels to go up near King's Alley". Honolulu Advertiser. February 21, 1974.
- ^ "Hulapaluzas". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. January 21, 1973. p. 5.; "Missed Opportunity". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 24, 1972. p. 18.
- ^ Wright, Carl (February 21, 1974). "Waikiki's Biggest Project in Works". Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
- 1955 establishments in Hawaii
- 1974 disestablishments in Hawaii
- Buildings and structures demolished by controlled implosion
- Buildings and structures demolished in 1974
- Demolished hotels in the United States
- Demolished buildings and structures in Hawaii
- Hotel buildings completed in 1955
- Waikiki
- Defunct hotels in the United States