Check out this spread on the fight to preserve the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium. It’s published in the latest issue of Innov8, the inflight magazine of go! Mokulele airlines.
The story is a good summary of the decades-long battle to restore and reopen a Honolulu landmark designated, when it opened in 1927, as a perpetual living memorial to more than 10,000 from Hawai’i who served in World War I.
In an important way, the photo tells the story too. Seen on this page, it’s a reminder of the Natatorium’s gorgeous design and of how beautifully the 100-meter ocean pool, the bleachers and the arch fit into the shoreline below Diamondhead. But when you expand the image and look close up, it’s a reminder of how — shamefully — we have allowed a war heroes’ memorial to deteriorate.
The Friends of the Natatorium appreciate the headline’s reference to our group as “guardians of history.” But the truth is, we all should be guardians of this historic place, a place that’s so important to our island’s cultural heritage.
What you can do
Here’s a suggestion: Share this Innov8 story with someone you know, someone who is not as familiar as you are with the Natatorium issue. And tell that person about our website. Help us recruit new advocates for restoration and reopening, new advocates for doing what’s right for our veterans and what’s right for Hawai’i. Mahalo!
