Historic Preservation Underway at Pearl Harbor

By Thomas Obungen, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Hawaii completed demolition of two old warehouses along Pearl Harbor's Mike piers Feb. 25, as part of an extensive, multi-year historic preservation initiative that included the restoration and reuse of a third historically significant building.

Many areas of Pearl Harbor are designated part of the U.S. National Historic Landmark program, and the removal of any facility 50 years or older that may have played a role in the December 7th attack at Pearl Harbor is considered significant and requires serious discussions with national and local historic preservation experts.

"The broad scope of this project involved many steps before becoming the final product you see today," said Cmdr. Lore Aguayo, NAVFAC Hawaii assistant regional engineer. "Identifying unnecessary buildings six years ago, to remodeling building 148 in 2010, and the subsequent demolition of buildings 146 and 147 last month, benefits the Navy by consolidating facility requirements and eliminating excess infrastructure so we can best leverage our limited maintenance funds."

In 2005 the Navy identified warehouse buildings 146, 147 and 148 as suitable for demolition under the DoD Programmatic Memorandum of Agreement, which under strict parameters, authorizes the demolition of World War II (1939-1946) temporary structures eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Before the demolition could take place; however, NAVFAC Hawaii's environmental team consulted with members of the Hawaii State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) about the project and reached an agreement to demolish buildings 146 and 147, only after building 148 was restored to its original character, in accordance with the secretary of the interior's standards for rehabilitation.

In September 2008, NAVFAC Hawaii awarded a design-build contract to Niking Corporation to restore building 148 using new and salvaged materials from buildings 146 and 147, such as wood windows, lighting fixtures, structural support members, and industrial sliding doors. Renovations and upgrades brought the total cost of the contract work to $3.3 million.

"The design process initially began with an on-site, pre-design meeting between the contractor and Navy architects," said Jeff Dodge, NAVFAC Hawaii architect. "Discussions covered the scope of the project and different historical cues, such as divided light windows and corrugated sidings that were important to retain."

After identifying unsalvageable portions of building 148, the contractor installed new corrugated metal roofing and siding, and painted the panels in a style that mimics the original look of the building, circa 1941.

The interior also received an overhaul, starting with its electrical and lighting system that was brought up to code, and ultimately earned the building a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification when renovations were complete in April 2010. Building 148 then began serving as secured storage and office space for the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.

The completion of the building allowed NAVFAC Hawaii to begin remediation, abatement and finally demolition of the remaining buildings in accordance with the SHPD agreement, thereby reducing the Navy's inventory at Pearl Harbor of underutilized buildings and their associated costs.