What Waikiki, Honolulu looked like in the 1950s

By the early 1950s, Waikiki was changing fast. Scheduled airline service from the U.S. mainland had brought tourism to a whole new level, and the neighborhood that had once been a quiet stretch of beach and low-rise bungalows was on the verge of becoming one of the world’s most recognized resort destinations. Hawaii was still a territory — statehood wouldn’t come until 1959 — but that didn’t slow the building. Investors, hoteliers, and developers could see exactly what Waikiki was becoming.

The Biltmore would come down 1974, less than 20 years later, to be replaced by the much larger Waikiki Hyatt. The Princess Kaiulani Hotel is still standing today.

Two of the most significant new hotels of the decade were the Waikiki Biltmore and the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani. Both were among the first true high-rise hotels built along Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki’s main thoroughfare. The Princess Kaiulani opened in 1955, rising 12 stories above the intersection of Kalakaua and Kaiulani Avenues. The Biltmore, a 10-story building that opened the same year, stood just a short distance away. Together, they signaled a new era — one defined by height, scale, and modern resort amenities.

Diamond Head along Kalakaua Avenue taken from an upper floor at the 1955 Princess Kaiulani Hotel. A wonderful vignette of life at the end of the territorial era.

From the upper floors of the Princess Kaiulani, the view down Kalakaua Avenue told the whole story of Waikiki in the mid-1950s. Two-way traffic moved along the boulevard, with metered on-street parking lining both sides. Overhead wires from electric trolley buses still crossed above the road in places. The street was busy but not overwhelming — a mix of local shops, open-air storefronts, and tourists on foot taking in the scene. Diamond Head sat at the far end of every eastward view, as constant a presence as the ocean itself.

At street level, Kalakaua Avenue had a lively, walkable character that photographs capture well. Shops, pharmacies, restaurants, and nightclubs lined the boulevard. The Outrigger Arcade, a low-rise commercial strip sitting between the Moana Hotel and the ocean, offered everything from shoe stores to jewelry boutiques. Just across the street, local vendors set up along the sidewalk in front of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, selling fresh lei, handmade crafts, and island souvenirs. One of the most recognizable of these vendors was Aunty Bella, whose lei stand became a fixture at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel’s street frontage throughout the decade.

The Moana Hotel, which had opened back in 1901, remained one of Waikiki’s most important landmarks throughout the 1950s. In 1952, the Surfrider Hotel was built next door and connected directly to it. The Surfrider was an eight-story modern building with an open-air lobby on the Kalakaua Avenue side that looked straight through to the ocean. Its ground-floor storefronts and clean modernist design stood in sharp contrast to the colonial grandeur of the original Moana. Together, the two buildings formed a sprawling beachfront complex that anchored the center of the Waikiki strip.

Looking makai from an upper floor of the 1955 Waikiki Biltmore across Waikiki’s Kalakaua Blvd. towards the 1952 Surfrider Hotel connected to the 1901 Moana Hotel. The long gone Waikiki Bowl can be seen in the lower left corner.

Built 1952 on Kalakaua Avenue next to and connected to the 1901 Moana Hotel. Overhead wires for the electric trolley buses were still up at the time of this photo as well as two-way traffic and metered on-street parking.

A mid-decade photograph shows the Moana Hotel during what its caption describes as “the era of the canvas awning” — a red awning had replaced the hotel’s original stately porte-cochère, and the classic rocking chair porch along the front appeared to have been enclosed. The Moana had been one of the grand hotels of early Honolulu society, and even with these changes, it kept its identity as a Waikiki landmark. Old rocking chairs continued to line the front porch looking out over Kalakaua Avenue, a reminder of the hotel’s earlier character even as new towers rose around it.

You could see right through the hotel to the ocean on the other side. The Surfrider Hotel became the Diamond Head Wing of the Moana Hotel once the new 21-story Surf Rider Tower on the ewa side of the Moana was completed 1969. The open-air lobby shown here is no longer accessible from the street side today.

This was the era of the red awning replacement for the stately porte-cochère and looks like the rocking chair porch was enclosed too. Old slide marked Feb 1956 from someone’s trip to pre-statehood Hawaii.

Hollywood noticed Waikiki too. In 1956, the Jane Russell and Richard Egan wartime drama “The Revolt of Mamie Stover” filmed street scenes right on Kalakaua Avenue. The resulting photographs give an unusual street-level glimpse of Waikiki as a working film location, with locals and crew mixed into the usual flow of tourists and traffic. Elvis Presley also made Oahu a regular stop, and three of his films were shot on the island, with Waikiki’s beaches and streets serving as backdrop.

The Princess Kaiulani Hotel was still under construction in 1954, and photographs from that period show the 12-story frame rising above a Kalakaua Avenue that was still largely low-rise. By the time it opened in 1955, it had already changed the look of that stretch of the street entirely. Its pool courtyard became one of the more photographed spaces in Waikiki — a ground-level gathering spot surrounded by the hotel’s towers, where hula dancers performed for guests in the evenings. From the upper floors, the views stretched over Kalakaua Avenue toward the ocean and back toward Diamond Head.

The side streets and back alleys of Waikiki in the 1950s had a character that the main boulevard couldn’t capture on its own. Lewers Road, running from Kalakaua Avenue toward the ocean, was lined with modest bungalows and small commercial buildings. The Bishop National Bank’s Waikiki branch stood at the corner of Lewers and Kalakaua, built in 1951. Inside, a Jean Charlot mural titled “Early Contacts of Hawaii with Outer World” hung above the teller desk, just visible through the glass from the street. The building was demolished in the mid-1960s to make way for the 14-story Holiday Isle Hotel.

The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which had been the grande dame of Waikiki since 1927, remained a central fixture of the neighborhood. Its lush tropical gardens and pink facade gave it a look unlike anything else on the strip. Along its Kalakaua Avenue street front, vendors gathered daily — selling fresh lei, Hawaiian jewelry, and crafts from folding stands and even from the back of an old woodie wagon. Aunty Bella’s lei stand was the best known among them, moving from a spot in front of the Royal Hawaiian to the makai (ocean) side of Kalakaua once parking meters went up in 1953.

Photo taken from the Mauka side of Kalakaua Avenue around where the old Don the Beachcomber’s was located.

The commercial strip along Kalakaua Avenue near the Royal Hawaiian Hotel featured some notable architecture. The Watumull Beach Shops, built in 1950 and designed by noted Honolulu architect Pete Wimberly, lined the makai side of the avenue between Lewers Road and Royal Hawaiian Avenue. Their distinctive palm tree puka design made them one of the more recognizable storefronts on the strip. Stewart’s Pharmacy operated out of the same complex, offering tourists and locals alike a place to stop in off the hot street. The McInerny department store building, completed in 1958 and designed by architect Vladimir Ossipoff, anchored the makai corner of Kalakaua and Seaside Avenue.

The 1957 Jolly Roger Restaurant went up where the taxi stand is between the buildings.

Designed by noted Honolulu architect Vladimir Ossipoff, completed 1958, demolished late 1970s and replaced with the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. The Royal Hawaiian Hotel can be seen behind McInerny’s in this photo.

The Waikiki Theatre was one of Kalakaua Avenue’s great art deco landmarks. It stood on the mauka side of the boulevard and drew steady crowds throughout the decade. In 1954, it was screening “Betrayed,” the Clark Gable and Lana Turner film, alongside the Liberty House department store next door. The Waikiki Theatre remained a recognizable address on Kalakaua for nearly 70 years before eventually being torn down. Liberty House, which had opened on Kalakaua in 1937, underwent a major renovation in 1958 adding a second level on its Diamond Head side — photographs of the interior from this period show a bright, open retail floor that reflected postwar optimism in design.

Opened 1937 on Kalakaua Avenue between the Waikiki Theatre in the distance and original Don the Beachcomber’s in the foreground. Don the Beachcomber’s nightclub opened 1947 which became part of the International Market Place in 1957.

This room was apparently on the second level which was added on the Diamond Head (east) side of the store during the extensive renovation 1958.

One of the most talked-about openings of the late 1950s was the International Market Place, which debuted in 1957 on the mauka side of Kalakaua Avenue. Built on the site where Don the Beachcomber’s original nightclub had operated since 1947, the new market incorporated the old restaurant into its layout. Don the Beachcomber himself — Donn Beach — kept an office in the banyan tree at the center of the property, which became as much of an attraction as the shops below. The market was open-air, lush with tropical plants, and organized around a central courtyard that gave it a relaxed, wandering quality unlike the more formal storefronts along the rest of the avenue.

Looks like the restaurant building at the right of the photo is up and Don the Beachcomber’s treehouse is at least started. The old Market Place opened 1957 and closed 2013, to be replaced with the new International Market Place in 2016.

Away from Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki’s smaller streets still showed the neighborhood’s older, quieter character. Lewers Road was lined with bungalows and small hotels in the early part of the decade. The Bishop National Bank branch on Lewers, built in 1951, was a clean, glass-fronted structure that stood out among the modest surroundings. Further south, Kalia Road ran along the makai edge of the neighborhood and served as the address for the Edgewater Hotel, built by hotelier Roy Kelley. The Edgewater opened its first wing in 1950 and added a second in 1952, filling the corner of Kalia Road and Beachwalk.

Built 1951, demolished mid-1960s and replaced by the 14 story Holiday Isle Hotel. The famous Jean Charlot mural entitled “Early Contacts of Hawaii with Outer World” over the teller desk can just barely be made out through the glass.

Located in the 1950 Watumull Beach Shops on the makai (ocean) side of Kalakaua Avenue at the corner of Lewers Road.

Roy Kelley was one of the most prolific hotel builders in Waikiki during this period. In addition to the Edgewater, his portfolio included the Ala Wai Terrace on the canal and the Islander Hotel on Seaside Avenue. The Islander — originally opened as the Waikiki Surf Hotel in 1956 and acquired by Kelley in 1958 — sat on the northwest corner of Kuhio and Seaside Avenues. Its six floors and courtyard pool were a step above the older bungalow-style accommodations that had defined Waikiki lodging in the 1930s and 1940s. Around the island, small apartment hotels, bungalow courts, and modest guesthouses still dotted the streets between Kalakaua and Kuhio Avenues, filling in the gaps between the new high-rises.

Designed by architect and hotelier Roy Kelley, built 1938, replaced by the 24-story Marine Surf Waikiki condominium tower 1968.

Opened as the Waikiki Surf Hotel 1956, bought by hotelier Roy Kelley 1958 (mahalo Janet Selleck) and renamed The Islander Hotel sometime thereafter. Now the site of the 1976 Royal Kuhio Condominums.

The south of Kuhio section of Kaiolu Street is now the site of the Ritz-Carlton Residences condominium hotel.

Construction of the 1952 mauka (inland) wing is visible at far right. The 21 floor Embassy Suites Waikiki took over the Edgewater site 2006.

The Edgewater Hotel was behind the white wall at the left of the photo.

The scene reflected in the window appears to be Waikiki’s Kalakaua Avenue. Grossman Moody had several stores in Honolulu including a Waikiki location in the 1954 Polynesian Hotel on Kalakaua at Beachwalk.

This delightful young woman with a winning smile was photographed at the pocket park between Waikiki’s Beachwalk and Kalakaua Avenue.

The Waikiki Biltmore Hotel opened on Kalakaua Avenue in 1955, rising 10 stories at the corner of Uluniu Avenue. Prior to the hotel’s completion, the site was occupied by the Benson Smith Drugstore and other low-rise street-front shops. From the upper floors, the views looking east toward Diamond Head stretched over a Waikiki that was still largely low-rise — coconut palms and modest buildings filled the space that would, within two decades, be dominated by towers. The Biltmore itself would not survive long: it was torn down in 1974 and replaced by the 39-story Hyatt Regency, completed in 1976.

The hotel opened 1955 and was demolished along with the street front shops less than 20 years later. Replaced by the 39 floor Hyatt Regency Towers 1976.

The Biltmore went up in 1955 and came down less than 20 years later, it was fun while it lasted. Now the site of the Hyatt Regency Waikiki. Old slide from someone’s 1950s Hawaiian vacation.

Built around 1940, demolished 1975 to make way for the Waikiki Shopping Plaza.

The original Waikiki Surf Hotel at the northwest corner of Kuhio Avenue and Seaside, opened 1956 and subsequently renamed the Islander Hotel sometime after its 1958 acquisition by hotelier Roy Kelley.

The hotel was acquired by Roy Kelley around 1959 and rebranded as The Islander, replacing Kelley’s 1947 Islander Hotel on Seaside Avenue which was sold.

The high rise Waikiki Biltmore and Princess Kaiulani Hotels would would take over much of the mauka side of Kalakaua visible here just two years later.

At the Diamond Head end of Waikiki, the neighborhood opened up into the broad green space of Kapiolani Park. The Waikiki Shell, an outdoor amphitheater, was built in 1956 and became an immediate gathering point for Hawaiian entertainment. The Waikiki Aquarium sat just along the shoreline of the park, and photographs from 1956 show visitors arriving by car — including one striking image of a pink and black Ford Sunliner convertible parked out front. On the Kalakaua Avenue side, the 1899 James B. Castle mansion known as “Kainalu” served as the home of the Waikiki Elks Club from 1920 until it was demolished in 1959 and replaced with the current clubhouse building.

Looking mauka towards Kaimuki behind Diamond Head just east of the intersection of Kalakaua and Kapahulu Avenues in Waikiki. The large building in the hills in the distance is Leahi Hospital.

Completed 1956 and is still there today.

Built 1956 and a “true landmark” as the Makaha Sons sing in “Round and Round in Waikiki.”

Hawaiian entertainment at the 1956 Waikiki Shell in Kapiolani Park next to Diamond Head.

Kalakaua Avenue view of Kainalu, the seaside mansion of sugar magnate James B. Castle, built 1899 at the foot of Diamond Head. Became the home of the Waikiki Elks Club 1920 following Castle’s death. It was demolished 1959 and replaced with the present Elk’s Club building.

Nice clear drive-by shot of the Kalakaua Avenue side of the landmark 1899 James B. Castle mansion “Kainalu.” On the water at the tip of Diamond Head. Became the Waikiki Elks Club 1920, demolished 1959 and replaced by the current clubhouse.

The Ala Wai Canal formed Waikiki’s northern boundary throughout the decade, and along its banks a different, quieter side of the neighborhood was visible. Roy Kelley’s Ala Wai Terrace Hotel and Apartments sat right on the water, and in the early 1950s, small boats were still moored along the canal as far as the Ala Moana Avenue Bridge would permit. The Ala Wai Golf Course stretched along the opposite bank, with views of St. Louis Heights rising in the distance. Ala Wai Boulevard itself was a two-way road for most of the decade — it wouldn’t switch to one-way westbound traffic until 1971, a change that would also convert Kalakaua Avenue to one-way eastbound traffic at the same time.

View is from Ala Wai Blvd. in Waikiki looking across the Ala Wai Canal.

The view here is looking Ewa (west) along Ala Wai from around Liliuokalani Avenue when Waikiki was still a sleepy beach town. The high rise apartment buildings started going up just a few years later. Ala Wai Blvd changed to one way Ewa and Kalakaua Ave to one way Diamond Head 1971.

Low rise apartment buildings viewed from Waikiki’s Ala Moana Blvd at the corner of Lewers Street.

At the far western edge of Waikiki, where the neighborhood met Ala Moana, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser’s Hawaiian Village Hotel represented the most ambitious resort project of the decade. The complex included a geodesic aluminum dome that became one of the most recognizable structures in all of Honolulu. The Waikikian Hotel stood nearby, its Ravi Lobby surrounded by tropical gardens. The Ala Wai Yacht Harbor sat just beyond, with Kaiser Medical Center visible across the water. This western stretch of Waikiki, separated from the main Kalakaua Avenue strip by John Ena Road and the expanse of the hotel grounds, had a scale and ambition that looked ahead to the Waikiki of the 1960s and beyond.