June 18, 2010 Haleiwa, HI
North Shore Chamber of Commerce To Celebrate Grand Opening This Friday

The North Shore Chamber of Commerce will celebrate the grand opening of its restored, historic building, visitor information and resource center on June 18th. The festivities will honor all contractors, volunteers and donors who contributed to the successful completion of this project. The new Board of Directors will also be installed.  

In June 2006, the State Historic Preservation office let the Chamber know the historic building behind Pioneer Ace Hardware, the Mutual Telephone Company Building, would be moved to make way for the hardware store’s expansion. “We quickly contacted the owners, the Fujiwara Family, and asked that the building be donated to the Chamber, which they gladly agreed to so that it could be kept in the community,” said Antya Miller, Executive Director. The building was relocated to the grounds of the Waialua Community Association in Haleiwa which graciously provided the space for it.   

Built in 1924, the structure housed the manager of the Mutual Telephone Company (now Hawaiian Telcom) for the telephone exchange that made direct dialing to Honolulu possible. It is on the State’s inventory of historic buildings as part of the Haleiwa Special District. The plantation-style, one-story building with gabled roof houses a visitor center and business and historic preservation resource center.  Business services such as printing, faxing and internet will be available. Initially, the center will be open 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Once volunteers are trained and in place, the hours will be expanded.

New electric, plumbing, ADA ramp, shiplap siding and flooring were installed in addition to repainting inside and out. Money for the project was raised through donations, grants, and a lot of volunteer labor. 

Future plans for historical tours of Haleiwa Town, Waialua Town, temples and graveyards are in the making and will be operational by the end of July. They will start from the new Visitor Center.  Anyone interested in volunteering in the visitor center and learning more about the North Shore’s history should call the Chamber.

Contact:
Antya Miller
(808) 637-4558
info@gonorthshore.org

For more information on the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, go to the website at GoNorthShore.org or call 637-4558.