Kona Historical Society Earns Prestigious Awards

Kona Historical Society announces that it has been awarded two prestigious Historic Hawai‘i Foundation Awards.

The first award is for the Society’s period-appropriate 2017 Rehabilitation of the 1920’s era Farmhouse Roof at the Kona Coffee Living History Farm. Architect Paul Donoho, Tinguely Construction, and Kona Historical Society Program Director Ku‘ulani Auld are honored through this award for the rehabilitation project.

The second Historic Hawai‘i Foundation award is an Individual Achievement award to Mikio Izu, volunteer for the Kona Historical Society. “Mikio has been involved in restoring the farm since day one,” said Ku‘ulani Auld, Program Director at Kona Historical Society, “His wealth of knowledge and his dedication to working to preserve its story have made him an essential part of the farm’s restoration.” Miki, a lifetime carpenter, coffee farmer, and dedicated Kona community member, had substantial experience and knowledge to help restore the coffee farm and assure integrity in its programming.

Izu received the Individual Achievement Award for his “lifetime of service, depth of knowledge, willingness to share and engage with neighbors and visitors from afar through his work at Kona Historical Society, all of which have contributes towards the preservation of the history and culture of Kona and the Hawaiian Islands” according to Historic Hawai‘i Foundation. 

Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s Preservation Honor Awards are the state’s “highest recognition of preservation projects that perpetuate, rehabilitate, restore, or interpret the state’s architectural, archaeological and/or cultural heritage” according to HHF. The Farmhouse Roof Rehabilitation utilized time-appropriate materials and methods to repair the historic building’s roof, which was originally built in 1925. The project was made possible with support of a Freeman Foundation grant through Historic Hawai‘i Foundation.

The Farm incorporates a living history program, artifact exhibition, historic building preservation, demonstrations of historic trades, coffee land and gardens cultivation, farm animal care, traditional games, Japanese foodways, and themes of sustainability with hands-on, experiential learning guided by trained and costumed historical interpreters. Kona Historical Society is a community-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and Smithsonian Museum affiliate that has spent the past four decades collecting, preserving and sharing the history of the Kona districts and their rich cultural heritage within Hawai‘i.

For more information, call Kona Historical Society at (808) 323-3222 or visit www.konahistorical.org. To get the latest updates regarding Kona Historical Society programs, historic sites and special events, “LIKE” Kona Historical Society on Facebook.