In 1927 a stunning Olympic-size saltwater pool opened on a stretch of Waikīkī Beach, dedicated to the 10,000 soldiers, sailors and other volunteers from Hawai‘i who served in World War I. It featured a grand beaux arts archway leading to an ocean-water swim basin, with bleachers, bathhouses and a panoramic ocean view.
Fittingly, on opening day, Olympic gold medalist and surfing ambassador Duke Kahanamoku dove into the pool to take the first ceremonial swim. Since then celebrity swimmers like Esther Williams and Buster Crabbe have swum in the saltwater pool, and the Hawai‘i Department of Education used it for its learn-to-swim program in public elementary schools.
The Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium is one of only a handful of ocean-water natatoriums left in the world, and the only one of its kind in the U.S.
Over the years this treasured site fell into disrepair and it was eventually closed in 1979. No one seemed to agree what should happen with the natatorium, which in 1995, earned a spot on the National Trust’s list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Some wanted it restored; others wanted it torn down…