Honolulu Weekly

Chinatown / The Chinatown art renaissance continues. The neighborhood’s social and cultural transformation has long been underway–at least five years by our count–but local artists say this weekend’s unveiling of artist lofts on Hotel Street represents a significant step toward anchoring Honolulu’s creative leaders in a district that has, in many ways, always been the city’s artistic heart.

This weekend, open houses are scheduled for 10 newly renovated second-story artist studios in the 109-year-old Mendoca building at Hotel and Maunakea streets. The lofts themselves are simple–and smaller than some converted warehouse spaces in other cities–but those involved with the project say the lofts represent the essence of what urban loft space can mean for working artists. They overlook an interior courtyard and include bathrooms, showers, sinks, air conditioning and other amenities.

“They’re very bare-bones with the intent that the artists will finish them off according to their needs,” says Rich Richardson, the creative director of the ARTS at Marks Garage, who worked with the nonprofit Hawaii Academy of Performing Arts (HAPA) and building owners Ernest and JoDee Hunt on the renovation. “We left it intentionally as kind of a blank slate. Essentially, they’re the same style as the traditional loft we might think of in, say, SoHo, in New York. The ceilings are tall, some of them more than 12 feet.”

The idea first came together years ago, when Richardson–who says he still can’t believe it’s really coming to fruition–sketched something on a napkin for Ernest Hunt, who then took it to an architect.

“I’ve been working on this for quite a while,” says Richardson. “Experts predicted Chinatown wasn’t loft-friendly, but this could really set a precedent and make the case that it is possible in Chinatown to convert the buildings into artist lofts.”

Skeptics–artists and art-supporters included–have long argued that Honolulu’s Chinatown arts district couldn’t truly become a residential hub for artists because many owners of the historic–and, often, deteriorating–buildings where artists might work and live don’t want to pay to fix them up.

“The people who own so many of the buildings that would be the best for lofts don’t want to do it,” says Chinatown artist and gallery owner Pegge Hopper. “If you’re going to have people living in the space, you have to bring it up to code, and that costs money–lots and lots of money. These owners may be land-rich and cash poor or they may just not care about doing it.”

Richardson says it’s thanks to commitment to the arts from the Hunts that the renovation happened at all.

“There are major hurdles,” says Richardson. “Zoning restrictions that make people hesitant to jump through all the various loops. It’s a rather murky, daunting process for a lot of the landlords, but they have gone ahead and made it happen, which is amazing. It’s a blessing.”

The lofts are priced at between $850-$2,500 per month and tenants will be selected in part based on artistic merit.

“We’re not just talking about painters,” Richardson says. “We’re talking about chefs and map-makers and writers. The definition of ‘artists’ includes creative practitioners of all kinds. It’s very important to create a synergistic hotspot for the arts. We have an opportunity to create a laboratory for creative people in the area, a chance to galvanize the arts, and really change the tide of the history of Chinatown.”