A nonprofit group is moving forward with a $1.2 million restoration of the historic Bond Memorial Library building in Kapaau.
The Bond Memorial Public Library Restoration Project will also revamp the building into a historical center for community members and visitors to learn about the North Kohala and Hawaii Island community. .
“It’s a wonderful project,” said Christine Richardson, who is co-chair of the all-volunteer Bond Memorial Library Restoration Project group along with Sharon Hayden. “We want the community to know that we care about one of the most historic buildings in this town. There will be books with history, and an area where people can walk around and see about the history of the state and different islands. It’s a beautiful and important building.”
Approximately half of the $1.2 million needed for the effort has already been raised and plans are to begin work this fall
“We’re getting closer to our fundraising goal,” Richardson said. “We just started a campaign called Buy A Brick, and anyone can by a brick for $50 to put in the walkway with their name on it.”
The restoration group falls under the nonprofit unbrella of two well-established organizations on Hawaii Island that helping support the endeavor.
“The North Kohala Community Resource Center (NKCRC) in Hawi is managing community donations and the Historic Hawaii Foundation and Cooke Foundation grant awards. The Friends of the Future (FOF), led by Susan Maddox, provides support for all capital grants and large gifts,” said Richardon.
Built in the 1830s, the 1,610-square foot New England cottage-style building was named after Dr. Benjamin D. Bond, a local philanthropist. In 1927, his daughter Caroline Bond deeded the building to the Territory of Hawaii to build a library. The building served as the community’s library until 2010 when the North Kohala Public Library opened reverting the Bond building back to the Bond family.
Located across Akoni Pule Highway from the statue of King Kamehameha I, the library that served the people of the community for more than 80 years has sat empty since closing. In 2014, the Hawaii Historic Foundation named the building one of the 10 most endangered historic places in Hawaii.
“This is such an initially well-built, still standing, basically perfect example of 1920s architecture,” said Bill McCowatt, the building planner for the restoration project. “It seemed like a worthwhile project to take on.”
The group would like to have the building completed by 2023 with construction anticipated to take eight to 10 months.
“The building is in good shape— it’s just been abandoned for ten years,” Richardson continued. “But we’re not dealing with a fall down building. We’re going to make it beautiful and strong to last the next 100 years. Ideally, we’d like to have it completed sometime next year.”
The building leadership team also includes restoration specialist John Metzler, the construction manager for the building.
“It’s a historical win for this landmark and it’s for everyone in the community to enjoy” Richardson concluded.
This week, the project was presented to the Hawaii County Cultural Resources Commission, which will send its recommendation to the county for further consideration. The building is still waiting for the proper permits for construction to begin.
McCowatt, who has been a building designer on the Big Island for 35 years, expects the building permit process to take another three to four months, including a few extra steps for restoration properties.
“We’d like to start in September or October,” he said.
Anyone interested in funding questions or opportunities can contact Christine Richardson by phone at 808-895-6108.
