Ala Moana Shopping Center
Honolulu, Hawaii - circa 1960s
Aloha once again, from the Ala Moana Shopping Center! Here's an old photo shot around the same Koi fish fountain I featured in another recent Ala Moana mall post. A pretty Hawaiian girl handing out leis is just more icing on this very groovy cake! Notes from Wikipedia:
Originally constructed in August 1959, Ala Moana Center was built on a reclaimed swamp. Costing USD $25 Million, it had eighty-seven stores and four thousand parking spaces, making it the largest shopping center in the United States, a distinction it held until the construction of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.Mall history: 1959 - present
Ala Moana Center was remodeled extensively in the late 1990s. New designs reflected modern Hawaiian architectural principles, emphasizing the importance of the symbolism of various natural phenomena found in Hawai'i. Asian Pacific Rim motifs have been adopted reflecting the large Asian population of residents in Hawai'i. For decades, a centerpiece of Ala Moana Center was its koi ponds. In the Japanese culture, koi represents happiness and tranquility.
Architect: John Graham Jr.
Current aerial view
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
posted by Keith @ 12/05/2006
12 Comments:
Is that kid stepping into the koi pond?
Simply wonderful images here!!
There's no way Ala Moana was the largest mall before MOA. There are numerous other older malls that were and are much larger.
I believe the largest mall in the US before MOA was Del Amo Fashion Center.
love her dress + your blog!
Holy cow.. is that "the ritz" store on the left.. geespers that store was a trip until it closed in the 90's . it never ever remodeled.. and it was like a time machine every time i walked in.. they had stock of items that never sold for years.
Excellent shopping center actually I went there once, it's perfect that they I saw women wearing like the woman above really sexy.
When I was on my vactions I went to Hawaii, and i hasve to say the beaches are spectacular, but what left me really shocked was the huge and fantastic shopping center. it's mind blowing.
I liked it most in the 60s there were much better stores and it was so charming.
In the sixties there were Pete's Model craft my favorite hobby shop, liked the slot car kits, and the control line gas model airplanes.
Best place to check out women from all over the world! MMM hehehe
Remembered Pete's Modelcraft. Worked there while going to UH Manoa.
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