Honolulu, Hawaii - circa 196o
Aerial view of the Ala Moana Center shopping mall not long after it first opened. Waikiki Beach is to the right, and Diamond Head looms in the distance. Within just a few short months after this photograph was taken, Elvis Presley would arrive in Oahu to begin shooting his eighth movie (and one of my favorites), Blue Hawaii. Wiki wiki, to the beach everyone!
Update: Added the aerial view below.
Mall history: 1959 - present
Architect: John Graham Jr. (1908-1991)
Current aerial view
Current website: here
Parking looks like a bitch that day.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how different this mall looks now. Of course, it's uber-chi-chi upscale, too.
Scott
Wow, this is an oldie. Must have been taken before 1962, when the second phase opened with Liberty House (now Macy's, like every other store in the known universe) and JCPenney (which closed a few years back and will be redeveloped into a Nordstrom.)
ReplyDeleteStrange how Ala Moana has two-level parking decks on all sides. It makes the mall look much smaller than it actually is. Still, this is one open-air mall that actually makes sense (given the climate), and the tropical landscaping and koi ponds make it a truly nice place to shop.
I'd really like to visit this one myself sometime! It really does look cool in photographs. I could dig shopping in paradise for a while. :)
ReplyDelete