In 2007, Frank DeLuz III donated a plot of land with sweeping views overlooking Hilo Bay to the Hawaii Island Portuguese Chamber of Commerce for one specific purpose: to build a cultural and educational center to preserve and share Portuguese history and culture on the island.
Now, nearly 20 years later, that vision is finally coming to life with construction of the center expected to be completed by March 2027 and open shortly thereafter.
It has been a long, obstacle-ridden journey for the HIPCC, with delays being caused by everything from lava flows and storms to COVID-19 and high cost of materials. But Marlene Hapai, former HIPCC president, said it will be worth the wait.
“You just have to wait your turn, especially when you’re a nonprofit,” she said. “You have to just say, okay, just be patient, no problem.”
She said plans for the center — which is being built on the corner of Komohana and Ponahawai streets — were revised several times to accommodate financial constraints.
“Originally it was supposed to be about 3,500 (square) feet. Now it’s considerably smaller because of cost,” Hapai said. “But, hey, you go with what you can get so it’s quality not quantity, so we just make it really good.”
The center will feature a main hall, archive room, resource center, kitchenette and outdoor lanai space. It will serve as a venue for cultural events as well as hosting educational materials and exhibits, one of which Hapai is especially excited about.
“We are going to have a 30-panel exhibit gifted to us from Portugal on the explorations during the golden years of discovery of Portugal,” she said.
She saw the exhibit on temporary display years ago at the Portuguese Consulate in San Francisco, and after she inquired about it, the consulate agreed to donate it to the center once it is complete.
Hapai said she feels it is important to have more physical documentation about Portuguese history, culture and influence on Hawaii Island, which stretches back to 1878, when the first Portuguese families arrived in Hawaii.
Primarily from the Azores and Madeira, which were experiencing an economic depression at the time, they were drawn by opportunities to work on plantations. Hapai said they also brought other skills and cultural contributions.
“(They came) mainly for plantations, but many of them were very skilled carpenters and masons and other things,” she said. “And you know, the culture that was brought … what we have today, the foods, the music, the dance, the ukulele, many became well-established in businesses.”
She said the center has also strengthened the connection between Portugal and the Portuguese community in Hawaii. When the Azorean government got word of HIPCC’s plans, Hapai said it reached out and offered to have the center be designated as a “House of the Azores,” making it part of a network of cultural centers around the world.
At some point, Hapai said, HIPCC could leverage this partnership to provide courses at the center, potentially including a certificate in Portuguese studies and cooking classes, among other offerings.
Hapai is far from the only one committed to seeing the center become a reality. Throughout the past 20 years, the support of members of the community is what has kept the project alive.
When the initial plans for the building proved too expensive, Mountain View architect and former HIPPC board member Blaise Caldera offered to create a new one pro-bono. And, when HIPCC was on the verge of giving up and settling for a pavilion instead, resident Theresa Perreira Zendejas donated her house to the cause.
“She had been to a number of our events, and she said, ‘Marlene, I want to give you my home.’” Hapai recalled. “‘I’m in the fourth stage of cancer, I’m not going to be around much longer … I want to see the center built.’”
After that, with additional help from a $200,000 state grant, Hapai said they were able to move forward with starting work at the site, which began in January of this year. In total, she estimates the cost of the project to be close to $3 million, including in-kind service donations.
“So, we have the money, and now we’re just dealing with the weather,” Hapai said, referencing the recent Kona low storms. “It put us way behind.”
Yet she is hopeful work will continue soon.
“Everything is working out, we just had to be patient,” she said. “It’s not going to be as big as we originally had hoped, but I think we’re going to definitely have the quality that’s needed, and we have a lot of community members that have their heart and soul in this.”
Email Grace Inez Adams at grace.adams@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
