HANAPEPE — The pre-World War II era Hanapepe Historical Building, which has served as the backdrop for several Hollywood films, is for sale on the island’s “biggest little town.” Owner Jack Murray said he decided to put it on the
HANAPEPE — The pre-World War II era Hanapepe Historical Building, which has served as the backdrop for several Hollywood films, is for sale on the island’s “biggest little town.”
Owner Jack Murray said he decided to put it on the market about a month ago for “a financial reason” but noted he wants to find a buyer who will keep the historical building’s legacy.
“That is what really attracted me to the area,” Murray said. “I think a lot of the other residents have really tried to keep things up, so it has become a really attractive place over the years.”
The building, 3871 Hanapepe Road, is listed for $697,500 through RE/MAX Kaua‘i. It includes an art gallery at the front of the store and three apartment units in the back.
Murray said two of the three apartments in the building are vacant.
The owner of Giorgio’s Gallery, he said, rents out the front gallery space and remaining apartment and has another two years left on a five-year lease.
The 3,787-square-foot building was acquired by Murray in 2006. It sits on 8,624 square feet of land and was built in 1926, according to Kaua‘i County tax assessment records.
The building is also listed as one of the 14 designated stops on the Hanapepe Walking Tour, created in 2005 by the Hanapepe Economic Alliance, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and Kaua‘i County’s Office of Economic Development to outline the city’s history.
A plaque marking the stop states the building was first built by Kwock Chong Kai and officially opened as the K.C. Kai Store in 1931.
The store, the plaque reads, was one of the largest in the town at that time.
The building was converted into USO club during World War II that hosted movies and stage shows for military personnel. Style Mart, a local clothing store, occupied the building in the years following World War II before it became a private residence in the 1970s and 1980s.
Since then, several art galleries, including Giorgio’s Gallery, have called the building home.
According to the Hawai‘i Tourism Bureau’s website, the authentic look of Hanapepe’s historical buildings, including the Hanapepe Historical Building, has made the town a choice filming location for several Hollywood films, including “The Thornbirds” and “Flight of the Intruder.” The town even became a model for the Disney animated flim, “Lilo and Stitch.”
RE/MAX Kaua‘i Realtor Bill Facker, who has been charged with marketing the property, said the building is not listed in any state or federal historic registries. He said the building’s true value lies within the community’s spirit.
“If you just talk to some of the locals that have lived there for years and years, that’s where the real magic of Hanapepe is,” Facker said. “The magic is in the tradition of the town.”
