HILO, Hawaii – The Royal Order of Kamehameha I, Māmalahoa, is planning on rehabilitating the historic Kamehameha Hall in Keaukaha.

Royal Order members testified at the Hawaii County Council meeting on April 5 in support of a measure introduced by Councilwoman Sue Lee Loy to fund part of the effort.

Resolution 126-17 transfers $2,500 from Lee Loy’s Contingency Relief Account to the county’s Research and Development’s Hawaii County Resource Center account, in order ot provide the grant to the Hale Mua Cultural Group to assist the Royal Order with the project.

The Hale Mua Cultural Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports Native Hawaiian cultural preservation and serves as the fiscal sponsor for Māmalahoa by receiving and processing all donations made to the chapter, the resolution states.

The Royal Order Māmalahoa chapter built Kamehameha Hall, on Kalaniana`ole Avenue across from Puhi Bay, in 1938 for meetings and social events, and according to the resolution, it is the only remaining hall of the Royal Order in the State of Hawaii. The hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, “but due to age and termite damage, it has fallen into a state of disrepair and has been deemed unfit for occupation,” the measure states.

Caution tape and a “kapu” sign are currently set around the property.

The Royal Order hopes to bring the hall back to host a community learning center, a ho’oponopono program for conflict resolution, a Hawaiian cultural entrepreneurial program, a delinquent intervention program, and a meeting place for community and civic organizations.