Pioneer Hotel & Pioneer Theatre - Lahaina, Hawaii
Posted by: 
elyob
N 20° 52.345 W 156° 40.660
4Q E 741611 N 2309773
One sign is on northeast corner of the building.
Waymark Code: WMNVF7
Location: Hawaii, United States
Date Posted: 05/06/2015
Views: 6
There are two interpretive signs for stop #16 on the Lahaina Historic Trail. Photographs of either sign will be adequate for visiting this waymark.
The west wing of this building which faces the harbor is the original Pioneer Hotel, founded in 1901. When George Freeland arrived in the Lahaina roadstead on a ship that had just come from a long voyage through the south seas, he noted a need for a hotel. George organized a stock company, Pioneer Hotel, Ltd., immediately began construction, and the hotel opened the first week of December 1901. It remained the only place for visitors to stay on the westside until the early 1960s. Between 1930 and 1960, many heads-of-state, writers and movie actors were guests here while passing through the islands on steamships.
The east wing in the area of today's shops was the Pioneer Theatre, which opened its doors in 1913. It was a main source of entertainment for the sleepy plantation town of Lahaina. At first, the theatre hosted traveling musicals and stage shows, then the latest feature films from Hollywood, plus movies from Japan. There were no concessions inside, so patrons would be allowed to leave during intermission to buy sweets around the corner. When the theatre closed in 1965, the adjacent shave ice store, barber shop, gas station and houses were torn down to be replaced by the current structure, including a new wing of room upstairs.
The Pioneer Theatre opened its doors in 1913. Tickets cost 5 cents for the latest movies from Hollywood. For a little more, you could catch a Japanese movie on Monday nights. There were two showings a day on weekends. People lined up along a chain in front of the building to get in. The theatre had downstairs seating, as well as an upstairs balcony and reserved seating area. There were no concessions. Patrons had their hand stamped to allow them to leave and return to the theatre during the movie's intermission. Ice cream, crack seeds, candy bars and soft drinks could be purchased at Len's Sweet Shop at the corner of the block. The Pioneer Theatre closed in 1965 and the adjacent barber shop, shave ice store, service station and houses were torn down and replaced by the current structure.