Photo Credit: offroader_808
In 1921, Senator L.M. Judd introduced a bill for the construction of a war memorial to be dedicated to the men and women of Hawaii who served during The Great War. The bill was signed by the governor on March 15, 1921, becoming Act 15. It required that the memorial include a swimming course of at least 100 meters and all other design elements were to be determined by a contest with features chosen by a Territorial War Commission appointed by the Governor.
Three architects, Bernard R. Maybeck of San Francisco, Ellis F. Lawrence of Portland, and W.R.B. Willcox of Seattle were selected to judge the competition. The design submitted by Louis P. Hobart of San Francisco won first place but needed to be modified twice due to the budgetary parameters. It was not until 1927 that construction finally started on the memorial.
The natatorium was completed in the summer of 1927 and was the first "living" war memorial in the United States. Duke Kahanamoku traveled from Los Angeles to participate in the opening ceremonies. He made the first swim and emerged at the end of the 100 meters to a thunderous ovation. It was an unforgettable moment, the man who symbolized the Hawaiian people to the rest of the world opening a memorial whose design captured so well the character of the Territory and its relationship to the sea. The natatorium became a social-recreational center for local people, and many important international and national swimming meets were held there.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the natatorium was taken over by the US Army until 1943 and used for training purposes. In 1949, it was refurbished and turned over to the City and County of Honolulu. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 11, 1980.
The Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium is closed to the public due to disrepair and neglect. There is an ongoing effort to try and preserve the memorial and the legacy of those who served.
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To log this cache:
• Take a picture of yourself, your GPS, or a personal item at the entrance of the Natatorium and post it with your log.
After the Natatorium was built, a plaque listing the men who died in service of the U.S. and British forces was added to the park in order to give additional recognition to these men who served in The Great War.
• Proceed to the listed waypoint and send us an email or message with the Latin phrase listed on the plaque along with the total number of men that are recognized here.
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Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.