By Celia K. Downes
Hawaii Catholic Herald
The Diocese of Honolulu is expanding its footprint in downtown Honolulu with the purchase of a historic building on Fort Street Mall.
The sale of the Model Progress Building to the diocese by a subsidiary of the Alexander C. Waterhouse Sr. Foundation closed Feb. 13 for $5.8 million, according to Michael Yee, director of real estate for the diocese.
The purchase will be “an investment in the future ministries of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace and of the Diocese of Honolulu,” Bishop Larry Silva told the Hawaii Catholic Herald.
The ongoing top-to-bottom renovation of the cathedral basilica in downtown Honolulu will include the addition of a reliquary chapel for a relic of St. Damien and the remains of St. Marianne Cope, Bishop Silva said. As a result of the new chapel, “we anticipate that it (the cathedral basilica) will become a very active pilgrimage site for local people and pilgrims from all over the world.”
“We also need spaces in which to gather for receptions, seminars and classes, so we are looking to have a ‘Cathedral Commons,’ including places where we can meet for spiritual and catechetical enrichment and welcome visitors,” he added.
Bishop Silva said that in addition to serving visitors and local faithful, “we want to be sure we have the spaces for auxiliary services as well.
“Our outreach to the poor and needy has always been a part of who we are, and that certainly will be a part of our mission in this ‘new’ space.”
Bishop Silva and Yee both described the Model Progress Building as an investment property that in the short term will continue to serve as a commercial building where businesses can lease space. The current ground-floor tenants are The Flower Fair and architecture firm Hiarchy LLP; self-storage units in the basement are also available for rent, Yee said.
Two buildings in one
The Model Progress Building was completed in 1898 at the intersection of Fort Street Mall and Beretania Street, near the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace and the diocese’s chancery office building.
The four-story property — which stands out with its stately stone, iron and brick construction — comprises two buildings (the Progress Building and the Model Building) that share a wall and elevator, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers-Hawaii Section website. Completed at different times at the turn of the 20th century, the buildings eventually became indistinguishable and were given the combined Model Progress name.
Hawaii Pacific University was the most recent primary occupant of the Model Progress Building, using it for offices and classrooms. The building was placed on the market last year by San Ramon Royal Vista Golf Courses Inc. (SRRVGC), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Waterhouse Foundation.
Alan Tsuruda, executive vice president of SRRVGC, said the diocese “made a wise purchase” for several reasons, including the building’s proximity to key diocesan properties as well as its solid construction.
“On behalf of the directors and management of SRRVGC, we appreciate our relationship with the Diocese of Honolulu and wish them well,” Tsuruda said.
Vanessa Kop is a broker with the commercial real estate agency NAI CBI Hawaii and represented SRRVGC in the sale to the diocese.
Kop, who is a parishioner at Sacred Heart Church in Honolulu, said she knows Yee through her husband, who along with Yee is a Saint Louis School alumnus, as well as through their jobs. Several months ago they discovered that their work overlapped with the Model Progress Building, she said.
Kop said that as a Sacred Heart parishioner, “it was a pleasure doing the walk-through with the honorable Bishop (Larry) Silva” as the diocese assessed the Model Progress Building.
Yee said that with the cathedral basilica’s renovation as the diocese’s immediate focus, there is no timeline to begin occupying and using the Model Progress Building.
The diocese expresses its heartfelt appreciation to the Waterhouse Foundation for consideration of the Catholic Church’s mission and long-term plans for the building and to Kop for facilitating the transaction, Yee added.
Above: The Model Progress Building on Fort Street Mall in downtown Honolulu is steps away from the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace and the Diocese of Honolulu’s chancery office building. Its most recent primary occupant was Hawaii Pacific University. (Celia K. Downes / Hawaii Catholic Herald)