HI HCR98

Urges the Department of Land and Natural Resources and City and County of Honolulu to preserve the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium in its original location on the Waikiki shore, honoring Act 15 of the 1921 Territorial Legislature.

Acknowledges the Natatorium was completed in 1927 as a "Living Memorial" to honor 102 servicemen from Hawaii killed during World War I, designed by architect Louis P. Hobart with Beaux-Arts style featuring four stone eagles over twenty feet tall.

Notes the facility is a 100 by 40-meter saltwater pool that hosted Olympic training for swimmers Buster Crabbe and Johnny Weismuller in 1928 and served as venue for national and international swim competitions.

States the structure is listed on both National and Hawaii Registers of Historic Places and serves as an architectural anchor for the Waikiki District and repository of Hawaii's swimming and Olympic history.

References the Waikiki Natatorium Task Force's September 2009 recommendation (9-3 vote) to demolish the structure and Mayor Mufi Hannemann's November 2009 acceptance of that recommendation, arguing heritage preservation benefits the state economically through cultural tourism.