Photo by Mason Architects for Honolulu High Capacity Transit Corridor Project
These lavarock curbs are considered historic because of their association with the roadway infrastructure development of Honolulu. These curbs qualify as examples of the distinctive method of street construction in Honolulu during the late 1800s and the early 1900s. The lava rock curbs are an important and labor-intensive part of the history of Honolulu's street and road infrastructure. Some of the lava rock used for curbstones was taken from the Mo'ili'ili quarry which operated from 1889 to 1949. The stone from this quarry was considered to be high quality.
About their structural design:
These curb stones are dense sections of (basalt) lava rock that are rough-hewn below grade, but squared at their exposed surfaces. The width and height of the exposed surfaces are
typically about 6 inches, but the buried depth is several feet. They are of varying lengths, from 2' to over 5'. Some curbs at intersections exhibit a slight curvature to follow the contour of the
street corner.
Lava Rock Curbs
- Built 1889-1949
- Will be Adversely Affected by Rail Transit
- Evaluated as Eligible for the Hawaii State Register of Historic Places
Photos and text dervived from Study of Potential Effects to Historic Properties prepared by Mason Architects for the Honolulu Rapid Transit Corridor Project, City and County of Honolulu, 2008
View Historic Sites Adversely Affected by Honolulu's Future Rail in a larger map
Historic Sites to be Adversely Affected by the Honolulu Rail Project
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