Nonprofits that preserve Hawaiʻi’s history are taking stock of what has been lost in Lahaina.
Pacific Business News recently sat down with leaders from the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, Maui Historical Society, Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation and Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum to talk about the ramifications of the Lahaina fires.
Of these groups, Lahaina Restoration Foundation has been hit hardest.
Executive Director Theo Morrison told PBN that before the fire, the organization owned or managed 11 buildings dating back to the 1800s.
Of these, five were completely destroyed. Six were gutted, with only their coral block walls standing.
In addition to losing the buildings and the artifacts within them, the foundation has lost its top revenue sources from commercial rents in three of these buildings. It has had to lay off half of its staff.
There is a bright side for the organization. Some months before the fire, it had digitized its business records and its historic documents collection with backups stored off-site.
Business continuity was immediate as the foundation was able to mobilize support. Membership has increased from 300 to nearly 1,000 people now on its mailing list.
The backed-up documents include drawings of the buildings that can aid restoration.
