Army recognized for historic preservation

By Sarah Pacheco, Hawaii Army Weekly, U.S. Army Garrison-HawaiiApril 29, 2014

Macomb Rotary
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Historic Stoneman Field
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Stoneman Field
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii (April 25, 2014) -- U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii will be in good company, May 30, when it accepts not one, but two recognitions from the Historic Hawaii Foundation at the 40th annual Preservation Honor Awards ceremony.

The garrison's rehabilitation of Stoneman/Gimlet Field and new construction of the Macomb Rotary (also known as the traffic circle or roundabout), both completed in summer 2013, each received high praise from the foundation for exemplary achievement in the field of historic preservation.

"(These awards) go a long way in promoting good public relations for the Army in Hawaii. This is a way that tells the community in Hawaii that we are good stewards of our historic resources," said Kenneth Hayes, architectural historian, Directorate of Public Works-Environmental, USAG-HI, who nominated the projects for consideration for this year's awards.

"Usually I submit building renovation projects, but both of these are landscape focused, so I thought it was their turn to receive some recognition," Hayes stated, noting that past projects have included renovation work of Soldiers Chapel, Quads C and E, and Palm Circle.

"Everybody's very proud of them, and they're very close to each other, so they enhance the district greatly, both of them," Hayes added. "And, this is the heritage of the Army in Hawaii. It's very important for an organizational history, and it's important for Soldiers in their personal history."

Presented every year since 1975, the preservation awards are Hawaii's highest recognition of projects that perpetuate, rehabilitate, restore or interpret the state's architectural and cultural heritage. Among the award categories are the following:

•Preservation Award, for a specific project that preserved, rehabilitated or restored a historic property;

•Preservation Commendation, for an individual, organization or government agency that engaged in advocacy, educational, programmatic or other activity supporting preservation efforts, either for a specific historic property or through a broad-based program;

•Preservation Media, for a printed publication or visual presentation that interpreted the history, preservation or physical characteristics of a historic property; and

•Citation for New Construction, for new infill in a historic district or additions to a historic property that protect and enhance the character of the historic resource.

USAG-HI's Stoneman/Gimlet Field rehabilitation project was recognized in the Preservation Award category for its rehabilitation to the original features of the Schofield Barracks field, while allowing for new additions to be integrated for modern use without compromising the historic integrity of the field and surrounding district.

The Macomb Rotary, also on Schofield Barracks, received a Citation for New Construction for the construction of a traffic rotary inside the historic district that enhanced traffic flow, protected view plane and the historic lighting museum, all of which contribute to the majestic entrance to the Oahu base through Macomb Gate.

"I'm very proud of both projects," Hayes said. "Everybody's very happy with the (traffic) circle in front of the museum and the new street lighting. It makes the entrance to Schofield very stately.

"And Stoneman Field was very unique, being that it's an athletic field within a historic district," Hayes continued. "It presented some very unique challenges, and it was a whole new type of project for everybody involved."

In addition to USAG-HI, honorees for the awards include the DPW, WJB Engineers, Stellar Group and The Outdoor Circle for Stoneman/Gimlet Field, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Honolulu District, Tropic Lightning Museum and NAN, Inc. for Macomb Rotary.

"Both of these projects called for a great amount of creativity and patience, and they also took a lot of teamwork to accomplish," Hayes said. "I'm very happy with the results."

The preservation awards' 34 honorees, which also include the Battleship Missouri Officers' Staterooms restoration, the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard Building 155 rehabilitation, the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Area Development Plan and the Hickam Building 1102 Cultural Landscape Report and Tree Protection Plan, among others, were selected by a committee comprised of professionals in the fields of architecture, history, planning, landscape architecture, architectural history and media.

Each nomination was considered on its own merits and not in competition with others.

"As federal agencies, you're supposed to always obey a set of standards when you're renovating or rehabilitating a historic site. The award is another measuring stick to see you've accomplished that," Hayes said.