Retrofit Atlas

Malls · Hawaii

Aloha Tower Marketplace

Imported, unreviewedReinhabitedOperatingHonolulu, HI

Opened 1994. Closed 2020. Reinhabited.

Status nowOperatingextracted, unreviewed
documented
They renovated the shopping center into a mixed-use development with a small number of retail and restaurants, and most vacant storefronts were converted into HPU student dormitories.

en.wikipedia.org

What it becamehousing, retail, educationextracted, unreviewed reported
Site size13 acresextracted, unreviewed
documented
This state agency was tasked with overseeing the redevelopment of a 13-acre (5.3 ha) site between Piers 8 and 11 to strengthen international trade and beautify the area.

en.wikipedia.org

Walkability19.3 of 20 · 15-minute 6 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mNoOpenStreetMap, HUD
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Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.

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Site profile22 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Finance and pipeline
On FacebookThis site: …https://www.facebook.com/1013292658761171 overture · all sites with this
Website aliveThis site: …http://www.alohatower.com/ overture / http check · all sites with this
Ownership
Single-purpose entityThis site: Aloha Tower LP county-parcels · all sites with this
University, hospital or churchThis site: Hawaii Pacific University county-parcels · all sites with this
Place
100k+ jobs within 45 min by transitThis site: 269,525 epa-walkability · all sites with this
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)This site: 6/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this
200+ tax-credit housing units within 1 kmThis site: 1,127 units in 5 properties hud-lihtc · all sites with this
Bike network nearbyThis site: 44 ways openstreetmap · all sites with this
County typical rent $2,000+This site: $3,015/mo zillow · all sites with this
Grocery within 800 mThis site: 4 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this
High earthquake riskThis site: Very High fema-nri · all sites with this
High natural hazard risk (FEMA NRI)This site: Relatively High; earthquake fema-nri · all sites with this
High social vulnerability tract (SVI ≥ 0.75)This site: 0.81 cdc-svi · all sites with this
Lower-income tract (< $50k)This site: $20,682 census-acs · all sites with this
National Register place within 500 mThis site: Podmore, Joseph W., Building; Alexander and Baldwin Building nps-nrhp · all sites with this
Renter-majority tractThis site: 78% census-acs · all sites with this
Walkable block group (EPA ≥ 12)This site: …index 19.3 epa-walkability · all sites with this
Scale
Under 20 acresThis site: 13 acres extraction · all sites with this
Strategy
ReinhabitedThis site: Hawaii Pacific University campus with student dormitories, retail and restaurants. extraction · all sites with this
New use
EducationThis site: Hawaii Pacific University campus with student dormitories, retail and restaurants. mo extraction · all sites with this
HousingThis site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: Hawaii Pacific University campus with student dormitories, retail and restaurants. most vacant storefronts were converted int extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusOperatingextracted, unreviewed
documented
They renovated the shopping center into a mixed-use development with a small number of retail and restaurants, and most vacant storefronts were converted into HPU student dormitories.

en.wikipedia.org

StrategyReinhabitedextracted, unreviewed
documented
They renovated the shopping center into a mixed-use development with a small number of retail and restaurants, and most vacant storefronts were converted into HPU student dormitories.

en.wikipedia.org

New useshousing, retail, educationextracted, unreviewed reported
What is there nowHawaii Pacific University campus with student dormitories, retail and restaurants.extracted, unreviewed
documented
They renovated the shopping center into a mixed-use development with a small number of retail and restaurants, and most vacant storefronts were converted into HPU student dormitories.

en.wikipedia.org

RedeveloperHawaii Pacific Universityextracted, unreviewed reported

Planning

Planning notesmost vacant storefronts were converted into HPU student dormitories.extracted, unreviewed reported

Site context

FEMA flood zoneX · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m73: ALOHA TOWER DRIVE, NIMITZ; ALOHA TOWER DRIVE, NIMITZ HWY; BAE SYSTEMS - HONOLULU ES; BAE SYSTEMS ES CEMA; BANK OF HAWAIIEPA FRS
Census tract 15003003900396 people, 1,030 per sq mi; median household income $20,682; median gross rent $742; 78% renters; 4.5% vacant units; 18.1% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)index 19.3 of 20; 230 intersections per sq mi; nearest transit stop 138 m; land-use mix 0.72; 127,631 jobs within 45 min by car, 269,525 by transit; 57% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)6 of 6 daily needs: 4 grocers, 4 schools, 21 parks or playgrounds, 1 health, 5 civic, 77 food and drink; 44 cycleway segments, 280 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity ZonenoHUD
National Register places within 500 m7: Podmore, Joseph W., Building; Alexander and Baldwin Building; Brewer, C., Building; Dillingham Transportation BuildingNPS
Housing permits, Honolulu County (HI), 2024793 units in 5+ unit buildings, 139 in 2–4, 706 single-family; 2023: 1,041 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)overall percentile 0.81; socioeconomic 0.58; housing and transport 0.93; 51% below 150% of poverty; 61% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Other atlas sites nearby2 within 10 km, 5 within 25 km: Ford Island control tower (1.0 km); Ala Moana (2.7 km)computed
Overture Mapsplace Aloha Tower Marketplace (shopping_mall, confidence 0.95, from Overture, Overture-signals, meta); building footprint 12,942 m², 13.0 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Website and socialwww.alohatower.com (alive); archived 1996–2026 (Wayback) · social: facebookOverture / Internet Archive
Attention: Wikipedia page views26,520 since 2015; 2,317 in the last 12 months (+66% vs the prior 12); peak 2018-08 with 522Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023population -2% (403 → 396); median income -18% ($25,323 → $20,682); renters 94% → 78%; median home value +45% ($284,100 → $412,500)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)relatively high overall (score 92.6); expected annual loss $2.7M; high: earthquake; community resilience relatively moderateFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 km5 LIHTC properties, 1,127 units: Kukui Gardens (389 units); Maunakea Tower (380 units); Senior Residence At Iwilei (159 units)HUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)41,224 jobs in 2,853 establishments; average annual pay $46,064; employment location quotient 0.92; employment -0.7% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 202225,843 jobs; 94 in retail trade, 243 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 15003003900)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 43th income percentile as adults; 3.5% incarcerated at the 2010 count (77 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 18.4%; 57 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsHawaii Department of Education (KG-12); 5 public schools within 1 mile: Princess Victoria Kaiulani Elementary School; Royal Elementary School; Kauluwela Elementary School; Princess Ruth Keelikolani Middle SchoolNCES EDGE
Elevation8 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025290 county-logged events: 215 heavy rain, 44 flash flood, 15 flood, 7 debris flow; $5,181,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 96813, 2026-09median list price $637,830 (-12.8% on the year); 158 active listings; median 77 days on market; 9% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20232,635 establishments (-9%); 41,618 jobs (-9%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $855,988 (+3% 1 yr, +12% 5 yr); typical rent $3,015/mo (+4% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)11,600 vehicles a day on Bishop Street (principal arterial, 5 lanes); 677 trucks; 40 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Aloha Tower Marketplace opened in 1994 as a festival marketplace but soon faced financial difficulties, including bankruptcies and a shift in tenant mix. In 2011 Hawaii Pacific University partnered with a developer, and by 2013 HPU assumed full control, converting vacant storefronts into student dormitories. The site now operates as HPU’s campus with housing, retail, and education uses.

Why. The record cites financial failures due to several bankruptcies and a shift in the tenant mix as the primary causes of the marketplace’s decline.

Where it stands. The site is currently operating and is controlled by Hawaii Pacific University, as indicated by the developer field and the party ownership timeline.

For a planner

  • Applied a reinhabit strategy, converting vacant retail to student housing.
  • Utilized adaptive reuse and mixed‑use planning tools to repurpose the property.
  • Open questions include long‑term financial sustainability of the HPU campus.
  • How the redevelopment integrates with nearby historic landmarks and harbor uses.

For a developer

  • Site size: 13.0 acres.
  • Control: fully held by Hawaii Pacific University after 2013.
  • Entitlement stage: redevelopment began 2012 and the property is now operating.
  • Constraints from flood, transit, or environmental layers are not specified in the record.
  • Market signals show an opportunity score of 0.0, with reasons noting the retrofit is already built, median rent of $2,054, and existing housing.

What we do not know yet

  • The year_closed field (2020) conflicts with the status 'operating'; the correct status is unclear.
  • Details of HPU’s ownership after 2013 are not fully documented in the parties list.
  • Current tenant mix, financial performance, and lease terms are unknown.
  • Information on flood zone, transit access, or environmental constraints is missing from the record.
  • The record is marked as 'verified: draft', indicating some facts may be model‑extracted and unreviewed.

Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

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Elsewhere on the web

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • median rent $2,054
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened1994Wikidata
Closed2020extracted, unreviewed
documented
Hooters and Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant permanently closed in February 2020 due to severe underperformance.

en.wikipedia.org

Acres13.0extracted, unreviewed
documented
This state agency was tasked with overseeing the redevelopment of a 13-acre (5.3 ha) site between Piers 8 and 11 to strengthen international trade and beautify the area.

en.wikipedia.org

Original developerAloha Tower Associatesextracted, unreviewed
documented
In 1989, the ATDC selected Aloha Tower Associates, a partnership that included James W. Rouse's Enterprise Development Company (EDC), the for-profit subsidiary of the non-profit Enterprise Foundation, along with local firms, for a massive $544 million project, funded by locals and licensed by the Columbia, Maryland-based Rouse Company.

en.wikipedia.org

CountyHonolulu County
Census division9 · Pacific
NotesWikipedia categories: Defunct shopping malls in the United States

Not yet recorded: GLA, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.

Background

The Aloha Tower Marketplace is an open-air mixed-use complex in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii, serving as the main campus for Hawaii Pacific University (HPU). It opened in late 1994 as a festival marketplace, which has completely failed financially due to several bankruptcies and a shift in the tenant mix. Located at the Honolulu Harbor, the Aloha Tower Marketplace includes several national historic landmarks including the Aloha Tower, Falls of Clyde and Hawaiʻi Maritime Center.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1989 ATDC selected Aloha Tower Associates (including EDC) for $544 million project
  2. 1994 Opened (Wikidata)
  3. 1994 Aloha Tower Marketplace opened
  4. 1998 Acquired by Aloha Tower LP
  5. 2002 Aloha Tower LP filed for bankruptcy
  6. 2009 Museum at Falls of Clyde closed
  7. 2011 HPU partnered with unnamed developer to own marketplace
  8. 2012 Redevelopment began
  9. 2013 HPU bought out developer and took complete control
  10. 2018 Old Spaghetti Factory opened at marketplace
  11. 2020 Hooters and Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant permanently closed

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Aloha Tower Marketplace · supports: acres, after notes, original developer, status, strategy, year closed
    16 quoted sentences
    Hooters and Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant permanently closed in February 2020 due to severe underperformance.
    This state agency was tasked with overseeing the redevelopment of a 13-acre (5.3 ha) site between Piers 8 and 11 to strengthen international trade and beautify the area.
    In 1989, the ATDC selected Aloha Tower Associates, a partnership that included James W. Rouse's Enterprise Development Company (EDC), the for-profit subsidiary of the non-profit Enterprise Foundation, along with local firms, for a massive $544 million project, funded by locals and licensed by the Columbia, Maryland-based Rouse Company.
    They renovated the shopping center into a mixed-use development with a small number of retail and restaurants, and most vacant storefronts were converted into HPU student dormitories.

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