A Moment in Our History: Helen Alexander and "Laniākea"

“Why is this building called Laniākea?”

 It’s a very common question—and one that I myself remember asking when I first started working at YWCA O'ahu.

Laniākea opened in 1927

This Hawaiian word is frequently translated to mean “open skies” or “wide horizon.” I remember one of my colleagues explaining to me the interpretation relates to the unlimited opportunities this building provides to the women and girls of Hawai'i. It made sense to me.

“Who named the building Laniākea?”

That’s another question that is often asked. No one has been able to identify the individual who came up with the idea, but we seem to have some related history about the area where our historic headquarters building stands today and the word Laniākea.

The Honolulu Advertiser: May 8, 1924

As this newspaper story details, a few years before the building opened in 1927 the site we purchased on Richards Street has a mention of “Laniākea.”

The land where the YWCA stands today was part of the Allen Estates. It was “the location of a large frame house” owned by Samuel Clesson Allen (1831-1903) and Bathsheba M. (Robinson) Allen (1849-1914).” Ralph Thomas Kam, Ph.D. who teaches historic preservation at UH kindly shared this information with me.

The area was known as the “Allen Estates.” (The Honolulu Advertiser: May 9, 1924)

The property that YWCA purchased was part of the homestead of the late Mrs. Bathsheba M. Allen and “the buildings used by the Girl Scouts and studios.” David Howard Hitchcock, a Hilo native who was known for his realistic landscape paintings of the Hawaiian Islands, once had his art studio in that area.

David Howard Hitchcock created many local landscape-motif paintings in his studio that used to stand where Laniākea is today.

There was one person who used the name “Laniākea” and operated a business prior to us moving in that area.

Helen A. Alexander

Miss Helen Andrews Alexander, a descendant of one of Hawaii’s foremost missionaries, leased the houses and gardens from the Allen Estates and opened the Laniakea Tea Room in 1916. She had taken “the whole of the Allen premises on Alakea near King street, with entrances on Alakea and Richards streets,” the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported the day before the tearoom opened on October 25, 1916.

The Laniakea Tea Room was a hit since day 1 of its operations as “virtually every table is engaged for the afternoon,” as reported by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on October 25, 1916.

Born on Maui and educated at Punahou, Helen Alexander often spent time outside the islands. During World War I, she “did canteen work with YMCA in Europe especially in France.” She also spent many years on the east coast of the United States. And it was her time outside of Hawai'i where she saw the concept of “tea rooms” in practice and how it was embraced by women.

“Tea will be served in the lanais and gardens surrounding the beautiful old residence formerly the home of the late Mrs. B.M. Allen. This rest house is an innovation in Honolulu’s enterprises. ‘Laniakea’ will cater especially to women shoppers who want some convenient place to rest and enjoy afternoon tea.”

-The Honolulu Advertiser : October 20, 1916

Honolulu Star-Bulletin: October 31, 1916

The Laniakea Tea Room soon became a go-to-place for Honolulu’s society women as well as out-of-town women “who could do almost anything rather than go to her hostess’ home for luncheon.” The society pages of local papers often reported the sightings of patrons.

The tearoom became a place to entertain out-of-town guests. In 1917, a group of officers of a Japanese training squadron enjoyed a Hawaiian night at Laniakea Tea Room during their stay. (The Honolulu Advertiser: June 3, 1917)

Helen Alexander was entrepreneurial. She soon added different components to the tearoom including two theatres, a gift shop, sewing and classes for children’s dancing and handicraft.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin: October 16, 1917

The Honolulu Advertiser: June 8, 1917

The Honolulu Advertiser: January 4, 1918

While introducing this new concept from the outside world, Helen incorporated local culture into her business practices. One of them was lauhala weaving. The caption for the photo below describes Helen’s efforts to support Hawaiian culture.

“Hawaiian women engaged in the task of weaving mats from the leaves of the lauhala, at Laniakea Tea House and Gift Shop, where the work of reviving the ancient Island industry is now being seriously undertaken.”

Women weaving lauhala at Laniakea Tea Room (The Honolulu Advertiser: November 28, 1916)

Although her business seemed to flourish in the community, the state’s tourism was heading in the opposite direction. The on-going war probably contributed to the declining flow of visitors to Hawai'i. The Sixty-Sixth Annual Report of the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society describes the predicament Helen had to face.

 “Miss Helen A. Alexander, because of the falling off of tourist trade, has been obliged to curtail some of the multifarious enterprises so popular at Laniakea, giving up the Gift-Shop and presenting to the Red Cross the proceeds of the sale of the toys and gifts.”

Declining tourism greatly affected her business (The Honolulu Advertiser: March 11 & April 7, 1918)

In the fall of 1918, Helen Alexander left Hawai'i again – this time to go into “YWCA canteen work in France.” She then took her culinary and entrepreneurial skills to the east coast and opened another tearoom in Connecticut, tantalizing the taste buds of diners including “discriminating New Yorkers.” Her highly seasoned chicken curry “with all the trimmings of mango chutney, shredded coconut, chopped bacon and grated peanuts became a highlight of delightful dining.”

Her recipes were often sought out and appeared in local newspapers. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin: January 25, 1918)

In 1926, Helen Alexander released a cook book carrying her name, sharing her time-tested recipes with home cooks. She eventually returned to Hawai'i and established her tearoom in “a picturesque grass house on a hill commanding the pleasant blue sweep of Kaneohe Bay across Nuuanu Pali from Honolulu.”

Helen continued to share her love of cooking and entertaining through her cookbooks

It is still not clear why Helen chose the word “Laniākea” but it is another source of empowerment to know the land our building stands on today was once the site of successful business run by a woman more than 100 years ago.

-Noriko Namiki, YWCA O‘ahu CEO