War Memorial Natatorium — Attraction in Honolulu

The photo of the Natatorium (with people lounging) is an artistic rendering when this review was first written, but it appears to have been taken down. It has some interesting architecture on the outside of the building visible to the public. The inside of the Natatorium has been closed since the 1970's. It is a war memorial to World War 1 with a salt water pool constructed with reinforced concrete. Saltwater and caused the steel reinforcement inside the concrete to rust. The salt water pool has filled up with sand over the years. Back in the early 1980's, the Natatorium would occasionally be opened to fishermen. Fishing has since been banned in the area to promote tourism. The satellite photos show the concrete decking that has collapsed. It is unsafe to go in there. Outside of the Northside of the Natatorium has some fairly deep water so close to...

Any reviewer who would demand this be torn down may not be aware that this is a war memorial. The memory of those who gave their lives in the cause of WWI cannot be bulldozed. There are both moral and legal issues at work here. Restoration is the only honorable course. In addition, there is no beach without the War Memorial. The memorial has created the beach. It is all too easy for people to forget where they came from, and take for granted things like liberty, when others paid the ultimate cost for it. Just like a beach that came into being in the shelter of the War Memorial....

Originally built as a community saltwater pool that also happened to be a war memorial, it has been closed and falling to ruins for decades. I gave it 3 stars because the architecture is still gorgeous, it's historical, and it's worth a look if you're already in the area. It not it's own destination however. I'm guessing urban explorers loooooove this spot. There are obvious places where the fence has been cut.The city has been arguing about what to do with it for a while, evenly split between perserving it or...