Chinatown Cultural Plaza slated for demolition, mayor says

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – After years of reaching out to the Taiwanese government, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said Taiwan officials have agreed to tear down the dilapidated Chinatown Cultural Plaza. He hopes it will happen by early next year.

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The plaza was built in 1974 as a centerpiece of the historic district.

Taiwan owns the nearly $52 million, 4-acre landmark, which has long been an eyesore and crime hotspot for the city after years of neglect.

In December, the mayor and building tenants demanded action on the deteriorating building. One tenant said it “looks like a junkyard.”

Blangiardi shared the news Thursday at a Hawaii Business Magazine P3 conference.

“As soon as we did the [media] stories, suddenly I was on China television, Taiwanese television, and we got their response,” Blangiardi said. “They’ve agreed to tear it down. I told them they had to. I was gonna use eminent domain, but they did, and that’s gonna come down, hopefully, we’ll be knocking it down by early January 2027. That’s gonna be a tremendous contribution.”

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In February, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu said it was taking measures, including an assessment and a reconstruction process.

Hawaii News Now reached out to the office for comment. A representative said they are waiting on an official statement from Taipei.

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