What do I have in common with House Without A Key, one of the most iconic restaurants in Waikīkī and fictional detective Charlie Chan?
We are all part of the rich history of the magnificent Halekulani.
I admit, my connection to the thread is a bit of a stretch. While attending the University of Hawaiʻi in the late 1980s, I was a valet at Halekulani. I started in 1986, two years after the hotel underwent major construction and design changes. Still, it was an honor to be a part of the historic hotel’s evolution. The picturesque property certainly lived up to its name Halekulani, “House Befitting Heaven.”
As for Charlie Chan and House Without A Key, they share a direct connection to Halekulani through American author Earl Derr Biggers. Biggers enjoyed visiting Hawaiʻi and often stayed at a popular boarding house in Waikīkī called Gray’s-By-the-Sea. The scenic property overlooking the ocean included a beautiful kiawe tree planted in 1887.
Prominent businessman Robert Lewers owned a two-story beach house next to Gray’s-By-the-Sea. In 1907, Lewers turned his property into a residential hotel, consisting of the beachfront home and five bungalows. In 1917, Clifford and Juliet Kimball purchased and expanded the hotel, and turned it into a luxury resort for vacationers. They named it Halekulani.
During his time in Hawaiʻi, Biggers became close friends with Clifford and often joined him and Honolulu Police Department Detective Chang Apana for sunset cocktails. Biggers was intrigued by Apana’s stories, which inspired him to create the fictional detective Charlie Chan.
In 1919, Biggers wrote the first Charlie Chan novel while staying at Gray’s-By-the-Sea. Biggers publishedThe House Without a Key in 1925, the first of the Charlie Chan series of successful mystery books and movies.
In 1926, the Kimballs expanded their operations by purchasing lands near the hotel, including Gray’s-By-the-Sea. The beachfront property with the famous kiawe tree was renamed House Without A Key, after Biggers’ novel.
Today, Halekulani is a 453-room multi-award winning hotel and House Without A Key is a popular spot for breakfast, lunch and happy hour. It is home to beautiful Hawaiian entertainment, traditional hula performances, sunset cocktails and the 135-year-old kiawe tree.
Join us on Wednesday, September 4 at 7:30 pm, for another PBS Hawaiʻi Classics episode, as we take you back to the 1970s to celebrate Halekulani’s Kamaʻāina Day. For many, including myself, it will be a walk down memory lane, when the iconic luxury property was a low-rise hotel with cabanas … and where the great mystery solving Honolulu Police Detective Charlie Chan was born.
