Waioli Mission Hall

American Christian missionaries established Waioli Mission Hall in 1834. Hawaiians constructed a pole and thatch meeting house on this site in anticipation of the missionaries' arrival, but the first meeting house was destroyed by fire and a second was destroyed by wind. After the loss of those two earlier buildings, the congregation completed this timber-frame structure in 1841. It is the oldest surviving church building on the island of Kauai. Distinguished by its lanais and steep double-pitched roof, the design notably adapts New England building traditions to Hawaiian culture and climate. The building served as the mission church until the adjacent 1912 Waioli church sanctuary was built to accommodate a growing congregation. After surviving severe damage from Hurricane Iniki in 1992, it was restored. It is listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places and has served its church and community in various activities for the diverse ministries of the Waioli Hui‘ia Church and the glory of God.

Hanalei, Hawaii · United States