15 items | 3 visits
Tana Lee's List: Club Hubba Hubba
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Mar 08, 11
Tradewinds
32 North Hotel
Architecture: 20th Century Commercial
Building History – Fire insurance maps indicate that this building housed general merchandise stores at the turn of the 20th century. The most famous tenants of this space were the Tradewinds Bar (1940-60) and the Risque Theater (1971-2004). Both businesses epitomized Chinatown in their respective era. The Tradewinds Bar features live music and was at the forefront of the jazz and swing era in the 40’s and 50’s. The Risque Theater featured adult films and a book store. A 2004 fire gutted the building and it was restored in 2009. The sign frame that held the neon sign “Risque” still exists.
Historic context: In the 1940’s, Chinatown was the epicenter of Honolulu’s entertainment scene. Dance halls catered to plantation workers and military personnel. Nine theaters and 19 brothels operated in greater Chinatown as well as numerous bars and tattoo parlors. Clubs like the Casino Club, the Paradise Club, the Blue Note, Brown Derby, Two Jacks, Tradewinds, Gibson’s Bar and the Playroom featured swing and jazz. Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington all played in Honolulu. In 1970, the building held the Risque Theater and adult book store, symbolic of the red light district. -
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