{"id":230039,"date":"2026-02-25T10:18:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T20:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=230039"},"modified":"2026-02-25T10:18:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T20:18:06","slug":"renovations-at-hemenway-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/25\/renovations-at-hemenway-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Renovations underway at 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s historic Hemenway Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Hemenway
Hemenway Hall in the early 1940s, before the ma kai wing was built<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearly 90 years after it was first built, Hemenway Hall<\/a> is undergoing renovations transforming the historic University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa campus landmark to update its aging infrastructure, while preserving its historical significance.<\/p>\n

\"Entrance
Hemenway Hall was originally named the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> Union Building<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Current renovations include updating all bathrooms, the addition of lactation rooms and exterior courtyard repairs.<\/p>\n

“It was always our priority to keep the building open,” said Eddie Robles, the director of Student Life Business Services at 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa. “Especially since it\u2019s made to be a place to support students, we didn\u2019t want to completely close Hemenway for a year or more.”<\/p>\n

Because it was a priority for the building to remain open during construction, renovations are being completed in phases to minimize disruptions. Portable restrooms have also been installed to allow contractors to renovate all restroom facilities simultaneously, a move intended to speed up overall completion.<\/p>\n

\"Hemenway
Hemenway Hall in 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The renovation also includes energy-efficient upgrades with the installation of LED<\/abbr> lights and updated water fixtures. Nearly all windows are being replaced, though several historically significant windows will be restored.<\/p>\n

Because Hemenway Hall is part of the Campus Center Complex<\/a>, funding for the renovation comes entirely from student fees allocated through the Campus Center Board.<\/p>\n

“This is a major reinvestment by the Campus Center Board to upgrade and improve student life here on campus,” Robles said.<\/p>\n

The history behind the hall<\/h2>\n

Named after 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Board of Regents Chair Charles Reed Hemenway, who was known for being a strong student advocate, the building was designed as the campus\u2019 student union building and intended to promote student voices and engagement.<\/p>\n

Built in 1938, Hemenway Hall also played a role in national history. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the building was designated as an evacuation center. During World War II<\/abbr>, it was also used by the U.S.<\/abbr> Armed Forces Institute, highlighting its place in the wartime transformation of the campus.<\/p>\n

\"Hemenway
Hemenway Hall in the early 1940s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, the hall continues to serve its original purpose as a hub of student life. It houses KT糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr>, the university\u2019s student-led radio station; Ka Leo, the campus newspaper; 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> Productions; Hawaiʻi<\/span> Review; the 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa dental hygiene clinic; and the Graduate Student Organization.<\/p>\n

“Even today, so many decades after Hemenway was opened, we try to honor its original purpose of serving students,” said Mandy Westfall-Senda, the director of the 糖心Vlog官方<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Office of Student Life and Development.<\/p>\n

As renovations continue to update interior and exterior spaces, Hemenway Hall continues to uphold its original mission as a center for student life, amplifying student voices.<\/p>\n

—By Grant Nakasone<\/em> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The building is undergoing renovations to modernize infrastructure, preserve history and continue supporting student engagement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":230047,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1193],"tags":[225,9],"class_list":["post-230039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-administrative","tag-history","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/manoa-historic-hemenway2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230039"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":230056,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230039\/revisions\/230056"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}