Prince Kuhio Plaza

History

In September 1977, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands offered to lease 39 acre of land at the intersection of Pūʻāinakō Street and Kanoelehua Avenue (part of the Hawaii Belt Road) for development into retail space, which had been lacking in the area. Orchid Isle Group, the sole bidder for the property, signed a 53-year lease on October 28, 1977.

The mall opened in 1985.

On August 5, 2002, General Growth acquired the 50% interest in the mall that was owned by Homart Development Company, bringing its ownership in the mall to 100%.

In 2001, Macy's acquired the Liberty House store at the mall, followed by acquiring the vacant JCPenney space two years later for its men's, children's, and home store.

In 2004, the owner of the shopping center was sued by Longs Drugs for allowing a Safeway to be constructed at the mall.

In 2013, First Hawaiian Bank opened a branch at the mall. The building was built after the demolition of former tenant Blockbuster.

In 2015, Old Navy and Pier 1 Imports opened stores in the mall.

In 2018, TJ Maxx and Petco opened stores in the mall. Subsequently, Petco opened a space in April 2018. Their space was formerly occupied by Sports Authority, which closed in 2014.

In 2020, a Tractor Supply Company store opened. Its space was formerly occupied by Safeway, who vacated the space in 2011.

On January 29, 2021, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 23 stores nationwide. The store closed on April 18, 2021.

Layout

Main building

The main building is an indoor mall. Each wing of the mall has an anchor space and additional tenants, along with an entrance and exit. The mall has a dedicated food court area is located on the north side of the building, which features seating and tables for customers. Various events are held at the mall's stage, located in the center of the mall.

Additional buildings

In addition to the main building, a strip mall is located on the east side of the mall, which includes chains such as Jamba Juice and Starbucks. A fast food space is located next to the mall, which is currently occupied by KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). On the west side of the mall, a commercial office building is located, housing tenants such as Longs Drugs and Tractor Supply Company. An additional retail building is located on the southeast side of the mall, which was constructed in 2017 after the closure of a Hilo Hattie store in 2016. The building houses multiple tenants, including, as of 2025, a Genki Sushi, Verizon, and a Spectrum store.

Transportation

The mall has a bus stop located on the east side of the mall, operated by Hele-On Bus. The bus stop serves as a satellite hub for the transit service and is a major stop among many routes. For parking, the mall has a surface parking lot on-property, along with an additional parking lot located across the street.

References

References

1. Campos, Frellie. (October 25, 1998). "Hilo shopping center to get theaters". [[American City Business Journals]].
2. "Prince Kūhiō Plaza". [[Brookfield Properties]].
3. (April 27, 1998). "Wallace Theaters acquires Consolidated in Hilo". [[American City Business Journals]].
4. {{CongBio. K000004
5. "Form 8-K/A". [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]].
6. (February 7, 2003). "Macy's acquires former J.C. Penney site at Hilo Plaza Plaza". [[American City Business Journals]].
7. Thompson, Rod. (January 21, 2004). "Longs sues Hilo center landlord over Safeway pharmacy". [[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]].
8. Silverstein, Stephanie. (October 23, 2013). "First Hawaiian Bank to open new Hilo branch at Prince Kuhio Plaza". [[American City Business Journals]].
9. Shimogawa, Duane. (July 2, 2015). "Hawaii's retail real estate market draws several national tenants, new report says". [[American City Business Journals]].
10. (3 February 2021). "Sears closing Pearlridge Center, Hilo stores".
11. "Sears and Kmart closing more stores. Is your location closing in 2021? See the updated closure list".
12. "Prince Kuhio Plaza".
13. "qPublic.net - Hawai'i County, HI - Report: 220470060000".
14. none. (2016-09-14). "Prince Kuhio Plaza Hilo Hattie building demolished".
15. "111 E Puainako St Parking - Parking in Hilo {{!}} ParkMe".