So, I just got back from a vacation to Hawaii. While there, one of the things that this old sports/sports logo geek had on the list was to visit Aloha Stadium, which has been vacant and unused since January 2021. Aloha will likely be demolished, and may or may not be replaced with a new stadium on the site. The stadium has always held interest for me since I read about it in the late 1970s, and found out about its interesting way of converting from a football to a baseball configuration. Completed in 1975, the stadium was home to University of Hawaii football, was a longtime host of the NFL Pro Bowl, was home to The Hawaiians of the WFL (last 4 games of the 1975 season ), the Hawaii Islanders of the PCL (1976-1987), Team Hawaii of the NASL (1977), and a series of bowl games: the Hula Bowl, the Aloha Bowl, the Oahu Bowl, and the Hawai'i Bowl.
(I like the stylized volcano at the main entrance)
This logo geek of course wore a NASL "Team Hawaii" shirt for the visit. What a goofball.
The daughters were with me on this trip, and found that there was a "swap meet" (basically a huge flea market) held every Saturday in the parking lot, so we went there at that time, ostensibly so they could shop for stuff as girls tend to do. I think that was serendipitous , because the site MAY have had the parking lot closed otherwise, and I was able to actually get close to (and in one area, into) the stadium itself.
As I mentioned, it was a convertible multipurpose stadium. This old seating chart on a wall in the stadium shows the football layout:
The end zone sections are physically separate from the sideline sections, but are linked by curved skybridges in the corners, one at the lower level and one at the upper level. On that photo above, they are white outlined in black. Here is an interior shot showing the set up:
What is interesting is how the stadium would switch to a baseball configuration. The sideline seats would split at the 50 yard line and pivot outward, connecting to the end zone sections and creating two opposite "V" shapes. The baseball diamond home plate would be in the curved south end zone. Here is a mockup I did using the above photo and photoshop showing how it worked:
and here is an actual aerial photo of it in that configuration in 2007:
I was told by the concierge at our hotel that he had never seen it in that configuration, and that he heard the mechanical means to do so were broken. After looking at it, I can believe it-- the "gap" area where the sideline stands would move looks like it hasn't been used in years :
Looking back at the photo above and this one, a question I had before and still couldn't figure out is what happens to the curved bridges when the stands were moved? I wondered if they would slide underneath the curved end zone stands, or were lowered down to ground level and placed under the stands, or if they were removed by a crane or something and placed on the ground behind the lower level (you enter the lower level stands at the top of the section). After looking at it closely, still can't figure it out for sure. Here is a shot of the other side showing an upper bridge:
With no obvious hinges, tracks or anything else, I am leaning to the answer of 'removing them by crane and placing them on the ground'.
Another thing you notice in looking at the stadium and the shots before and one below is the amount of BROWN in the structure. That is not a style decision to match the WFL Hawaiians jersey color, but instead is the use of a material called "weathering steel". Essentially, rather than being stainless or painted, weathering steel forms a layer of rust on the exterior that acts as a protective patina. You can see examples of its use on pieces of art, certain transportation features (bridges), infrastructure items (catch basins and manhole covers) and in some buildings. Here is an area with notable uses of weathered steel, in the circular ramps, round elevator column, and lower level superstructure:
The problem is, weathering steel does not work well in certain environments-- like the salt-laden ocean air of Hawaii. It KEEPS on rusting. A similar thing happened to the Omni Arena in Atlanta, where holes rusted through in the exterior. As such, the entire stadium has been been deemed unsafe and no events have been held since the Hula Bowl in January 2021.
As linked at the start of this post, after several years of planning to redevelop the site with a new stadium and surrounding development (in the parking lot area), it looks like that idea may be out, and the U of Hawaii may stay on campus with a new stadium there. If that happens, who know what will become of the Aloha Stadium site?
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