A Visit to (the soon to be gone) Aloha Stadium

[B-Rich]

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?

 

[GDAWG]

With the backlash against public financing for stadiums at an all time high, Hawaii is best off staying at their on campus stadium.  

[FiddySicks]

I went to five Pro Bowls at that stadium. 01-02 and 07-09. Also saw one in Phoenix. Didn’t compare in the slightest. Man that place was an absolute dump. It’s easily the most dilapidated stadium I’ve ever seen a game at, and I grew up going to games at the Coliseum in Oakland and Candlestick in SF (which were both trash heaps). For as bad as those two are/were, they’re five star luxury resorts in comparison. Aloha Stadium was downright dangerous by the last game I saw there in 09. The metal platforms in the second deck and all the staircases were nearly completely rusted out and falling apart. I cannot believe they played games there for another twelve years. 
 

The other weird thing about that stadium is that, for Oahu, it’s kind of out in the middle of nowhere. I was always Waikiki centric when I went to the games so that may be biasing that viewpoint (I was also in middle school/in my early 20s), but I always found that kind of weird.
 

 

But, for all the bad things I’ve said about that place, I do genuinely love it. The Pro Bowl usually gets cracked on, but it was such a unique experience. Having all of that NFL pageantry on a tropical island was such a product of its time and I don’t think we’ll ever really get something like that again.

 

I miss the hell out of Candlestick Park and that surprises me a lot, because like I said, it was a dump. But it was our dump. I think I might miss Aloha even more than I do Candlestick. 
 

Oh! Also, on that Aloha Stadium swap meet. My buddy and I once went there (non pro bowl trip) and got into a metric ton of trouble combining ice, a handheld slingshot we bought from that swap meet, and staying on the 15th floor of a Waikiki hotel. I was 14 or 15. Great times, man. 

[Dynasty]

Looking at past pictures, it seems like it went quite a while without seeing any updates. Although decrepit, there really is something about those kinds of stadiums that have such idiosyncrasy (when plumbing isn't involved). Quite a relic of the past.

 

I was just going to ask about the rustic look the stadium had, but I got my answer. Did they not consider the weathering effects from the ocean when determining what material to use? Hawaii is entirely archipelago; you can't escape the ocean winds.

[ZapRowsdower8]

Made it to the swap meet a few months ago and it never occurred to me to trying to get a look inside. Great pics!

[B-Rich]

On 4/26/2024 at 6:11 PM, FiddySicks said:

... and staying on the 15th floor of a Waikiki hotel. I was 14 or 15. Great times, man. 

In a weird coincidence, we also stayed on the 15th floor of a Waikiki hotel on this trip
Had a great view of the ocean, and the Friday Night Fireworks:

[FiddySicks]

HHV, if I may ask? 

[infrared41]

On 4/26/2024 at 7:11 PM, FiddySicks said:

I miss the hell out of Candlestick Park and that surprises me a lot, because like I said, it was a dump. But it was our dump

 

For reasons passing understanding, I feel the same way about old Cleveland Stadium.

 

Anyway, good stuff @B-Rich. Thanks for sharing it.

[B-Rich]

14 hours ago, FiddySicks said:

HHV, if I may ask? 

Hilton Vacation Club The Modern actually, separated from HHV by The Ilikai. 

[OnWis97]

13 hours ago, infrared41 said:

 

For reasons passing understanding, I feel the same way about old Cleveland Stadium.

 

Anyway, good stuff @B-Rich. Thanks for sharing it.

I have a nostalgia for old dumps, too. I hated the Metrodome and have almost no nostalgia for it. But I loved my annual trip to Milwaukee County Stadium as a kid and while the current ballpark is better in most ways (except maybe for the way the fan-roof keeps things always partly closed), I'll always prefer County Stadium.

I've been to Oakland Colosseum once, in 2007. And even though the Metrodome was still around, I thought going to an outdoor hunk of concrete and steel was really fun, given all the modern ballparks I'd visited by then. Is it better than those places? No. But I still really enjoyed it (and will be SF in a few weeks when the A's are at home and am considering going just because it's my last opportunity to go to a place like that for MLB).

[zubazpirate]

Thanks for this very fascinating close-up look at a stadium that I've always been curious about. In some ways it looks like a time capsule from the era in which it was built. There aren't many of those old-school multi purpose stadiums left, and this was always one of the most original concepts in that regard. 

 

I always wondered what the intention was behind this stadium... was it built first and foremost as a college football stadium? Or were there NFL/MLB aspirations at the time?

 

Also, on a related note, it's interesting how little nostalgia there is for multi-purpose stadiums like this one, especially considering how they dominated the sports scene from the 60s to the 80s. Once Oakland Coliseum inevitably goes down, Rogers Centre will be the only true example left in MLB, but even that one has been rebuilt to become as baseball-exclusive as possible. The NFL doesn't have any, as I'm not sure that the Superdome and Hard Rock really count. Canada still has the semi-abandoned Olympic Stadium, I guess. Aloha Stadium is one of the last of its kind.