HISTORY
Chronology
The success of the Polynesian Cultural Center has been achieved through hard work, constant faith and numerous blessings. To review some of these great events and accomplishments on the decade you wish to review below.
1960s Events Highlights
February to July 1921
President McKay approves a twelve-acre location, a taro/kalo lo‘i or patch, running along Kamehameha Highway on the opposite side of the CCH from the temple. In this fourth site the PCC finally finds its permanent home.
March 1951
The idea of constructing Polynesian houses in Lā’ie as a place in which temple- bound Polynesians can stay and work in a possible tourist attraction is born in a conversation between Elder Matthew Cowley and Edward L. Clissold. Elder Cowley also speaks prophetically at the O‘ahu Stake conference (Sunday, March 11) of his hope that Polynesian houses and villages will be built at Lā’ie. Wendell B. Mendenhall is brought into the conversation and becomes a major contributor to creation of the PCC.
July 21, 1954
President McKay, following studies that he had initiated since 1951, announces the establishment of the Church College of Hawaii and its planned opening in September 1955. At the conclusion of a forty-five-day, 45,000-mile tour of Church sites in the Pacific, President McKay visits Hawai‘i and dedicates land for construction of the Church College of Hawaii. President McKay includes in his prayer prophetic words: “We dedicate our actions in this service unto thee and unto thy glory and the salvation of the children of men, that this college, and the temple, and the town of Lā’ie may become a missionary factor, influencing not thousands, not tens of thousands, but millions of people who will come seeking to know what this town and its significance are.”
May 1955
Wendell B. Mendenhall is made chair of the Church Building Committee, respon- sible for all construction worldwide. This position makes it possible for him to move forward many projects in the Pacific.
June 29, 1957
President McKay creates the Pacific Board of Education to oversee all Church schools and colleges in the Pacific. Wendell B. Mendenhall is appointed chair with Edward L. Clissold as vice chair.
1958
Wylie Swapp, professor of art at the CCH, organizes around seventy-five students and local youth as “Halau Imi Noeau” (Organization Seeking Wisdom and Skill). The word halau, seldom used for dance and musical troops before this time, is suggested by Latter-day Saint Hawaiian culture specialist Mary Kawena Pukui. It is now common for hula groups.
January 31, 1948
Hawaiians and Sāmoans in Lā’ie start the Hukilau to raise funds for a new chapel. It provides experiences and training that contribute to the success of the Polynesian Cultural Center. Its success shows that tourists will come to Lā’ie if the attraction is interesting enough.
April 9, 1951
David O. McKay is sustained as the ninth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His leadership in undertakings that further the lives and interests of the Pacific peoples never flags.
April 1955
Edward L. Clissold is appointed chair of the Church College of Hawaii Board of Trustees.
September 26, 1955
Church College of Hawaii opens its doors with 120 students and 20 faculty.
1957–58
The search for places for student employment begins. Clissold says, “When the need came for finding work for the students, our thoughts turned to tourist dollars and the possibility of getting some of those [tourists] going around the island in big buses. . . . We thought of Brother Cowley’s prophecy, and so out of that . . . grew the first beginnings of the Polynesian Center.”
1959
The Polynesian Institute is organized as an adjunct of the CCH. Professor Jerry K. Loveland becomes its longtime director. The Pacific Institute is the mother of the Institute for Polynesian Studies, the Pacific Institute, and the present-day Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Studies. The Institute was responsible for researching and collecting media and materials on various Polynesian cultures. These materials were to provide authentic information and models for Polynesian costumes, songs, and dance styles.
1970s Events Highlights
1970
By the end of its sixth year, the PCC is so successful that leaders commence planning for future expansion.
October 5, 1972
PCC administrator Norman Nielsen conceived and introduced the Lā’ie and Hawaii Temple Visitors’ Center Tour with a 1903-style tram ride to the Hawaii Temple and visitors’ center, the community of Lā’ie, and the Church College of Hawaii. At this time President Harold B. Lee approves expansion of the Center, a project that extends over the next several years.
May 12, 1975
Grand opening of the Marquesan tohua, ceremonial plaza, like an island village, is part of the first phase of expansion.
April 1976
Elder Marvin J. Ashton of the Church’s Quorum of Twelve Apostles is appointed president and chair of the board of directors. Ashton assigns the title “president” to William H. Cravens in January 1983 but continues as chair of the board of directors until July 1988.
October 20, 1976
BYU–Hawaii presents an honorary doctoral degree to Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV, king of Tonga.
1971
President Joseph Fielding Smith visits the Center. He is the first President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to do so. His father, President Joseph F. Smith, known in Hawaiian as “Iosepa,” served missions in Hawai‘i, built the Laie Hawaii Temple, and became the namesake for the Iosepa colony in Utah, Iosepa Street in Lā’ie, and the great double-hulled canoe Iosepa.
March 1975
William H. Cravens, a part Sāmoan, begins eight years of service as general manager of the PCC. In January 1983 his position title is changed to president.
June 1, 1975
The newly relocated and expanded Hawaiian Village reopens, also as part of the first phase of expansion.
July 4, 1976
Elder Hunter dedicates a major expansion of the Center from sixteen acres to forty-two acres; a new entranceway and reservations building; and a new 2,700-seat amphitheater called the Pacific Theater. He is assisted by Elder Ashton.
January 12, 1979
The PCC celebrates the grand opening of the Gateway Restaurant.
1980s Events Highlights
June 4, 1980
PCC general manager William Cravens hosts vice premier Geng Biao of the People’s Republic of China. This is the first of numerous visits by distinguished Chinese leaders and diplomats. Geng’s visit leads to admission of the first six PRC students at BYU–Hawaii.
April 1983
Ralph G. Rodgers Jr. is appointed president and general manager of the PCC.
January 7, 1984
PRC premier Zhao Ziyang, on a state visit to the United States en route to Washington, DC, to meet with President Ronald Reagan, visits the Polynesian Cultural Center. He is hosted by Elder Ashton, chair of the board. His daughter, Wang Yannan, had been among the first six students to attend BYU–Hawaii.
October 1984
PCC maintenance crews and volunteers work after hours in a revitalization of villages. To the surprise of other employees, they construct a mountain between the Sāmoa and Aotearoa Villages overnight. They also build a waterfall and stream in the Hawaiian Village. Walkways and gardens are added during this time.
January 1986
The former Orientation Building is converted to a new marketplace to sell Polynesian crafts, artifacts, arts, and mementos.
November 23, 1982
Hurricane Iwa temporarily shuts down the PCC and causes considerable damage throughout Hawai‘i.
October 1983
The PCC celebrates its twentieth anniversary.
July 25, 1984
The PCC opens its new Mission Settlement, which includes a mission house, a chapel with displays regarding Christian history in the islands, and a thatched-roof schoolhouse.
November 1, 1984
The First Presidency calls the first volunteer Church- service missionary couple to serve at the PCC. Elder Ivin and Sister Pearl Gee of Lander, Wyoming, are assigned as host and hostess at the new Mission Settlement. What starts with one couple grows to around twenty-five couples in 2003.
May 2, 1987
Hawai‘i governor George Waihee and the PCC cohost the first annual Sterling Scholar Awards Program, in which outstanding high school seniors from throughout the state compete for scholarships and academic recognition.
1990s Events Highlights
April 1990
Sister missionaries from the Hawaii Honolulu Mission begin hosting the Lā‘ie and Temple Visitors’ Center Tour.
January 18, 1991
President Monson dedicates the first IMAX theater in Hawai‘i, located at the PCC. Polynesian Odyssey, created by and produced for the PCC, is first shown in this six-hundred-seat theater.
October 1991
Lester W. B. Moore is appointed president and CEO of the PCC. He serves until June 2000.
November 10, 1992
PCC president and CEO Lester W. B. Moore signs a “Sister Culture Centers” memorandum with the China Folk Culture Villages, represented by Ma Chi Man.
May 8, 1993
Inauguration of Island Cultural Events opens with the first annual World Fire Knife Dance Competition. The PCC’s Sielu Avea, “Coconut Man,” is proclaimed champion.
October 1990
Twenty-five performers and leaders from the PCC participate in the first China International Folk Arts Festival in Beijing.
June–October 1991
Eric B. Shumway, academic vice president of BYU–Hawaii, serves as acting president and general manager of the PCC.
September 11, 1992
Hurricane Iniki temporarily closes the PCC and causes considerable damage to the Hawaiian Islands.
January 4, 1993
The PCC’s “million-dollar face-lift” takes place and involves as many as six hundred volunteers from four Lā‘ie stakes. Crews spend several days widening walkways, dredging the lagoon, building eight canoe landings, pulling weeds, and removing rubbish.
July 17, 1993
King Taufa‘ahau Tupou IV of Tonga bestows the Tongan chiefly title Mafi Fakapotu, meaning “champion of the rear guard,” on Lester W. B. Moore, president and CEO, acknowledging the PCC’s world-renowned efforts to preserve and portray the cultures, arts, and crafts of Polynesia.
2000s Events Highlights
July 2000
Von D. Orgill takes responsibilities of president and CEO of the PCC
January 2001
By working with the Missionary Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the PCC begins to dramatically increase the number of full- time senior Church-service missionaries serving at the Center. Numbers grow from an average of eight to as many as forty-eight full-time volunteers and to twenty- eight part-time.
October 2001
Terrorist attacks of September 11, on New York City and Washington, DC, create a disastrous effect on the PCC. Travel comes to a standstill, and tourists disappear from Hawai‘i. To keep the Center open, full- time employees accept salary reductions between 10 and 30 percent. Salaries are not fully restored until early 2003.
March 25, 2002
Showings of The Testaments begin at the Hukilau Theater. Thousands of interested viewers enjoy the spirit and learning provided by this inspiring movie.
February 2003
The Center completes a $2.4 million highway and front entry renovation project. The remodeled front entrance becomes a spacious museum, while the landscaping projects in front beautify the highway and parking lot areas. New flagpoles for flags of the Polynesian nations are installed. Eighteen large tikis are placed along Kamehameha Highway. The Welcome Mound hut and lali (drum) are installed.
Fall 2000
After careful study of the needs of the Center, the PCC begins a multiyear renovation of its aging facilities
August 2001
As part of the senior service missionary program, retired kūpuna (venerable older people from the Lā’ie area) begin serving as volunteer cultural specialists in the villages, adding much needed knowledge and experience to the mix of students and full-time employees.
January 2002
The PCC assumes control of most motor coach transportation of guests from Waikīkī to the Center. Levels of customer satisfaction immediately improve dramatically.
November 11, 2002
The First Presidency of the Church approves joint fundraising with BYU– Hawaii for the endowment and benefit of the PCC and student work-study scholarship funds.
February 3, 2003
Four carver-artisans from Rapa Nui and President Von D. Orgill insert eyes in the concrete moai statues in the newly completed Rapa Nui (Easter Island) exhibit that stands on the former Coconut Island. As part of the ceremony, carvers name the ahu (platform) after Tukoihu, the ancient high chief of Rapa Nui credited with starting the practice of carving moai. Authentic figures, an altar, two types of housing, and
a protected planting niche showcase this easternmost Polynesian culture.
2010s Events Highlights
January 25, 2010
Demolition work begins on the Laie Inn to make way for a proposed new hotel on the site.
November 19, 2010
A montage of President Thomas S. Monson and others who visited the PCC while in Hawaii to rededicate the Laie Hawaii Temple following a major renovation.
June 2011
President and CEO Von D. Orgill announces the PCC will spend thirty-eight million dollars over a five-year period to enhance facilities and programs, including a major makeover of the Gateway Restaurant into a multipurpose building that is nearing completion, expanding the shopping plaza, and converting the Hukilau Theater into a 4D experience featuring a new digital Hawai‘i-themed film. The theater was renamed The Hawaii Journey Theater.
November 10, 2011
The Gateway Restaurant celebrates a grand reopening following renovations that include new entrance portals, food lines, and multipurpose capabilities.
January 2012
Major renovations begin in the Hawaiian Village that include replacing everything but the Hale Ali‘i, the Kauaiwiulaokalani Halau Wa‘a, and the Halau Hula. Major renovations for later in the year are also announced for the Sāmoan Village that include upgrading most of the fale (houses), creating a new entrance to the village near the Hale Aloha, and replacing the Chief’s House (maota).
May 7, 2010
Most Reverend Clarence “Larry” Silva, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, presents a special certificate of appreciation to the PCC “in gratitude for the collaboration” of Jonathan Nāpela and Father Damien during the time they concurrently served Hansen’s disease (leprosy) patients at Kalaupapa, Moloka‘i, in the 1870s.
December 2010
The Gateway Restaurant closes for extensive renovations.
Mid-2011
The Honolulu City Council and related city government agencies deliberate on a permit application by Hawaii Reserves Inc. to build a 222-room hotel on the site of the former Laie Inn next to the PCC.
November 2011
Ground is broken to turn the Hukilau Theater into a 4D virtual experience.
August 3, 2012
As part of its 2012 Te Manahua Māori Arts Festival, the PCC concert series features Māori singing stars Ria Hall and Maisey Rika from New Zealand.
2020s Events Highlights
March 14, 2020
After consulting with the board of directors, the Presiding Bishopric and other Church leaders, PCC executive management issues a notice the Center would shut down on March 16 to help the State of Hawaii contain the spread of COVID-19. Most employees and senior missionaries are affected for approximately one year.
June 17, 2020
As part of COVID-19 furlough belt tightening, PCC president Alfred Grace announces pay reductions for all full-time employees, and the nonexempt employee workweek is cut to four days (or thirty-two hours)
July 2020
Each village begins an initiative to grow cultural “focus plants”: for example, the Sāmoan Village selects lau talotalo (spider lily), whose leaves are often used to make traditional decorations and ula (lei).
August 27, 2020
The Center limits workforce to two employees per island village. In some cases, students take over some management duties.
September 4, 2020
President Grace notifies “all active full-time employees” they will return to “standard pay and work hours” on September 28 in preparation for a projected reopening in early January 2021. Grace also announces inactive staff remain on furlough “until PCC is ready to reopen.”
Also in September, the Center begins to simplify its external landscaping by using lower-maintenance grass and naupaka bushes.
June 2020
PCC maintenance workers renovate the Sāmoan Village, adding a new farm area and idewalk improvements and “refreshing” the fale tele (chief’s house) for indoor presentations.
June 22, 2020
President Grace announces that after the COVID-19 furlough lifts, the Center will initially remain closed on Wednesdays, discontinue the Huki canoe celebration, and offer only lū‘au dining service (plus concessions, Pounders Restaurant and Hukilau Marketplace eating options) “until our attendance numbers are large enough to support them and we can staff them adequately.”
July 28, 2020
The Center completes its Honua Project, a series of seven videos showing how we help preserve the “purity of Polynesian cultures.”
September 2020
The PCC gradually begins vacating all its office space in the BYU–Hawaii Snow Administration Building and begins to move into realigned and remodeled office space on the PCC campus. For example, the president’s, CFO’s, and CMO’s offices moved into the training room in the old administrative building. Theater offices were centralized. Guest services shifted into the Hale Kū‘ai, and HR moved into their former space on the other end of the old admin. building. First aid and security relocated to the Kahuku end of the Welcome Center. Finance moved into the food services administrative offices area. The mail room shifted to the facilities warehouse, and marketing relocated to the upstairs offices in the Gateway.
Also in September, PCC maintenance installs safety bumpers along the lagoon to better protect passengers and canoes.
September 25, 2020
Employees put on a grand graduation farewell for senior retiring employees with over a thousand cumulative years of experience, including Fifita Unga, vice president of food services; Ella Manumaleuna, reservations manager; and Gail Heffernan and Kamaka Bridges, in the business office.
Also this day, Pounders Restaurant reopens for sit-down dining, both inside and in the lanai area.