George Kawamura and His Bike, 1976

George Kawamura and His Bike, 1976The Hanapepe Theater, built in 1932 by Nakano Construction during the towns boom years, was the West Sides first Talking Picture house. It was later torn down, leaving only the pink art deco Aloha Theatre standing nearby. As a 2020 Civil Beat article by Brittany Lyte notes, "Once the economic hub of Kauai, Hanapepe was where youd go in the early 1900s if you wanted to buy a car, clothes, jewelry, the latest home appliance or a ticket to see chorus

The Hanapepe Theater, built in 1932 by Nakano Construction during the town’s boom years, was the West Side’s first “Talking Picture” house. It was later torn down, leaving only the pink art deco Aloha Theatre standing nearby.


As a 2020 Civil Beat article by Brittany Lyte notes, "Once the economic hub of Kauai, Hanapepe was where you’d go in the early 1900s if you wanted to buy a car, clothes, jewelry, the latest home appliance or a ticket to see chorus girls in a live stage show.
You could get liquored up here, one of few places on Kauai that was not under strict plantation oversight. There were bowling alleys, an arcade and two roller skating rinks." There were also a couple of opium dens for the old Chinese rice plantation laborers. 

This explains why "Kauai's biggest little town" had not one, but two, local theaters catering to the local plantation community, often offering shows from the workers' home countries across the Pacific (both specialized in porn as a last resort before eventually closing).  

I was intrigued by the gargoyles above the ticket booth windows and, after making an architectural photo from the street in 1976 for the Kauai Album book project, I set up my view camera for a close up of the gargoyles. 


When I saw George Kawamura riding down the sidewalk on his bike, I decided that George and his bike were what I needed to complete the composition. George was a willing but silent subject. I don't recall him saying a word as I made several variations of this composition…and then he rode off on his bike. 

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