Day 266: Iao Theater, Wailuku, Hawai’i
📌APIA Every Day (266) - The Iao Theater, constructed in 1927 in Wailuku, Maui, at a cost of $40,000, officially opened on August 22, 1928. It featured 702 seats, an orchestra pit, and facilities for both film screenings and live performances. Its architecture blended Spanish Mission elements with Hawaiian/ Asian features, reflecting a unique cultural fusion.
During its peak years, the theater served as a hub for both films and live entertainment. Notably, it hosted USO shows during World War II, featuring celebrated performers such as Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Betty Hutton, and Donald O’Connor. In 1953, it held the Hawaii premiere of From Here to Eternity, attended by Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. From 1930 to the mid-1970s, Harry’s Sweets, a concession stand, operated outside the main entrance. Afterward, the theater experienced a period of decline and eventually closed.
Today, the Iao Theater is one of only three pre-1930 theaters remaining in Hawaii, alongside the Hawaii Theater on Oahu and the Hilo Palace on the Big Island. After facing the threat of demolition, it was purchased by Maui County in 1993 for $882,000. The building was added to the Hawaii Register of Historic Places in 1994 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Now operated by Maui OnStage with a reduced seating capacity of 413, it is the sole surviving theater of Wailuku’s original seven.
LEARN MORE:
Historic Hawai’i Foundation: Iao Theater
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