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Kamoi Theater, Ala Malama Avenue & Kamoi Street, Kaunakakai, Maui County, HI
Kamoi Theater, Ala Malama Avenue & Kamoi Street, Kaunakakai, Maui County, HI
Kamoi Theater, Ala Malama Avenue & Kamoi Street, Kaunakakai, Maui County, HI
Kamoi Theater, Ala Malama Avenue & Kamoi Street, Kaunakakai, Maui County, HI
Kamoi Theater, Ala Malama Avenue & Kamoi Street, Kaunakakai, Maui County, HI
Kamoi Theater, Ala Malama Avenue & Kamoi Street, Kaunakakai, Maui County, HI
Kamoi Theater, Ala Malama Avenue & Kamoi Street, Kaunakakai, Maui County, HI
Kamoi Theater, Ala Malama Avenue & Kamoi Street, Kaunakakai, Maui County, HI
Kamoi Theater, Ala Malama Avenue & Kamoi Street, Kaunakakai, Maui County, HI
Kamoi Theater, Ala Malama Avenue & Kamoi Street, Kaunakakai, Maui County, HI
Summary
Significance: The Kamoi Theater is one of three buildings on the island of Molokai that were built expressly as movie theaters. Only the Kamoi, in the town of Kaunakakai, remains; the others, in the towns of Maunaloa and Kualapuu, have been demolished. Of vernacular design, the building is distinctive in its inventive use of space and practical solutions to functional problems. From its completion in 1939 to its closure in 1979, the Kamoi served a significant and multi-faceted role in the cultural and social life of Molokai.
Survey number: HABS HI-57
Building/structure dates: 1939 Initial Construction
The popularity of “moving pictures” grew in the 1920s. Movie "palaces" sprang up in all major cities. For a quarter or 25 cents, Americans escaped their problems and lose themselves in another era or world. People of all ages attended the movies with far more regularity than today, often going more than once per week. By the end of the decade, weekly movie attendance swelled to 90 million people. The silent movies gave rise to the first generation of movie stars. At the end of the decade, the dominance of silent movies began to wane with the advance of sound technology.