987 Mokulua Street is at the corner of Mokulua and Kaiolena Streets in Lanikai, which is at the epicenter of action on any weekday afternoon. On its mauka side is the Lanikai Community Park, and on its makai side is the beach access to the beloved Lanikai Beach, making its street parking among the most coveted spaces in Lanikai. But the home and its history are the most lovable parts of this place.
1. A Lanikai Original
The cottage at 987 Mokulua Street was among the original lots sold in the Lanikai neighborhood.
The home was built on lot number 68 of the original Lanikai Tract, which was purchased by Shirley Moore, according to this 1925 advertisement.
2. It was a featured home back in the day.
This advertisement from the April 30, 1926, Honolulu Advertiser includes 987 Mokulua as one of the “attractive beach homes” recently built in Lanikai. The caption describes the home as that of Mrs. Carrie Moore, whereas the earlier advertisement cited her husband, Shirley Moore, as the buyer of the lot. This might be because of Carrie Moore’s connection to the high style in Honolulu.
3. Carrie Moore was a leading businesswoman in Honolulu.
Carrie Moore came to Hawaii in 1908 from New York, where she had worked in the women’s apparel industry. She put that experience to work at Jeff’s and then Jordan’s, two exclusive dress shops in Hawaii. From there, she went to Liberty House and then McInerny’s. Finally, in 1929, Moore launched Moore’s Gowns and Millinery in the Dillingham building. The store became “one of the centers of fashion and feminine buying of the territory,” according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The business not only survived the depression, it thrived. In 1938, she opened a second Moore’s store in Waikiki on Kalakaua Ave.
4. Details matter.
Even today, the home retains its unique historic architectural details: its batten board siding, shingled roof, and double-hung windows.
5. Behold the front lawn.
When Lanikai was initially built in the 1920s, it was intended to be a beach cottage for relaxing. The lots were large enough to accommodate those cottages and plenty of exterior lawns surrounded them. Part of the original covenants of the neighborhood were to maintain those green spaces. Having lawns and gardens around the homes provided buffers from noise and gave some visual privacy without blocking the views that make the place so beautiful. However, those rules lapsed in the 1950s, and many of the homes in the neighborhood began building right up to the property lines to allow for either more residents or to make the homes full-time residences instead of weekend cottages. Without the green buffers, tall walls and tall shrubs went up to add visual privacy. As a result, when you walk down Mokulua, it feels like a narrow alley of walls except for the occasional spot like 987 Mokulua Street.
Sources
Beach Property at Lanikai. (1926, April 30). Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 13.
Carrie D. Moore Dies at Home. (1941, June 10). Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1.
Carrie Moore Death. (1941, June 11). Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 18.
Carrie Moore deceased. (1942, May 8). Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 11.
Exclusive at Moore’s. (1931, January 10). Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 34.
Land Court Deed. (1925, October 27). Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 13.
Land Purchased at Lanikai. (1926, July 2). Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 18.
Lanikai Ad. (1925, November 8). Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 15.
SD Moore First in Shriners Golf Play. (1932, October 24). Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 6.
Shirley DeW Moore. (1936, May 24). Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 15.
