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In the early 1920s, the City was still experimenting with approaches to planning. A comprehensive city plan had yet to be developed, and the City Planning Commission wasn’t fully functioning until 1920. Kaimukī was one of the first neighborhoods that was planned in full, and improvements took place over the very short period between 1923 and 1925.

Some streets already existed and simply needed to be paved, but many were created from scratch, transforming what was essentially wilderness into paved streets with gutters, curbs, and sidewalks. All of this work was documented photographically, and you can view before-and-after shots of the development, for each specific street that was improved.

(Note that if you notice signs in the photos bearing a “C” crossed with an “L,” these mark the intended center line of the street after improvement.)

(Mouse over the image to read more or click to zoom in)