Water Front District 2
T.R. Foster Building (1891). O'Toole's Pub presently resides in this brick building featuring cast iron decorative elements.
Irwin Block (Nippu Jiji Building) (1896). A Richardsonian Romanesque blue stone (local lava rock) structure that was originally a wholesale store. Its best known occupant was the Nippu Jiji, a Japanese language newspaper, today called the Hawaii Times. One of the first buildings in Honolulu to be attributed to Charles W. Dickey and his then partner Briggs Ripley, its notable features include the three arched second-story window sets, the transom windows the awning, and the cornice work.
Royal Saloon Building (1890). Always a drinking establishment of some sort, this building now houses Murphy's Bar & Grill. The waterfront was closer than it is today so it was a favorite haunt for sailors. Notable features of this memorial to waterfront social life include the corner entry, the ornamental cornice, the cast iron decorations, and the square granite blocks that make up the sidewalk along the building. These blocks were brought here from China and were used as ballast in the old sailing ships because they often sailed empty during their voyages to Honolulu. The rocks were then disposed of and used to make sidewalks or to construct buildings. Other granite block sidewalks still remain in Chinatown and in lower Nu'uanu Valley.
