Aloha Tower Marketplace
An open-air mixed-use retail, dining, and university complex at Honolulu Harbor in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Aloha Tower Marketplace is an open-air mixed-use complex on the waterfront of downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. It occupies part of the Honolulu Harbor area near Piers 8 through 11 and takes its name from the adjacent Aloha Tower, one of Honolulu's best-known harbor landmarks. The site also incorporates or sits near several historically significant maritime attractions, including the Falls of Clyde and the former Hawaii Maritime Center. The marketplace originated in a state-led effort to revitalize Honolulu's waterfront. Governor George Ariyoshi proposed replacing portions of the harbor's industrial environment with a world trade center, public spaces, and commercial activity. The Hawaii State Legislature subsequently established the Aloha Tower Development Corporation to supervise redevelopment of a roughly 13-acre site. Early development proposals were ambitious and included residential towers, offices, a hotel, a cruise terminal, and extensive underground parking. Two development teams failed to bring their plans forward before the state selected Aloha Tower Associates in 1989. The partnership included Enterprise Development Company, associated with festival-marketplace pioneer James W. Rouse, as well as local firms. Financial and planning difficulties forced the project to be reduced and constructed in stages. The completed portion was redesigned as a festival marketplace, using open-air walkways, lanais, stucco arches, and green-tiled roofs to create a visitor-oriented atmosphere inspired by projects such as Harborplace in Baltimore and Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston. The retail and dining component opened on November 19, 1994, with a grand-opening performance by the Four Tops. The larger office, hotel, condominium, and parking elements were never completed, leaving the marketplace more dependent on retail and restaurant traffic than originally intended. Early tenants included Hooters, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, and Chai's Island Bistro. Gordon Biersch was notable as Hawaii's first on-site brewery restaurant, while Chai's became an important venue for contemporary Hawaiian music as well as Pacific Rim cuisine. The site also benefited from its connection to maritime tourism and harbor activities, including dinner-cruise operations and the Hawaii Maritime Center. The complex experienced persistent commercial problems. It was acquired by Aloha Tower LP, a subsidiary of Trinity Investment Trust, in 1998. Aloha Tower LP filed for bankruptcy in 2002 after operating at a loss amid limited parking, its distance from other major tourist areas, and reported management problems. Tenant reorganization followed, but the center was widely regarded as largely vacant or underused by the middle of the 2000s. The Hawaii Maritime Center closed in 2009 because of insufficient revenue. Hawaii Pacific University became central to the site's later identity. The university partnered with a developer in 2011 and acquired full control several years later. Beginning in 2012, it renovated the property into a smaller-scale mixed-use campus, converting many formerly vacant retail spaces into student housing while retaining selected restaurants, shops, and visitor-oriented businesses. Barnes & Noble College agreed in 2013 to operate a university bookstore, although its opening depended on completion of the renovations. The redevelopment encountered permitting problems, disputes among development entities, staffing reductions, and conflicts with existing tenants. The Old Spaghetti Factory opened a large waterfront restaurant at the marketplace in May 2018 after relocating from Ward Warehouse. Hooters and Gordon Biersch both closed permanently in February 2020 after prolonged underperformance. In its current form, Aloha Tower Marketplace functions less as a conventional festival shopping center than as a hybrid university, hospitality, dining, and waterfront destination. Hawaii Pacific University's campus presence supplies regular activity and occupancy, while the site's historic landmarks and harbor setting continue to provide a tourism and cultural dimension.
History
Aloha Tower Marketplace emerged from a large public redevelopment program intended to transform a formerly industrial section of Honolulu Harbor. In the early 1980s, Governor George Ariyoshi promoted a waterfront project that would combine international trade facilities with public amenities and commercial development. The state legislature created the Aloha Tower Development Corporation, or ATDC, to guide redevelopment of approximately 13 acres between Piers 8 and 11. The project had a difficult prehistory. Southern Pacific Development Company was selected in 1983 but withdrew the following year. Honolulu Waterfront Limited Partnership was chosen in 1986, but its participation ended amid litigation with the state. In 1989, ATDC selected Aloha Tower Associates, a partnership that included Enterprise Development Company, the for-profit development arm associated with Enterprise Foundation and James W. Rouse, alongside local companies. The proposed development was valued at approximately $544 million and initially contemplated two luxury condominium towers, an office tower, a 350-room hotel, a cruise terminal, and about 2,000 underground parking spaces. By 1992, the developers were experiencing financial pressure and asked to construct the project in phases. Obsolete warehouses and other structures around Piers 8 and 9 were demolished. The scheme was then substantially reduced and recast as a festival marketplace, a development format pioneered by Rouse that emphasized pedestrian circulation, themed architecture, open-air shopping, and food and entertainment. The design used green-tiled roofs, stucco arches, and open-air lanais, drawing comparisons with Harborplace in Baltimore and Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston. Only the marketplace component was completed. The unbuilt hotel, office, residential, and parking facilities proved important to the property's later performance because the finished center lacked the broader population, employment base, and parking supply that had been expected to support it. Aloha Tower Marketplace opened on November 19, 1994. The opening gala featured the Four Tops. Its initial tenant and entertainment program included Hooters, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, and Chai's Island Bistro. Gordon Biersch was identified as Hawaii's first on-site brewery restaurant. Chai's, founded by chef Chai Chaowasaree, combined higher-end Pacific Rim food with live contemporary Hawaiian music and became one of the site's cultural draws. The complex changed ownership in 1998 when it was acquired by Aloha Tower LP, a subsidiary of Trinity Investment Trust. The property struggled with its location away from Honolulu's most concentrated tourist corridors, insufficient parking, and management problems. Aloha Tower LP filed for bankruptcy in 2002, prompting a restructuring of the tenant base. The marketplace's maritime setting remained an attraction: the nearby or associated Hawaii Maritime Center presented exhibits involving historic sailing and Polynesian navigation, and outrigger canoes were displayed at times. Nevertheless, the retail operation was considered largely dormant by the middle of the decade. The Hawaii Maritime Center closed on May 1, 2009, because it could not generate enough revenue. A major institutional transition began in 2011, when Hawaii Pacific University partnered with an unnamed developer in connection with the property. The university later bought out the developer and took complete control in 2013. A redevelopment program that began in 2012 sought to convert the struggling shopping center into a smaller mixed-use campus. Many vacant storefronts were adapted for HPU student housing, while a limited number of restaurants and retailers remained. Barnes & Noble College agreed in July 2013 to operate an HPU bookstore, but the bookstore's opening depended on the university's construction schedule. The redevelopment was complicated by disputes between development entities, permitting issues, staff reductions, and disruption to existing tenants. Seventeen businesses were scheduled for eviction in February 2014, with Gordon Biersch, Hooters, the Star of Honolulu dinner-cruise office, and The Cab dispatch among the named exceptions. Hooters later sued HPU, claiming that construction for the dormitories produced dust, noise, blockades, and impaired customer access. The dispute illustrated the tension between the university's long-term campus strategy and the marketplace's existing commercial operations. The project was reported as nearly complete in 2015. On May 21, 2018, The Old Spaghetti Factory opened a large waterfront location at the complex after its former Ward Warehouse site was demolished. Hooters and Gordon Biersch permanently closed in February 2020 after severe underperformance. The property consequently moved further away from its original tourism-oriented festival-marketplace model. It now operates primarily as a Hawaii Pacific University campus and mixed-use waterfront property, while retaining dining, limited retail, student accommodation, harbor activity, and connections to the historic Aloha Tower setting.
- 2025
HPU marks its 60th anniversary at the marketplace
[1]Hawaii Pacific University celebrated its 60th anniversary at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
- 2020
Two major original tenants close
[1]Hooters and Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant permanently closed their locations in February.
- 2018
The Old Spaghetti Factory opens
[1]The restaurant opened a large waterfront location on May 21 after relocating from Ward Warehouse.
- 2013
Hawaii Pacific University takes complete control
[1]HPU bought out its development partner and assumed full control, advancing a campus-centered redevelopment.
- 2013
Barnes & Noble College bookstore agreement
[1]Barnes & Noble College agreed to operate a university bookstore at the renovated property.
- 2011
HPU partners in the property's redevelopment
[1]Hawaii Pacific University entered into a partnership with a developer in connection with the marketplace.
- 2009
Hawaii Maritime Center closes
[1]The associated maritime museum closed on May 1 because of insufficient revenue.
- 2002
Owner files for bankruptcy
[1]Aloha Tower LP filed for bankruptcy after operating losses, leading to a reorganization of marketplace shops.
- 1998
Ownership transfers to Aloha Tower LP
[1]Aloha Tower LP, a subsidiary of Trinity Investment Trust, acquired the marketplace.
- 1994
Marketplace opens
[1]Aloha Tower Marketplace opened on November 19, 1994, with a grand-opening performance by the Four Tops.
Products and positioning
A waterfront adaptive-reuse and university-centered mixed-use destination combining dining, limited retail, student housing, historic landmarks, and harbor tourism.
Retail · 1994
Retail marketplace
The original development offered a collection of shops arranged around an open-air festival-marketplace environment. Its retail program was designed to attract both Honolulu residents and harbor visitors, although the complex later reduced its dependence on conventional retail as vacancies increased and university uses expanded.
Food and beverage · 1994
Restaurant and dining venues
Dining has been a central component of the property since opening. Early venues included Hooters, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, and Chai's Island Bistro. Later restaurant activity included The Old Spaghetti Factory, which opened a large waterfront location in 2018. The tenant mix has changed substantially as the complex moved toward a university-centered model.
Higher education and campus services · 2012
Hawaii Pacific University campus facilities
Following HPU's acquisition and redevelopment, many formerly vacant commercial spaces were converted into student dormitories and other university facilities. This campus function now provides the property's principal institutional anchor and regular user base.
Educational retail · 2013
University bookstore
Barnes & Noble College agreed to operate a bookstore serving Hawaii Pacific University at the marketplace. The bookstore was part of the planned campus-oriented reuse of the complex, although its opening depended on completion of HPU's renovation work.
Tourism and cultural attractions · 1994
Maritime and waterfront attractions
The property benefits from its location beside Honolulu Harbor and its relationship to landmarks including Aloha Tower, the Falls of Clyde, and the former Hawaii Maritime Center. Maritime exhibits, Polynesian sailing material, outrigger canoe displays, and harbor-related activities contributed to its original visitor proposition.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2018
The Old Spaghetti Factory opens a waterfront locationProduct launchBackground
The restaurant's former Ward Warehouse location was demolished, requiring a new site.
Action taken
The Old Spaghetti Factory opened a large new restaurant at Aloha Tower Marketplace on May 21.
Aftermath
The opening reinforced the property's continuing role as a waterfront dining destination despite its reduced retail footprint.
2012
Property is redeveloped around Hawaii Pacific UniversityStrategyBackground
The conventional festival-marketplace model had suffered from vacancies and weak commercial performance. HPU sought to create a more reliable institutional use for the site.
Action taken
The university renovated the complex, converted many vacant storefronts into student housing, and retained a smaller group of restaurants and retailers.
Aftermath
Aloha Tower Marketplace became the main campus setting for HPU and shifted from a tourism-led shopping center toward a university-centered mixed-use property.
2002
Aloha Tower LP restructures through bankruptcyOtherBackground
The owner was operating at a loss, with the marketplace affected by limited parking, its distance from other tourist areas, and management problems.
Action taken
Aloha Tower LP filed for bankruptcy, leading to a reorganization of the shops and tenant mix.
Aftermath
The property continued to struggle and was regarded as largely underused by the middle of the 2000s.
1992
Redevelopment is narrowed to a festival marketplaceStrategyBackground
The original plan for condominiums, offices, a hotel, a cruise terminal, and extensive parking encountered financial difficulties and could not proceed as initially designed.
Action taken
Developers phased the project and built the open-air retail and dining component rather than the full mixed-use scheme.
Aftermath
The marketplace opened in 1994, but the absence of the planned hotel, offices, residences, and parking left it more dependent on tenant performance and visitor traffic.
Original project value. (1989-1992)
Sources1 sources
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