- City:
- Lahaina, HI
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Picnic and Other Facilities, Landscaping and Tree Planting
- New Deal Agencies:
- Work Relief Programs, Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Quality of Information:
- Moderate
- Marked:
- Yes
- Site Survival:
- Partially Extant
Description
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) developed downtown Lahaina’s Banyan Tree Park. The park surrounds an immense banyan tree (a variety of tropic ficus) that covers three-quarters of an acre. It is the largest and best known tree in Hawai’i.
There is a stone marker in the park that says the WPA built the park, which presumably means that relief workers landscaped the park, added paving and built benches. It appears that the benches have been replaced recently.
A massive wildfire burned through Lahaina in August 2023 and scorched the famous Banyan Tree; it is unknown to Living New Deal whether the tree and park has survived.
Source notes
WPA marker at the park
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/us/lahaina-banyan-tree.html
Site originally submitted by Hank Chapot on August 29, 2014.
Additional contributions by Zia Walker-Chinoy.
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