Walker Estate
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The Walker Estate is located amongst the cool mountain breezes of upper Nu’uanu Valley, Honolulu. The house was built in 1903 by George Rodiek, of Hackfield and Co., a naturalised German immigrant. Paradise of the Pacific rated it as “the finest residence put up this year” by Paradise of the Pacific in 1903. Originally the estate comprised of a two-story home with a series of gardens featuring ferns, rocks, orchards generally regarded as the oldest formal Japanese garden in Honolulu. Rodiek served as German consul as well as president of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association. But in 1917 he was accused of involvement in the Hindu German Conspiracy to foment revolution in India. Though subsequently given a presidential pardon, he sold the house and moved with his family to San Francisco, never to return. The house was later owned by Henry Alexander Walker, president of American Factors, the successor firm to Hackfeld and Co., and another president of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association.
In 1973 the house was accepted for the National Register listed as a "valuable historic property" by Hawaii Historic Places. Una Walker, Henry's widow, maintained the premises by making the grounds available for weddings and visitors. The gardens were closed to the public in 1983, and thehouse and its 5.86-acre grounds were sold in 1989, two years after Una's death. The new owner, Masao Nangaku of Minami Group (USA) Inc. bought the estate for $8.5 million. His intention was to restore the original house to be used as a corporate retreat. The renovated the house and received a Preservation Honor Award from the Historic Hawaii Foundation and a Grand Award in the Building Industry of America's Renaissance competition. After Nangaku experienced financial problems, Richard Fried and partners took the property over and in 1998 asked for planninmg permission to build a chapel to faciltate weddings on the site. This was refused, and the estate was sold to Holy-eye the same day. In 2005 Holy-Eye listed the estate for sale, asking $12.9 million.
In September 2006, concern was raised that the builing might be demolished by developers TR Partners and replaced by 20 new homes.
