A pair of local investors are moving forward with a multimillion-dollar effort to revive Honolulu Chinatown’s long-vacant Wo Fat Building, transforming one of the neighborhood’s most recognizable landmarks into affordable housing, retail and cultural space.
Wai Tung “Ave” Kwok and Del Fujinaka, who purchased the building in August, plan to open 22 affordable housing units on the second and third floors by February, followed by roughly 5,500 square feet of ground-floor restaurant and retail space in August or September 2027. The project also includes restoring the iconic Dragon Room as a museum highlighting Wo Fat’s history and Chinatown’s role in shaping Hawaii’s Chinese community.
The redevelopment, which is expected to cost $3 million to $5 million, is the latest attempt to revive one of Chinatown’s most recognizable buildings after years of failed proposals, including a boutique hotel backed in part by former University of Hawaii football coach June Jones. Kwok and Fujinaka view affordable housing as critical to Chinatown’s continued
revival back to a place
where people can live, work and play — and welcome visitors to share in its history and culture.
“This building has been failing since the 1960s. It was in the wrong people’s hands,” Kwok said, adding that affordable housing is a more practical use than a boutique hotel and bar. He points to a waiting list of 127 people for affordable units at his nearby Maunakea Marketplace as evidence of
demand.
Built in 1938 at Hotel and Maunakea streets, the Wo Fat Building once housed one of Hawaii’s most famous Chinese restaurants. Much of the upper floors, including former banquet halls, have sat vacant since the restaurant closed in 1994.
Among its most distinctive features is the Dragon Room, an octagonal third-floor space overlooking Maunakea Street with a dragon mural and decorative columns painted by
Japanese American artist
T. Takeuchi. Kwok and Fujinaka plan to preserve the room, which has served as a filming location for “Hawaii Five-0,” and convert it into a small museum.
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Developed by W.S. Ching in the late 1930s, the building grew out of a restaurant enterprise that survived Chinatown’s fires of 1886 and 1900. Chinese American architect Yuk Ton Char designed the landmark with a blend of Art Deco and Chinese influences that remain visible in its pagoda, green-tiled roof and Chinese-language signs.
But Kwok said the building’s significance isn’t limited to its eye-catching architecture.
“That building is very important to Chinatown historically,” he said.
Visitors regularly stop by to share memories of weddings, family gatherings and other milestones held there.
“People come and say, ‘My mom and dad married here.’ I’ve had people in tears saying, ‘My grandma was here,’” Kwok said.
Fujinaka said the project is designed to balance historic preservation with uses that serve Chinatown’s evolving needs. The affordable rentals will be reserved for residents earning up to 80% of area median income, while the commercial space could house restaurants, coffee shops, specialty
retailers or other local
businesses.
Kwok said the housing component is being prioritized because more residents can help strengthen the neighborhood by improving safety, supporting businesses and generating activity beyond normal business hours.
“My tenants are my eyes and ears,” he said. “They let me know when something is wrong and what needs to be fixed.”
Kwok has long been an investor in Chinatown, where he started in 2017 with the purchase of the circa-1926 Siu Building which is just across the street from the Wo Fat Building. Since 2023, he has served as chairman of Maunakea Marketplace, where he owns and manages 79 commercial and 38 affordable housing tenants.
Together with Chinatown Neighborhood Board Chair Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock, Kwok formed the Chinatown Security Team, an endeavor he credits in part to the 18% reduction in Chinatown crime that the Honolulu
Police Department reported between 2023 and 2026.
Kwok and Fujinaka said their investment strategy at the Wo Fat Building and
in other joint endeavors
centers on acquiring underperforming properties, addressing underlying issues and creating long-term value through active management. In July, they purchased 1580 Makaloa St, which Fujinaka said was a “Class C” building that he normally would not have considered acquiring.
“It’s the storyline of looking at the underdog buildings and situations and how we are going to flip it for good,” Fujinaka said, adding that already after some
investment the building’s occupancy has risen to 89% from 71%.
They also have purchased the Hoku Pa‘a Living Center, a more than 65-acre North Shore property that includes a vacant building with 115 elderly housing units. The partners said they are targeting February to reopen the facility to residents.
Fujinaka, who got to know Kwok through their sons’ time at ‘Iolani School, said he became a co-owner in the Wo Fat Building because he was drawn to Kwok’s vision of revitalizing Chinatown through what he calls “purpose-driven investment.”
Fujinaka said his own vision of what can happen in Honolulu’s Chinatown dates back to 2018 when he visited Japan for an acquisition
and was introduced to a
revitalized Yokohama Chinatown, which had been dramatically improved
from 2003.
“It was just a great gathering place for businesses. They brought bus lines and rail out — so whenever I see the cranes going up for the rail in Hawaii more and more I’m getting excited about Ave’s vision for Chinatown,” he said.
Kwok said the Taiwanese government’s decision to raze the Chinatown Cultural Plaza for redevelopment also is expected to temporarily shift some of the traffic that was there into the North and South King Street section of Chinatown and into the center hub, which includes the Kekaulike Mall, Maunakea Marketplace, the Siu Building, and the Wo Fat Building.
Longevity International Enterprises Corp., which manages the plaza on behalf of Taiwan interests, has said it plans to complete environmental and archaeological reviews before demolishing the existing structures and soliciting redevelopment proposals from developers. On Sept. 18, Longevity
sent tenants a notice that
all leases would end by March 31.
Longevity said it intends to create “a modern, safe, and vibrant new landmark with stronger Taiwanese characteristics” while continuing to serve as a cultural bridge between Taiwan and Hawaii.
In the meantime, Kwok said, “We’re going to see a lot of challenges in the
Chinatown Cultural Plaza area, and the tenants will be very nervous. Business will not be looking well and finally they’ll start to move to this side.”
Kwok said safety, cleanliness and new investment are important to Chinatown’s future, but ultimately, the key focus must be on preserving the culture and history that has long drawn people to the neighborhood.
“Only the culture element has attracted the people to come here,” he said. “You really enjoy the architecture here. You really enjoy the culture of Chinatown.”