Fort Shafter | |
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Honolulu, Hawaii | |
Richardson Hall at Fort Shafter, nicknamed the "Pineapple Pentagon"
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Type | Army post |
Site information | |
Controlled by | U.S. Army |
Site history | |
Built | 1905-1907 |
In use | 1907–Present |
Battles/wars | Attack on Pearl Harbor |
Garrison information | |
Current commander |
General Robert Brown |
Past commanders |
General Vincent Brooks |
Garrison | U.S. Army Pacific |
Palm Circle Historic District
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Location | Roughly bounded by Carter Dr., Richardson and Funston Rds., A and B Sts., Honolulu, Hawaii |
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Coordinates | 21°21′0″N 157°53′25″W / 21.35000°N 157.89028°WCoordinates: 21°21′0″N 157°53′25″W / 21.35000°N 157.89028°W |
Built | 1907 |
Architect | Quartermaster Corps |
NRHP Reference # | 84000104 |
Added to NRHP | October 26, 1984 |
Fort Shafter is in Honolulu CDP,City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, extending up the interfluve (ridgeline) between Kalihi and Moanalua valleys, as well as onto the coastal plain (as Shafter Flats) at Māpunapuna. Fort Shafter is the headquarters of the United States Army Pacific, commanding most Army forces in the Asia-Pacific region with the exception of Korea. A portion of the area is also known as the Palm Circle Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has been further designated as a U.S. National Historic Landmark. It is also known as Palm Circle or 100 Area. Palm Circle covers an underground command center.
Fort Shafter is the oldest military base on Oahu and celebrated its 100th birthday on June 22, 2007.
Fort Shafter has been home to the senior Army headquarters in Hawaii for a century. Construction began in 1905 on the ahupua'a of Kahauiki, former Hawaiian crown lands that were ceded to the United States government after annexation. When the post opened in 1907, it was named for Major General William Rufus Shafter (1835–1906), who led the United States expedition to Cuba in 1898.
Palm Circle (which is a National Historic Landmark) was laid out as a cantonment for an infantry battalion. The barracks and officers' quarters were arranged around a parade field ringed by Royal Palms. The 2d Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment was the first unit stationed at the new post.
Fort Shafter gradually spread out from Palm Circle. Tripler General Hospital once stood where the highway intersection is today (the hospital moved to its present location in 1948). In 1914, a regimental-sized cantonment area was constructed (near Richardson Theater). The Hawaiian Ordnance Depot was built in 1917 as a separate post (near today's post exchange). In 1921, the Hawaiian Department moved to Fort Shafter from downtown Honolulu. Finally, a new area was constructed in 1940 for Signal Corps elements.