by Andrew Walden
Disgraced former Honolulu Mayor Jeremy “Pay-to-Play” Harris’ book didn’t sell very well.
Now his 'Uki'uki Place home is on the market.
According to property records, the house was built for Harris in 1990, six years into Harris’ time working at the top of Frank Fasi’s administration. Harris was Fasi’s Managing Director from 1986 to 1994 when Fasi resigned to run for governor and Harris automatically became Mayor.
As Harris described being Mayor to the Honolulu Advertiser in 2004: “… it is also the most all-encompassing -- it is your whole life, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ... There is no personal life, there is no family life, it is all the city."
The house has solid koa floors and an indoor artificial rock feature with waterfall, pools, and fireplace for romantic evenings with campaign contributors.
Usually in government contracting, the koa goes on the walls and the rock feature goes in the front lobby.
Questions for sharp-eyed readers: Can you identify whose work the rock feature is? And who was supplying large amount of koa planks to the City and County of Honolulu in 1990?
Another question: Are any Honolulu County offices missing large Persian carpets?
The house is situated on nearly 16 acres of conservation land, on Ukiuki Street in Kalihi Valley. Three sections are conveniently zoned R7.5. The house includes a rental unit on the lower level and the realtor’s ad says, “Room to Build Another Home!”
As with all landed estates in urban Honolulu, Harris was paying a paltry $2,207 in property taxes for 2011. His 16 acre estate was assessed at $697,600—about the same as many tract homes on 10,000 square foot lots in Kalihi Valley. Here’s how the realtor describes it:
Surrounded By the BEAUTY of Nature! CUSTOM DESIGNED Home in a Tropical Forest Setting! Dramatic SOARING Ceilings, Skylights and Walls of Windows! Rich Solid KOA WOOD Floors! 2/2 plus loft on 1st Level. 1/1 on Lower Level! Almost 16 ACRES Zoned R7.5 (22,286sf) & Preservation. Room to Build Another Home! A Nature Lover's Sanctuary W/PRIVATE Hiking Trail! Convenient Location But Away From it All!
Now that it is time to sell, the assessment value is history. The estate is listed for $1,250,000.
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