S. Hata Building, Historical commercial building in Hilo, Hawaii

The S. Hata Building is an early commercial structure in downtown Hilo featuring 14 large arched window bays and reinforced concrete construction that defines its style. The ground floor houses multiple storefronts, while upper levels provide additional space that was once used for storage and offices.

Sadanosuke Hata, a Hiroshima-born merchant who arrived in Honolulu in 1891, opened S. Hata Shoten in Hilo on January 3, 1896. As the business prospered, he built this reinforced concrete store and office block in 1912 for $25,000 on land sold by the U.S. government on condition that he build in concrete within a year. Seized and auctioned during World War II, it was bought back by his daughter Kagawa Kasujiro.

The building's name comes from S. Hata Shoten, the store Sadanosuke Hata opened in Hilo on January 3, 1896, selling Japanese silks, kimono, eastern souvenirs and provisions. The Hilo Farmers Market began on this block in 1988, held every Wednesday and Saturday at the end of Mamo Street. The Sadanosuke Hata Charitable Foundation, formed in 1999, supports the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii in Honolulu.

The building stands at 308 Kamehameha Avenue, on the block where Mamo Street meets the waterfront highway, route 19. The Hilo Farmers Market has been held on this block since 1988, every Wednesday and Saturday at the end of Mamo Street. The ground floor holds shops and the Cafe Pesto restaurant, so the storefronts can be seen while walking the sidewalk.

This structure survived a devastating 1946 tsunami that struck Pacific coasts and destroyed many buildings in the region, demonstrating the strength of its construction. Its ability to withstand such forces while others around it were damaged makes it stand out as a survivor of Hilo's most difficult moments.