Seto Building

Seto Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Seto Building in 2009
Location	4-1435 Kuhio Hwy., Kapa'a, Hawai'i
Coordinates	22°7′7″N 159°19′11″W / 22.11861°N 159.31972°WCoordinates: 22°7′7″N 159°19′11″W / 22.11861°N 159.31972°W
Area	3276 sq. ft.
Built	1929
Architect	Robert Brooks Taylor
NRHP Reference #	79000758[1]
Added to NRHP	4 September 1979

The Seto Building at 4-1435 Kuhio Highway in Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi, was earlier known as the Quality Market and then the Big Save Building. It was built in 1929 to serve as the first general food market on the island of Kauaʻi, with the latest refrigeration methods to store a variety of fresh meat and produce. Its owner, Ah Doi Seto, had immigrated from China in 1888 to work on a sugarcane plantation, but later left the plantation to open a business in bustling Kapaʻa. The building is significant as an unusual example of modern commercial architecture with Chinese design elements, but also as a forerunner of contemporary supermarkets.^[2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.^[1]

References

1. Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. Schleck, Robert J.; Nathan Napoka; Ralston H. Nagata (May 25, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Seto Building" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved March 7, 2014. Accompanied by photos.