A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY- Built in 1913, the Kauai Historic County Building was one of the first county buildings built in the Territory of Hawaii. Over the years the building, once the center piece of Kauai’s cultural heritage, was showing its age. Due to numerous renovations and surgical repairs, the building was losing its original character and its once great relevance and appeal. On March 2010, Shioi Construction, Inc. was selected to perform a full restoration of this prestigious and historic building. Being one of the oldest builders on Kauai, we felt an obligation not just as general building contractors, but as preservationists and care-takers of Kauai’s history. Our goal was to bring the building “back to what it used to be” by meticulously restoring the place back to its original grandeur.  In addition to the symbolic windows and exterior cornice, other significant accomplishments included bringing back to life the original doors and hardware from 1913, and the full restoration of the Lobby and Atrium. Each aspect of the restoration became a project onto its own. Each having its own share of unforeseen issues, customization and other challenges that required out of the box, unconventional thinking. After nearly one and a half years of meticulous and painstaking restoration work, Shioi Construction successfully completed the project. The Kauai County Building restoration embodied all of the elements of a challenging and successful project. A restoration of prominent and historical significance, it required sensitivity as preservationists, inspired ingenuity and innovative problem solving, and brought together the best people on the Island.