700 Fort Street Mall
Opened: 1951
The triangular Walker Park, located at the intersection of Queen Street and Nimitz Highway, was once the site of the Honolulu Fort. Appropriately, Fort Street takes its name from the site.
In 1816, King Kamehameha allowed Russian fur traders to build a supply house fronting the harbor. When the king found out that the men were instead building a fort and had ill-intentions to take over the island, he had the men removed. The Russians fled to Kauai and continued to scheme, this time with the king of Kauai.
During this time, John Adam Kuakini reigned as governor. He rebuilt the walls of the fort to a height of 16 feet, with a width of 12 feet. The fort was made of coral from the harbor, shaped into bricks. The fort became known as Kekuanohu for its 52 cannons sticking out of the walls along the harbor, which resembled the spine of a scorpionfish.
The fort was demolished in 1857. The coral blocks were used for the foundation and retaining wall that extended the shore into the harbor. The additional land area totals about 15 acres.
The triangular park was created out of the widening of Queen Street and Nimitz Highway in 1951. At the time, Henry A. Walker Jr. was the president of the Amfac Financial Center just next door to the park. The park was named for Walker's contribution to the construction and beautification of the park.