Right here at this spot was wetlands fed by streams flowing from Manoa Valley. Hawaiians cultivated taro here. Many of these farmers died from the diseases brought by the early White colonists. They did not have the immune systems to protect them from previously unknown diseases. Then it was a rice farm tended by Chinese farmers until the Ala Wai Canal was built. The canal cut off the water supply to all the farms. This spot was bought by tourist industry developers. Sometime in the 1960s, it became the famous Canlis Restaurant. Canlis was a hot spot for a time. A steak and lobster joint housed in a lava rock building with orchids growing from the walls in the restaurant's interior. Waitresses wore kimonos. Part of their job was to mince and feign humility. Canlis closed sometime in the 1980s and became a Police Sub-station in the 1990s. The cops heard ghosts in the building all the time. One of the ghosts was reputed to have been a waitress who died in Canlis. Some of the cops brought ti leaves and Hawaiian salt to calm the ghosts. This spot, along with the surrounding area got bought again in 2000 by an international developer call the Waikiki Promenade Honu Group for $5.5 million dollars. Now it is a Chanel boutique, part of a huge Shopping center for the wealthy. For the opening event, they brought in Al Green. They closed off Kalakaua Avenue and Al Green sang three songs.