Christopher Hemmeter
Encyclopedia
Christopher Hemmeter was a real estate developer who pioneered the concept of the destination resort in Hawaii and was involved in casino gaming development, primarily in New Orleans and Colorado.
and grew up in Los Altos
in the San Francisco Bay area. After attending Cornell University
and graduating first in his class in 1962 he moved to Hawaii and got a job as a management trainee at the Sheraton Royal Hawaiian.
Hemmeter's development career began in the 1960s when he partnered with Henry Shigekane and Diane Plotts to develop resorts in Hawaii. Projects he was involved with included developing the Westin Kauai, Hyatt Waikoloa and the Westin Maui. Hemmeter's signature "...is best known for the extreme - some would say outrageous - lavishness of the Hawaii hotels he built in the 1980's." When the Westin Kauai opened in September, 1987, suites cost up to $1,800 and rooms ran double the island's average at $180 per night. The hotel was set in 560 acres (2.3 km²) and boasted two golf courses and a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) reflecting pool, adding to the reported $775 million development cost.
Former Hawaii Governor Ben Cayetano called Hemmeter, "...a man of great vision and energy, More than anyone else, he changed the nature of resort development in Hawai'i. The four- and five-star hotels on the Big Island and Maui are the products of his work." In 1988 he ranked 389th on the Forbes Wealthiest American list.
In September 1987 Hemmeter made a $100 million bid for Hawaiian Airlines
which was accepted, but which was withdrawn in December of that year after the October 19th stock market crash
.
In 1993 a partnership of Hemmeter and Caeser's World obtained the lease on the Rivergate property, which by law was the only place the land-based casino could be built in Louisiana, beating out a rival bid by Harrah's. In August, 1993, however, the State Casino Board awarded the state's sole casino license to Harrah's and not the Hemmeter-Caesar's partnership. The impass of one company owning the only license and another owning the only lease was resolved when the two entities formed a joint venture under pressure from then-Governor, Edwin Edwards. The new entity, known as "Harrah's Jazz" established a temporary casino in the Municipal Auditorium in order to establish a cash flow while the main facility was under construction at the Rivergate. The temporary facility opened in May, 1995 and a week later was closed due to a flood. The poor location of the site resulted in the actual gaming take falling 60% below projections at only $13.1 million per month. Equally concerning was the fact that 60% of gamers at the temporary facility were locals and not out-of-town tourists, undercutting the economic benefit backers hoped gaming to provide to the tourist industry.
Harrah's Jazz halted construction on the permanent facility at 3 am the day before Thanksgiving, 1995 and laid off 1,600 construction workers, 2,500 casino employees, and filed for bankruptcy. Later, the project was taken over by Harrah's who built the Harrah's New Orleans Casino
on the site of Hemmeter's project. He also saw failures of his New Orleans riverboat projects
and Colorado gaming property, Bullwackers. Hemmeter filed personal bankruptcy
in 1997.
. This team, known as The Hawaiians
, represented a serious attempt at a viable professional football organization. Hemmeter was one of the few owners who was reasonably well financed.
After a financially disastrous first season, Hemmeter replaced league founder Gary L. Davidson as the league's commissioner. and proposed a plan of restructuring for the league which was known as the Hemmeter Plan. The plan envisioned restoring the league to financial health by restructuring players' salaries to a $500 per game minimum with a profit sharing arrangement with the teams, and a fresh cash infusion from the team owners. Ultimately, those efforts were brought undone when a failed effort to sign Joe Namath
for the league's Chicago
franchise caused television partner TVS
to back out. The lack of a national television contract, combined with the league's already damaged reputation, resulted in the league folding in the middle of the 1975 season.
and hosted both him and President Ronald Reagan
at his various homes. He originated the design concept for the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
.
Hemmeter was diagnosed with liver cancer
shortly before he died of the disease and had been dealing with Parkinson's disease
as well. He died at his home in Brentwood, California.
Hemmeter was married to his wife, Patricia for 25 years.
Real estate development
Christopher Hemmeter was born in 1939 in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and grew up in Los Altos
Los Altos
Los Altos is the name of several places, including:* the former state of Los Altos, Central America, now divided between Guatemala and Mexico.* the city of Los Altos, California, in the United States....
in the San Francisco Bay area. After attending Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
and graduating first in his class in 1962 he moved to Hawaii and got a job as a management trainee at the Sheraton Royal Hawaiian.
Hemmeter's development career began in the 1960s when he partnered with Henry Shigekane and Diane Plotts to develop resorts in Hawaii. Projects he was involved with included developing the Westin Kauai, Hyatt Waikoloa and the Westin Maui. Hemmeter's signature "...is best known for the extreme - some would say outrageous - lavishness of the Hawaii hotels he built in the 1980's." When the Westin Kauai opened in September, 1987, suites cost up to $1,800 and rooms ran double the island's average at $180 per night. The hotel was set in 560 acres (2.3 km²) and boasted two golf courses and a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) reflecting pool, adding to the reported $775 million development cost.
Former Hawaii Governor Ben Cayetano called Hemmeter, "...a man of great vision and energy, More than anyone else, he changed the nature of resort development in Hawai'i. The four- and five-star hotels on the Big Island and Maui are the products of his work." In 1988 he ranked 389th on the Forbes Wealthiest American list.
In September 1987 Hemmeter made a $100 million bid for Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a major airline of the United States. It is the largest airline based in the State of Hawai'i, and is the 11th largest commercial airline in the country. Based in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu, the airline operates its main hub at Honolulu International...
which was accepted, but which was withdrawn in December of that year after the October 19th stock market crash
Black Monday (1987)
In finance, Black Monday refers to Monday October 19, 1987, when stock markets around the world crashed, shedding a huge value in a very short time. The crash began in Hong Kong and spread west to Europe, hitting the United States after other markets had already declined by a significant margin...
.
Casinos
Hemmeter returned to the mainland in 1991 when he began to develop casino gaming projects. His biggest project was a proposed $1 billion casino in New Orleans. Billed at the time as "the world's largest casino". The original design resembled Monte Carlo's 1861 casino, intending to evoke the New Orleans 1885 Cotton Exposition and Chicago's 1893 World Columbia Exposition. The developers estimated the casino would attract one million additional visitors to the city and would generate annual revenues of as much as $780 million, estimates that were based in part on the proven success of dockside gaming in the Mississippi Gulf Coast area.In 1993 a partnership of Hemmeter and Caeser's World obtained the lease on the Rivergate property, which by law was the only place the land-based casino could be built in Louisiana, beating out a rival bid by Harrah's. In August, 1993, however, the State Casino Board awarded the state's sole casino license to Harrah's and not the Hemmeter-Caesar's partnership. The impass of one company owning the only license and another owning the only lease was resolved when the two entities formed a joint venture under pressure from then-Governor, Edwin Edwards. The new entity, known as "Harrah's Jazz" established a temporary casino in the Municipal Auditorium in order to establish a cash flow while the main facility was under construction at the Rivergate. The temporary facility opened in May, 1995 and a week later was closed due to a flood. The poor location of the site resulted in the actual gaming take falling 60% below projections at only $13.1 million per month. Equally concerning was the fact that 60% of gamers at the temporary facility were locals and not out-of-town tourists, undercutting the economic benefit backers hoped gaming to provide to the tourist industry.
Harrah's Jazz halted construction on the permanent facility at 3 am the day before Thanksgiving, 1995 and laid off 1,600 construction workers, 2,500 casino employees, and filed for bankruptcy. Later, the project was taken over by Harrah's who built the Harrah's New Orleans Casino
Harrah's New Orleans
Harrah's New Orleans is a casino located in New Orleans, Louisiana near the foot of Canal Street a block away from the Mississippi River. It is a casino with approximately 2,100 slot machines, over 90 table games and a poker room. There are several places to eat ranging from buffet style to fine...
on the site of Hemmeter's project. He also saw failures of his New Orleans riverboat projects
River City Casino (New Orleans)
River City Casino was a twin riverboat casino complex in New Orleans, Louisiana, located one block upriver from New Orleans Morial Convention Center....
and Colorado gaming property, Bullwackers. Hemmeter filed personal bankruptcy
Personal bankruptcy
Personal bankruptcy is a procedure which, in certain jurisdictions, allows an individual to declare bankruptcy. In other jurisdictions, bankruptcies are reserved for corporations.-Canada:...
in 1997.
World Football League
In 1974, Hemmeter was granted a franchise in the fledgling World Football LeagueWorld Football League
The World Football League was a short-lived gridiron football league that played in 1974 and part of 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest the WFL reached was placing a team – the Hawaiians – in Honolulu, Hawaii. The...
. This team, known as The Hawaiians
The Hawaiians
The Hawaiians were a professional American football team based out of Honolulu that played in the World Football League. They played two seasons, 1974 and 1975. Their records were 9-11 in 1974 and 4-7-1 in 1975. Their home stadium was Honolulu Stadium in 1974 and Aloha Stadium in 1975...
, represented a serious attempt at a viable professional football organization. Hemmeter was one of the few owners who was reasonably well financed.
After a financially disastrous first season, Hemmeter replaced league founder Gary L. Davidson as the league's commissioner. and proposed a plan of restructuring for the league which was known as the Hemmeter Plan. The plan envisioned restoring the league to financial health by restructuring players' salaries to a $500 per game minimum with a profit sharing arrangement with the teams, and a fresh cash infusion from the team owners. Ultimately, those efforts were brought undone when a failed effort to sign Joe Namath
Joe Namath
Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...
for the league's Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
franchise caused television partner TVS
TVS Television Network
The TVS Television Network, or TVS for short, was a syndicator of American sports programming. It was one of several "occasional" national television networks that sprang up in the early 1960s to take advantage of the establishment of independent television stations and relaxation of the AT&T...
to back out. The lack of a national television contract, combined with the league's already damaged reputation, resulted in the league folding in the middle of the 1975 season.
Other business interests
- Founder & Chairman of the Bank of Honolulu
- Director, First Hawaiian BankFirst Hawaiian BankFirst Hawaiian Bank is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii at the First Hawaiian Center. It is a subsidiary of BancWest Corporation, which itself is a subsidiary of the French banking company, BNP Paribas...
- Director, Morrison Knudsen
- Director, Resort Income Investors
Personal
Hemmeter was friends with former President Jimmy CarterJimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and hosted both him and President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
at his various homes. He originated the design concept for the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia houses U.S. President Jimmy Carter's papers and other material relating to the Carter administration and the Carter family's life...
.
Hemmeter was diagnosed with liver cancer
Liver cancer
Liver tumors or hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver . Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. These growths can be benign or malignant...
shortly before he died of the disease and had been dealing with Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
as well. He died at his home in Brentwood, California.
Hemmeter was married to his wife, Patricia for 25 years.
Awards
Hemmeter received the following awards:- Businessman of the Year (Hawaii)
- Salesperson of the Year (Hawaii)
- Marketing Man of the Year (Hawaii)
- Islander of the Year (Hawaii)
- Independent Hotelier of the World (1991)
Charitable work
Hemmeter was active in a number of charities, including:- Director, Carter CenterCarter CenterThe Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. In partnership with Emory University, The Carter Center works to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering...
- Director, National Symphony Orchestra (Washington D.C.)
- Trustee, Punahou School (Hawaii)
- Member, Young Presidents Organization
- Trustee Fellow, Cornell UniversityCornell UniversityCornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...