On this site stood the villa of Chung Afong, Hawai‘i’s first Chinese millionaire, who arrived in Honolulu in 1849. By 1855, he had his fortune in retailing, real estate, sugar and rice, and for a long time held the government monopoly opium license. Chung Afong was a member of King Kalākaua‘s privy council, and married Julia Fayerweather, a descendant of Native Hawaiian royalty, with whom he had 16 children, 13 of whom were daughters. He was inspiration for Jack London’s famous story, “Chun Ah Chun.” His Waikīkī villa occupied three acres of landscaped grounds. Here he gave grand parties for royalty, diplomats, military officers and other dignitaries.

In 1904 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers purchased the property for $28,000 to make way for the construction of Batter Randolph and the no-longer-extant Battery Dudley to defend Honolulu Harbor from foreign attack. The battery consisted of two 14-inch guns, capable of firing a 1,560 pound projectile over a range of 14 miles.