It is the site of a residential complex built for Francis Hyde ʻĪʻī Brown (1892–1976) who was a champion golf player and legislator.

Brown was a grandson of native Hawaiian historian and judge John Papa ʻĪʻī.

After his parents divorced in 1898 his mother remarried, which was the subject of a lawsuit due to ambiguity in the original will.

Swimmer Duke Kahanamoku spent his honeymoon in a guest house and helped design swimming pools on the property.

[7] In 1932 Brown also bought a small cottage built for James Frank Woods and Eva Parker at Kalahuipuaʻa about 8 miles (13 km) to the north.

The complex was abandoned during World War II in 1941, and Keawaiki was sold to nephew Zadoc White Brown (1917–2006).