A landmark downtown building named for a colorful character in Hawai'i's history soon will be renovated at a cost of more than $5 million.

The Walter Murray Gibson Building, at the 'ewa-makai corner of Bethel and Merchant streets, has a leaky roof and other problems that must be fixed soon, officials say.

"It definitely needs attention," said city construction director Eugene Lee. "Working conditions there are, I would say, far less than ideal."

The building houses the city's property tax assessment office, and the roof has "leaks galore," he said.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann's proposed budget for the coming fiscal year includes $5,065,000 to renovate the building's interior, plus $1.5 million to move the city workers out and lease temporary office space elsewhere. There will be additional costs for replacing the roof.

The Mediterranean-style building near Honolulu Harbor was constructed in 1931 and housed police headquarters and District Court chambers in years past.

Many residents of a certain generation recall, not so fondly, paying traffic tickets there.

More recently, scenes for the TV series "Lost" have been filmed inside.

The building was designed by architect Louis Davis and resembles Honolulu Hale. It features walls of Wai'anae sandstone, front doors of Philippine mahogany, a tile roof and a spiraling exterior staircase. The words "Honolulu Police Station" are cast in terra cotta above the front doors.

The structure was known as the Government Office Building, then the Old District Court Building, and was renamed in 1989 to honor Gibson, an American adventurer who came to the islands in 1861 and became prime minister under King Kalakaua.

Gibson, a former owner of this newspaper when it was known as the Pacific Commercial Advertiser, fled the islands in 1887 amid political strife, after his plan to establish a Polynesian island federation under Kalakaua fell apart.

Gibson died of tuberculosis in San Francisco a year later, and his body was returned to Honolulu.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com.