Washington Place is a two-and-a-half-story Greek Revival mansion defined by its exterior walls of coral stone, wooden upper framing, and wide verandas that wrap around the house. Built between eighteen forty-four and eighteen forty-seven…
Hawaii Capital Walk
This stroll through Honolulu's historic core traces the rise and fall of the Hawaiian kingdom alongside the birth of its state government. You will see grand royal estates, coral-block churches, and iconic civic landmarks that defined Hawaii's political history.
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1. Washington Place
2. Hawaii State Capitol
The Hawaii State Capitol is marked by its radical departure from the traditional, dome-topped government buildings found across the United States. Completed in nineteen sixty-nine and designed by John Carl Warnecke and the firm Belt,…
3. Hawaii State Library
The Hawaii State Library is distinguished by the prominent, heavy Tuscan columns that span its front facade on South King Street. Opened in nineteen thirteen, this flagship building was funded by a one hundred thousand dollar grant from…
4. Iolani Palace
Iolani Palace is a two-story structure of plastered brick, concrete, and iron, distinguished by its American Florentine architectural style. Completed in eighteen eighty-two by King David Kalākaua, it stands as the only official royal…
5. King Kamehameha I Statue
The King Kamehameha I statue stands eighteen feet tall in front of Aliʻiōlani Hale, finished in a dark patina with gilded garments. It commemorates the ruler who unified the Hawaiian Islands in eighteen ten, yet the figure itself is a…
6. Aliʻiōlani Hale
Aliʻiōlani Hale is defined by its central clock tower and the prominent gold-leaf statue of Kamehameha the Great standing in its courtyard. King Kamehameha the Fifth commissioned the building in the eighteen seventies, originally intending…
7. Kawaiahaʻo Church
Kawaiahaʻo Church is distinguished by walls constructed from fourteen thousand slabs of coral rock. These blocks, some weighing as much as one thousand pounds, were harvested by Hawaiian divers who chiseled them by hand from offshore reefs…
8. Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives
The Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives is defined by a cluster of three distinct buildings built between eighteen twenty-one and eighteen forty-one, each showcasing a different material approach to life in the islands. The…
9. Honolulu City Hall
Honolulu Hale, the seat of government for the City and County of Honolulu, is identifiable by its Italianate Spanish Colonial Revival style and the open-air courtyard modeled after the Bargello in Florence. Completed in nineteen…