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…
Historic Honolulu Royal Seat
This walking tour guides you through the historic heart of Honolulu, where elegant palaces, coral-block churches, and monumental civic architecture trace Hawaii’s dramatic transition from sovereign kingdom to American statehood.
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1. Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives
2. 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…
3. Tomb of King Lunalilo
The Lunalilo Mausoleum sits on the grounds of Kawaiahaʻo Church in downtown Honolulu. You can identify this small, concrete-block structure by the two koa wood caskets resting on red-carpeted floors inside, flanked by three feathered…
4. 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…
5. Keli'iponi Hale: The Coronation Pavilion
Keliʻiponi Hale, also known as the Coronation Pavilion, is a copper-domed, octagonal gazebo sitting on the grounds of ʻIolani Palace. You can identify it by its distinct eight-sided shape and its prominent position on the lawn.
6. 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…
7. Iolani Barracks
The Iolani Barracks, or Hale Koa, is distinguished by its fortress-like appearance, defined by walls of coral blocks, notched parapets, and corner towers that resemble a medieval European castle. Completed in eighteen seventy-one, the…
8. Queen Lili‘uokalani Statue
The bronze statue of Queen Lili‘uokalani stands between the Hawaii State Capitol and ‘Iolani Palace, positioned on a granite base. Cast in the early nineteen eighties by American sculptor Marianna Pineda, the figure reaches eight feet in…
9. 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,…