5 of 5

Write now Article Tools

The Iolani Palace is the only royal residence on American soil. It is an imposing building, but somewhat modest in size when compared to many European castles. Located in what became downtown Honolulu on the island of Oahu, this sizable gray stone structure is based on Italian style architecture, and executed with a large amount of native Hawaiian materials. The interior presents magnificent, richly hued Hawaiian wood moldings and flooring that complement the plaster and stonework. In it's time, it was equipped with the latest conveniences such as electricity and telephones, long before our White House was. It was a very modern, but very stately Palace. When constructed it was surrounded by an eight foot high coral block wall with wooden gates, but this has been reduced in a series of modifications to a more decorative fence style.

It has an interesting and tragic history, having been built by King Kalakaua, the last King to reign over the Hawaiian islands as a monarchy. During his reign in the late 1800s, he traveled the world and met with other monarchs throughout the world, and returned home and commissioned the construction of the palace. Shortly afterward, while visiting England, Kalakaua and his consort contracted Measles and died; he was succeeded to the throne by his sister, Queen Liliuokalani, in 1891. As the only female to have ruled Hawaii, Liliuokalani was the last of the Hawaiian royal line. She ruled briefly and was deposed, and for a period of time she was imprisoned at the Palace itself. The room where she was kept under house arrest, as well as the rest of the Palace, is open to public tours. While she was imprisoned there, she wrote the song "Aloha Oe" and other songs and poems.

Tragically, when Liliuokalani finally abdicated the throne, the Palace itself was left to ruin and many of the items there were removed. It wasn't until the 1970s that restoration of this grand home was undertaken, and is now in near-original condition for touring by the public. When viewed in 1983 it was sadly underfurnished, however, and the Palace curators have been trying to locate furniture and other items that were taken from the Palace, as seen in historical photographs, and return them to the Palace.

The grounds on which it sits date back further in Hawaiian history and were used for religious ceremonies, and Kamehameha III established his residence on the site. His large home also housed the next four Kings of Hawaii, before it was demolished to make room for the construction of the Iolani Palace. The grounds also formerly housed a tomb of the Hawaiian Royal Family. The Palace grounds include a Barracks building for the Royal Guards, made of coral block. It is in the style of a Medieval castle, and an interesting side trip all it's own. There is also a Coronation Pavilion which was constructed for Kalakaua and Lilioukalani, and later relocated onto the Palace property. Much of the property is still considered sacred, or Kapu, to the Hawaiian people.

Learn more about this author, Kari Nichols.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Museum reviews: Iolani Palace, Honolulu, HI?
We want to hear your view. Write now!