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Iolani Palace
The Iolani Palace is located in
the capitol district of downtown Honolulu, Hawaii and has become the
only royal palace that is used as a official residence by a reigning
monarch in the United States. It is also a National Historic
Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
There were two monarchs that governed from the palace; King Kalakaua
and Queen Lili'uokalani until the monarchy was finally overthrown in
1893. Then it became a capitol building for the provisional
government, republic, territory and state of Hawaii until 1969 and
was then used as museum in 1978. The building that sits on the
ground today is the second palace to sit there; with the original
being constructed during the reign of Kamehameha III and was a one
story Greek revival structure made from coral block and was only a
third of the floor size of the present palace. It was bought by
Kamehameha III from Governor Mataio Kekuanaoa of O'ahu, who had
constructed it for his daughter, Princess Victoria Kamamalu,
Kamehameha III's niece, when he moved his capital from Lahaina to
Honolulu in 1845. As were most of the traditional ail'i residences,
there weren't any bedrooms, just throne room, reception room and
state dining room. Other houses were built around the palace to
serve as sleeping quarters, although Kamehameha III preferred the
grass huts he put around the palace to sleep in. It was called Hale
Ali'i that means the House of the Chiefs. Then, during Kamehameha V
was the king, he changed its name to Iolani, which means royal hawk
and was the royal residence during the reigns of Kamehameha IV and
V, plus Lunalio and the beginning of Kalakaua's reign. It was a
simple kind of home, more stately than palace, but at that time, it
was the grandest place in the area. Kamehameha V was the first ruler
to dream of a royal palace that befitted the ruler of a modern
country like Hawaii and he commissioned the building of Ali'iolani
Hale. It was built across the street from the Iolani and named after
himself. During that period, the country really needed a government
building, because those that were available were small and cramped.
After a period of time, Ali'iolani Hale would become an
administrative building instead of palace, that held the judiciary
of the Kingdom of Hawaii and other ministries. When David Kalakaua
took the throne, the original palace was in very poor condition and
had terrible termite damage. He instructed the palace to be burned
down. But he was the first ruler to travel around the globe, and
when visiting those other monarchs noticed the grand and elaborate
palaces that were residences to the other monarchs. He also dreamed
of a grander palace to house the royal ruler of the country and
commissioned a new palace to be constructed right across from
Ali'iolani Hale and it would become the grand palace that was
envisioned. It was finished in 1882 and cost $360,000 with
electricity and telephones, even before the White House and became
the official residence of the Hawaiian monarchy; until its overthrow
in 1893.
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