Monarchy Period
During the second half of the 19
th century, Hawaiian monarchs sponsored a great deal of building in central Honolulu. The European-influenced Neoclassical and Gothic Revival styles of architecture still dominate the capitol district today. The area's major buildings housed royal families or served as offices for government bureaucracy.
As young men, the future kings Kamehameha IV and Kamehameha V toured the United States and numerous European countries. As a reigning monarch, Kalakaua traveled the globe and observed the architecture favored by other kings and rulers. Well-educated in the Western tradition, these Hawaiian kings housed their court and government in Western-style architecture, generally leaving traditional Hawaiian building design and techniques for less formal structures.
The Old Courthouse built in
1852 of coral block was the first royal government building in Honolulu, erected during the reign of Kamehameha III. Kamehameha V sponsored the building of the Royal Mausoleum (
1865), `Iolani Barracks (
1870) and the Kamehameha V Post Office (
1871) which was the first pre-cast concrete building in Honolulu. Many other prominent buildings were initiated or completed during Kalakaua's reign: Ali`iolani Hale (
1874), Lunalilo Tomb (
1876), `Iolani Palace (
1882) and Kapuaiwa Hale (
1884). Other significant structures - like the Richardsonian Romanesque Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum (
1889) and Kaka`ako Pumping Station (
1900) - were funded by ali`i families or government agencies.
Like Kawaiaha`o Church a generation before, `Iolani Palace was the aesthetic, social and political focal point of monarchy era architecture. The Neo-Florentine building was inspired by Kalakaua's travels and took three years and $360,000 to build. Kalakaua intended it to be a showcase for Hawaiian materials and Western innovation. Brick and stucco covered a steel skeleton; decorative elements included cast iron Corinthian columns and a hand-carved staircase of Hawaiian woods. The building included the first flush toilets installed in a royal palace and the first electric light system in Hawai`i. It also featured intra-house telephones. Although neither Kalakaua nor his sister Lili`uokalani who succeeded him to the throne used `Iolani Palace as their primary residence, it was the stage for all state occasions and Honolulu's most glittering social events. After the overthrow of the monarchy, Lili`uokalani was imprisoned in the palace. In the following decades, it continued to house the legislative and executive branches of government.
