Aliiolani Hale
Encyclopedia
Aliiōlani Hale is a building located in downtown Honolulu
, Hawaii
, currently used as the home of the Hawaii State Supreme Court
. It is the former seat of government of the Kingdom of Hawaii
and the Republic of Hawaii
.
Located in the building's courtyard is the famed gold-leaf statue of Kamehameha the Great
.
in an Italian Renaissance Revival as the royal palace for King Kamehameha V
. In the Hawaiian language
, Aliiōlani Hale means "House of the heavenly King"; also, the name "Aliiōlani" was one of the given names of Kamehameha V.
Although the building was designed to be a palace, Kamehameha V realized that the Hawaiian government desperately needed a government building. At that time, the several buildings in Honolulu used by the government were very small and cramped, clearly inadequate for the growing Hawaiian government. Thus, when Kamehameha V ordered construction of Aliiōlani Hale, he commissioned it as a government office building instead of a palace.
Kamehameha V laid the cornerstone for the building on February 19, 1872. He died before the building was completed, and it was dedicated in 1874 by one of his successors, King David Kalākaua
. At the time, Hawaiian media criticized the building's extravagant design, suggesting that the building be converted into a palace as originally designed.
Until 1893, the building held most of the executive departments of the Hawaiian government as well as the Hawaiian legislature and courts.
, under the leadership of Lorrin A. Thurston
, deposed Queen Liliuokalani by public proclamation and the United States Marine Corps
was ordered to forcibly remove the reigning queen. A 1993 resolution passed by Congress
and signed by President of the United States
Bill Clinton
declared the use of American military force in 1893 illegal.
After the establishment of the Hawaiian provisional government in 1893 and the Republic of Hawaii
in 1894, some of the offices in Aliiōlani Hale were moved to Iolani Palace, including the Hawaiian legislature. As a result, Aliiolani Hale became primarily a judicial building.
The growing size of Hawaii's government continued to be a problem for the building, however, especially after Hawaii became a United States territory in 1900. In 1911, the building was extensively renovated to help solve these space problems. The entire interior of the building was gutted and rebuilt, giving the building's interior a completely new floorplan. Since the building was originally designed to be a palace, its floorplan was not adequate for its later usage as a judicial building. The new layout of the building fixed this problem.
The size of the territorial government continued to grow. In the 1940s, a new wing was added to the building to help alleviate the growing problem of overcrowding. The architects who designed the new wing tried to blend it in with the original building that dated back to the 1870s.
Over the next many decades, most of the state judiciary functions moved out of Aliiōlani Hale to various other buildings around Honolulu (including the state district, family, and circuit courts). Today, the building houses the Hawaii State Supreme Court and is the administrative center of the Hawaii State Judiciary. It also houses the Judiciary History Center, a museum featuring a multimedia presentation of Hawaii's judiciary, a restored historic courtroom, and other exhibits dealing with Hawaii's judicial history. The building also houses Hawaii's largest law library. In 2010, John Andreoni's firm of King's Custom Koa won the contract to replace the koa wood doors.
In December 2005, a capsule
buried by Kamehameha V when he laid the cornerstone was located, at the direction of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
, by Professor Larry Connors of the University of Denver
using ground penetrating radar. The capsule contained photos of royal families and the constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Hawaiian postage stamps, Hawaiian and foreign coinage, newspapers, a calendar and books. The capsule was located to protect it during future renovations, and not retrieved due to concerns of damaging the structure of the building itself.
Copper thieves stripped several copper downspouts from the building in 2006.
Aliiōlani Hale is one of many buildings in downtown Honolulu listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Within walking distance are the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace
, Hawaii State Capitol
, Hawaii State Library
, Honolulu Hale
, Iolani Palace, Kawaiahao Church, Territorial Building
, and Washington Place
.
Downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, governmental, and central part of Honolulu—bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Honolulu Harbor to the south—situated within the larger Honolulu District...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, currently used as the home of the Hawaii State Supreme Court
Hawaii State Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Hawaii is the highest court of the State of Hawaii in the United States. Its decisions are binding on all other courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The principal purpose of the Supreme Court is to review the decisions of the trial courts in which appeals have been granted...
. It is the former seat of government of the Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
and the Republic of Hawaii
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands...
.
Located in the building's courtyard is the famed gold-leaf statue of Kamehameha the Great
Kamehameha Statue
Several Kamehameha Statues honor the monarch who founded the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Gould's work:One stands prominently in front of Aliiolani Hale in Honolulu, Hawaii. The statue had its origins in 1878 when Walter M. Gibson, a member of the Hawaiian government at the time, wanted to commemorate the...
.
Establishment and monarchy period
The Aliiōlani Hale was designed by Australian Thomas RoweThomas Rowe
Thomas Rowe , wasone of Australia's leading architects of the Victorian era.-Biography:Thomas Rowe was born in Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom, the eldest son of Richard Rowe and Ursula Mumford, and attended Barnes Academy. At 15 he became a draftsman in his father's building business before the...
in an Italian Renaissance Revival as the royal palace for King Kamehameha V
Kamehameha V
aloghaKamehameha V , born as Lot Kapuāiwa, reigned as monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipa`a": immovable, firm, steadfast or determined; he worked diligently for his people and kingdom and was described as the last great traditional chief...
. In the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
, Aliiōlani Hale means "House of the heavenly King"; also, the name "Aliiōlani" was one of the given names of Kamehameha V.
Although the building was designed to be a palace, Kamehameha V realized that the Hawaiian government desperately needed a government building. At that time, the several buildings in Honolulu used by the government were very small and cramped, clearly inadequate for the growing Hawaiian government. Thus, when Kamehameha V ordered construction of Aliiōlani Hale, he commissioned it as a government office building instead of a palace.
Kamehameha V laid the cornerstone for the building on February 19, 1872. He died before the building was completed, and it was dedicated in 1874 by one of his successors, King David Kalākaua
Kalakaua
Kalākaua, born David Laamea Kamanakapuu Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and sometimes called The Merrie Monarch , was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawaii...
. At the time, Hawaiian media criticized the building's extravagant design, suggesting that the building be converted into a palace as originally designed.
Until 1893, the building held most of the executive departments of the Hawaiian government as well as the Hawaiian legislature and courts.
Overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy
It was from Aliiōlani Hale in 1893 that the Committee of SafetyCommittee of Safety (Hawaii)
The Committee of Safety, formally the Citizen's Committee of Public Safety, was a 13-member group of the Hawaiian League also known as the Annexation Club...
, under the leadership of Lorrin A. Thurston
Lorrin A. Thurston
Lorrin Andrews Thurston was a lawyer, politician, and businessman born and raised in the Kingdom of Hawaii. The grandson of two of the first Christian missionaries to Hawaii, Thurston played a prominent role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom that replaced Queen Liliuokalani with the...
, deposed Queen Liliuokalani by public proclamation and the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
was ordered to forcibly remove the reigning queen. A 1993 resolution passed by Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and signed by President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
declared the use of American military force in 1893 illegal.
After the establishment of the Hawaiian provisional government in 1893 and the Republic of Hawaii
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands...
in 1894, some of the offices in Aliiōlani Hale were moved to Iolani Palace, including the Hawaiian legislature. As a result, Aliiolani Hale became primarily a judicial building.
Aliiōlani Hale since 1900
The size of the territorial government continued to grow. In the 1940s, a new wing was added to the building to help alleviate the growing problem of overcrowding. The architects who designed the new wing tried to blend it in with the original building that dated back to the 1870s.
Over the next many decades, most of the state judiciary functions moved out of Aliiōlani Hale to various other buildings around Honolulu (including the state district, family, and circuit courts). Today, the building houses the Hawaii State Supreme Court and is the administrative center of the Hawaii State Judiciary. It also houses the Judiciary History Center, a museum featuring a multimedia presentation of Hawaii's judiciary, a restored historic courtroom, and other exhibits dealing with Hawaii's judicial history. The building also houses Hawaii's largest law library. In 2010, John Andreoni's firm of King's Custom Koa won the contract to replace the koa wood doors.
In December 2005, a capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
buried by Kamehameha V when he laid the cornerstone was located, at the direction of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command is a joint task force within the United States Department of Defense whose mission is to account for Americans who are listed as Prisoners Of War , or Missing In Action , from all past wars and conflicts. It has been especially visible in conjunction with the...
, by Professor Larry Connors of the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
using ground penetrating radar. The capsule contained photos of royal families and the constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Hawaiian postage stamps, Hawaiian and foreign coinage, newspapers, a calendar and books. The capsule was located to protect it during future renovations, and not retrieved due to concerns of damaging the structure of the building itself.
Copper thieves stripped several copper downspouts from the building in 2006.
Aliiōlani Hale is one of many buildings in downtown Honolulu listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Within walking distance are the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace
Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace — also known by its original French name Cathédrale de Notre Dame de la Paix, its Portuguese variant Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Paz and its Hawaiian derivative Malia o ka Malu Hale Pule Nui — is the Mother Church of the Diocese of Honolulu and houses...
, Hawaii State Capitol
Hawaii State Capitol
The Hawaii State Capitol is the official statehouse or capitol building of Hawaii in the United States. From its chambers, the executive and legislative branches perform the duties involved in governing the state...
, Hawaii State Library
Hawaii State Library
The Hawaii State Library is a historic building in the City & County of Honolulu that serves as the seat of the Hawaii State Public Library System, the only statewide library system and one of the largest in the United States. The Hawaii State Library building is located in downtown Honolulu...
, Honolulu Hale
Honolulu Hale
Honolulu Hale , located on 530 South King Street in downtown Honolulu in the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, is the official seat of government of the city and county, site of the chambers of the Mayor of Honolulu and the Honolulu City Council.In the Hawaiian language, hale means house or building...
, Iolani Palace, Kawaiahao Church, Territorial Building
Territorial Building
The Territorial Building is a government building of the Territory of Hawaii.-Description:The building is located at 425 South King Street in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii....
, and Washington Place
Washington Place
Washington Place is a Greek Revival palace in the Hawaii Capital Historic District in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was where Queen Liliuokalani was arrested during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Later it became the official residence of the Governor of Hawaii. It is a National Historic Landmark,...
.