The Territorial Building is a government building of the Territory of Hawaii

Territory of Hawaii

The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...

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Description

The building is located at 425 South King Street in downtown Honolulu

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...

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The Territorial Building was designed by the architect Arthur Reynolds, in the Classical Revival

Neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...

 architectural style. Building started in 1925 and was finished in 1926. A four-story tower sits atop a two-story base, with decoration only in the public areas. The front includes a large stairway with double landings, with massive columns for decoration. The central lobby has a leaded glass dome dipicting the seal of Hawaii

Seal of Hawaii

The Great Seal of the State of Hawaii was designated officially by Act 272 of the 1959 Territorial Legislature and is based on the territorial seal. Modifications to the territorial seal included the use of the words "State of Hawaii" at the top and "1959" within the circle...

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It is also called Kekuanaoa building after the royal politician Mataio Kekūanāoʻa

Mataio Kekuanaoa

Mataio Kekūanāoa was descended from the high chiefs of the island of Oahu. His name Mataio was the Hawaiian form of Matthew, although the former remain the most common form used to referred to him....

  (1793–1868).

It became the home of the Attorney General of Hawaii

Attorney General of Hawaii

The Attorney General of Hawaii is the chief legal and law enforcement officer of Hawaii. In present-day statehood within the United States, he or she is appointed by the elected governor with the approval of the state senate and is responsible for a state department charged with advising the...

 and other state offices.
The building is adjacent to Aliiolani Hale

Aliiolani Hale

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....

 and within walking distance of the 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...

, Iolani Palace and Kawaiahao Church. The area was placed 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...

 in 1978 as the Hawaii Capital Historic District

Hawaii Capital Historic District

The Hawaii Capital Historic District in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been the center of government ever since the earliest days of the unified Hawaiian Kingdom.-Location:...

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In fiction

During season nine (1976) of the television series Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-O

Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...

, Steve McGarret and his men had their offices in the Territorial Building rather than their usual home at the Iolani Palace, which was undergoing renovations at the time.