Theodore Heuck
Encyclopedia
The Queen's Medical Center
The Queen's Medical Center, originally called Queen's Hospital is an acute private non-profit hospital in downtown Honolulu founded in 1859 by Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV.-Description:...
(dedicated to Queen Emma
Queen Emma of Hawaii
Queen Consort Emma Kalanikaumakaamano Kaleleonālani Naea Rooke of Hawaii was queen consort of King Kamehameha IV from 1856 to his death in 1863. She ran for ruling monarch against King David Kalākaua but was defeated....
), the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii
Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii
The Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii, known as Mauna Ala in the Hawaiian language, is the final resting place of Hawaii's two prominent royal families: the Kamehameha Dynasty and the Kalākaua Dynasty.-Description:...
in 1865, and [[ʻIolani Barracks]] in 1871.
Early life
He was born in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and grew up as an only child.
Traveling from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Heuck arrived in Hawaii January 20, 1850 and advertised as the first professional architect. Finding no business, he became a partner with Herman Von Halt in a retail store, "General Commission Merchants".
He became a citizen 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 married Mahiki on March 22, 1852.
Starting out
Trained as an architect, carpenter, and engineer Theodore C. Heuck was first noticed by King Kamehameha IVKamehameha IV
Kamehameha IV, born Alexander Iolani Liholiho Keawenui , reigned as the fourth king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from January 11, 1855 to November 30, 1863.-Early life:...
while walking around Heuck's retail store. The king saw Heuck's work and immediately wanted him to start building architecture in Honolulu. Heuck agreed and decided that he and his partner Herman Von Halt should split up. Their retail store was shut down and Von Halt went on to being a merchant while Heuck started building for the king.
The contract
Theodore C. Heuck signed a contract stating that any building he constructed would be free of flaws. Failure to meet the terms of this contract would be death. Instead the other men had received their pay when all they did was check to see if Theodore was doing his job. Of course Theodore was furious with this but did not stress the matter, for fear that he would be killed for not being appreciative to the gift he already had.Before starting, Heuck was given a contract on May 26 which stated that he would be responsible for any flaws that may occur when finished with any piece of architecture.
The Queen's Hospital
By order of King Kamehameha IV, the Queens Hospital, now known as The Queen's Medical CenterThe Queen's Medical Center
The Queen's Medical Center, originally called Queen's Hospital is an acute private non-profit hospital in downtown Honolulu founded in 1859 by Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV.-Description:...
, was created in 1860 and was dedicated to Queen Emma and the people of Hawaii. This building was Heuck's first major project. In order to start building this creation, King Kamehameha IV had to first get approval from the legislature. So in 1854 he announced to the legislature the objective to create a hospital for the people of Hawaii. At that time, the Hawaiian race was seriously threatened by different types of disease brought to the islands by foreign visitors. Queen Emma supported the dream of a hospital, and the two campaigned tirelessly to make it a reality. They personally went door-to-door making the necessary funding. The royal couple exceeded their goal in just over a month, raising $13,530. In turn, the Legislature provided $6,000. On November 1, 1860 Heuck's contract ended. The trustees thanked Heuck for his hard work and promised that his name would be placed on the building, but he did not receive any money.
Heuck was appointed to the Privy Council from 1863 ro 1864, and then elected a representative to the legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom
The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom was the bicameral legislature of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term "Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom", and the first to subject the monarch to...
from 1864–1867, and served as the secretary of the Board of Health.
He was also made a Knight of the order of Kamehameha I
Royal Order of Kamehameha I (decoration)
The Royal Order of Kamehameha I was founded on 11 April 1865 by King Kamehameha V in memory of his grandfather King Kamehameha I and in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Kingdom of Hawaii. This Order was granted to both native Hawaiians and foreigners for distinguished...
and a trustee of Queens Hospital. The Queen's Medical Center has become a major provider of health care to the people of Hawaii and stands near downtown Honolulu on Punchbowl Street.
The Royal Mausoleum
Built by Heuck in Nuuanu, Oahu at Mauna ala, the Royal Mausoleum was surrounded by a black fence, bearing the royal seal at the gate and built a small chapel which is located near the center. This was Heuck's second project. After finishing this structure on February 3, 1864, there was a large national funeral for the king.
Iolani Barracks
Built partially from coral blocks and blocks cut with prison labor, Iolani Barracks, also known as Halekoa, (House of warriors) was designed by Heuck in 1871 under the direction of King Lot Kapuaiwa (King Kamehameha V). The barracks was used by the kingdom's army, formerly called the "Household Troops" and housed about 60 soldiers. Heuck constructed the barracks to have a medieval castle look from Europe. It had coral block walls and a slate roof. It was surrounded by rooms once used by the guards as a mess hall, kitchen, dispensary, and lock up. This building was originally constructed in the site where the Hawai State Capital now stands. Every stone of Iolani Barracks was moved in 1965 to its present location at 364 South King Street on the Iolani Palace grounds. This was Heuck's third project completed and he spent an overbudgeted amount of $25,103.78. After the completion of this architecture Heuck's name was placed in the back of the barracks. The structure was placed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational 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. After the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893 the barracks was used on several occasions as headquarters for the National Guard of Hawaii. Now it has a palace shop, ticket office, video theater, and membership office.
Controversy
Theodore C. Heuck was awarded many times for his architectural work and has been recognized for his altruism. Controversy still was part of his life. In 1870 Attorney General Stephen Henry PhillipsStephen Henry Phillips
Stephen Henry Phillips was an American lawyer who served as the Attorney General of Massachusetts and the Kingdom of Hawaii and as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and on King Kamehameha V's Privy Council.-Early life:...
claimed that Heuck was buying stolen whalebone to construct a building. This case continued until 1873 when both men went to court. During the trial, the jury decided Heuck was innocent. Meanwhile Phillips was found guilty for presenting false evidence. Heuck was later attacked for getting "no bid" contracts on government projects while effectively serving as Director of Public Works.