ʻIolani Palace
The only royal palace on U.S. soil. Built by King Kalākaua in 1882 with electric lights before the White House. Later the prison of a deposed queen and the capitol of five successive governments.
Welcome to ʻIolani Palace, the only royal palace on U.S. soil. King Kalākaua built it in 1882, and he did not hold back. This building had electric lights before the White House did.
It had indoor plumbing and a telephone when both were still novelties. Kalākaua had traveled the world and wanted a palace that could look any European court in the eye. The style is called American Florentine, and no other building on earth uses it. Kalākaua died in 1891.
His sister Liliʻuokalani took the throne. Two years later, a group of American and European businessmen backed by U.S. Marines overthrew her. She surrendered from this building, to avoid spilling Hawaiian blood.
After the overthrow, the palace became the capitol of the Provisional Government, then the Republic, then the Territory, then the State of Hawaiʻi. For 87 years, Hawaiian governments operated from these rooms. In 1969 the state finally moved out, and a massive restoration brought the palace back to its 1882 appearance. Walk the grounds before you consider going inside.
The land under your feet was a heiau, a place of worship, long before any Western building stood here. The Coronation Pavilion on the lawn was built for Kalākaua's 1883 coronation. The barracks held the Royal Guard. Take your time.
