'Iolani Palace

Honolulu, Hawaii

Toured August 2012

Built in 1882 by King Kalakaua, 'Iolani Palace was the official residence of the Hawaiian royal family until deposed Queen Lili’uokalani was released from house arrest. It served as the seat of Hawaiian government until the 1970s. During the Palace’s use as government offices, original woodwork and niches were covered and interior rooms were partitioned. What looked like a trailer was even placed on one of the lanais to create more office space. Restoration began in the 1970s and continues. Much of the woodwork had to be replaced, but the staircase is original.

The palace comprises three levels: entrance floor (state rooms), second floor (living quarters), and basement (kitchen, gallery shop, and displays). Much of the woodwork, etched glass windows, and door hinges are original; some of the furnishings are original. The window hinges (see photo) were created to match the design of the original door hinges. The basement houses a display of the remodeling effort, including before and after pictures. The exterior is Italianate and includes cast-iron Corinthian columns and iron railings.

'Iolani Palace is one of the best house museum tours I’ve ever taken. A volunteer provides a brief history of the palace and an overview of the ground rules. Then visitors are given paper slippers to cover their shoes and released into the palace. An audio tour and brochure with floor plan are available. The audio tour goes room by room and provides information on architectural details as well as how the rooms were used, the people who lived there, and events that occurred there. It even includes snippets of Hawai’ian music, and a little history; however, it never overshadows information on the house itself. On the first floor, volunteers are available to answer questions from books containing information on the furnishings. Photography is allowed, but no flashes can be used. All of my interior photographs are lit by sunlight from the windows.

Features. I loved the entire palace—the etched glass on the doors, the door hinges, the wall niches, gleaming woodwork, the paneled bathtub, the thrones—it’s all gorgeous. Of particular note are the electricity (but no light switches), flush toilets, telephone, and elevator that were all installed at the time of construction. Room lights were cut on and off by the engineer at the behest of residents when they called the onsite generator house. Second floor corner rooms include doorways to outer “tower” rooms. A portion of one of the tower rooms can be seen in the background of the photo of the music room. Also,  the palace lacks a back staircase for servants; everyone used the grand staircase. 

Grounds. The barracks built to house the Royal Household Guard was relocated to the grounds in 1965. It includes a museum shop where replicas of the door hinges can be purchased. The coronation pavilion for King Kalakaua and Queen Kapi’olani is also on the grounds.

Nearby Houses

Queen Emma Summer Palace