In 1845, after King Kamehameha III had unified the Hawaiian Islands, he moved his royal court to the island of Oahu. The previous year, he'd purchased a house and land from the Royal Governor of Oahu. The house had been constructed for the governor's daughter, Princess Victoria, who was expected to rule over Oahu at some time in the future. While the original structure was considered to have been the most elegant building on the island, for its time, it was never intended to be used as a residence. The architectural style was that of a traditional Chief's house for ceremonial purposes, with a throne room, a reception area, and a state dining room. Sleeping quarters were in smaller buildings around the perimeter. Following his purchase of the site, Kamehameha III enlarged the building to include bedrooms for the Royal family. This would become the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii, with the expectation that when succeeding family members died, the land would be passed on. Unfortunately, in 1893, the monarchy was overthrown by a provisional government and Queen Lilli'oukalani was imprisoned in a small room on the second floor for nine months. The provisional government then used the palace as its capitol building until 1964. Fourteen years later, the building was opened as a museum and declared a National Historic Landmark. The palace and its land were only two blocks from our apartment, so it was an easy walk for us to visit it, enjoy its grandeur, and to gain a perspective about the Hawaiian monarchy. The main entrance to Iolani Palace as it appears today. Kamehameha III took the original Chief's house, as seen in this old photograph and enlarged it to its present configuration. Housing the Royal Palace Guards, the barracks building sits at the main entrance to the grounds, and today, serves as the visitor center and ticket office for the palace. Like most palatial residences, there is an elegant, grand staircase in the main entrance hallway... ...ending with a beautiful circular double-stairway on the second floor. Holding true to the traditional Houses of Chiefs, the Dining Room is used for ceremonial State Dinners. Of course, every monarchy needs a Throne Room in which official ceremonies take place. The Crowns of the Hawaiian Monarchy are also on display in the Throne Room. Known as "The Blue Room" because of the color of the drapes and upholstery, this served as a reception room on the first floor. Displayed on the circular couch in the center of the Queens Room, is a copy of "Aloha Oe", the official state song, composed by Queen Lilli'uokalani (her most famous composition) in 1878. Here in the "King's Study", Kamehameha III would deal with the daily tasks of his kingdom. Following the 1893 overthrow of the monarchy, Queen Lilli'uokalani was imprisoned for nine months in this small second floor room... ...where she created this 97" by 95" quilt depicting the story of her imprisonment. Palace meals were prepared in this basement kitchen... ...which included pantries for dinnerware ... ...glass/silverware... ...and the Chamberlain's (i.e. Chief of the Household Staff) offices. The "Coronation Pavillion", just outside the palace, is where King Kalakaua and Queen Kapolani were crowned in 1883. Today, it is used for free Royal Hawaiian Band concerts.
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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