Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
“royal hawk”). Don't miss the opportunity to see this grande dame of historic buildings.
Tours are limited—see for details on tour hours and admission prices.
In ancient times a heiau stood in this area. When it became clear to King Kamehameha III
that the capital should be transferred from Lahaina to Honolulu, he moved to a modest
building here in 1845. The construction of the palace was undertaken by King David
Kalakaua and was begun in 1879; it was finished 3 years later at a cost of $350,000. The king
spared no expense: You can still see the glass and iron work imported from San Francisco.
The palace had all the modern conveniences of its time: Electric lights were installed 4 years
before the White House had them; every bedroom had its own full bathroom with hot and
cold running water and copper-lined tub, a flush toilet, and a bidet. The king had a tele-
phone line from the palace to his boathouse on the water a year after Alexander Graham
Bell introduced it to the world.
It was also in this palace that Queen Liliuokalani was overthrown and placed under house
arrest for 9 months. Later, the territorial and then the state government used the palace un-
til it outgrew it. When the legislature left in 1968, the palace was in shambles and has since
undergone a $7-million overhaul to restore it to its former glory.
The coat of arms of the Kingdom of Hawaii displayed at Iolani Palace reads, “The life of the land is perpetuated
in righteousness.”
After you visit the palace, spend some time on the:
