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An Apollonaut travel guide
A palace in the city.
An introduction to downtown Honolulu and the palace that stands at its centre, on the corner of King Street and Richards Street.
On this page
Read the city from the palace grounds
ʻIolani Palace stands in downtown Honolulu, its grounds shaded by banyan trees. The former ʻIolani Barracks, Hale Koa, was moved from its original position north-east of the palace and now stands on the grounds.
A city guide can give context without turning a neighbourhood into a backdrop. Notice how a building is placed on its grounds, how its verandas meet the climate and how later government buildings grew up around it.
Verandas, towers and iron gates
Three architects, Thomas J. Baker, Charles J. Wall and Isaac Moore, contributed to the palace’s design, in a style known as American Florentine: two storeys of verandas, corner towers and a central tower.
Begin with a detail and ask how it was made, repaired and maintained. A photograph alone cannot tell you who carved a staircase or restored a ceiling, or the conditions in which they worked.
An ʻIolani Palace chapter
ʻIolani Palace shows a distinctive side of Honolulu: a royal residence built with the latest technology of the 1880s, later a seat of government and now a museum.
Look at the meeting of the two: a palace of a sovereign kingdom, and a modern city that has grown up around it.
Make room for context
Pair this city reading with the palace’s history and the Journal. This is an introduction for visitors, not a claim that our team manages these places, commissions their restoration or represents their makers.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
