McKinley High School was built in 1923, but in many ways, this school dates back to 1865 with the establishment of an English Day School. That school was located in what was once a fortified Russian-controlled portion of the island marked by what is now Fort Street. After a few moves, the school was also renamed in 1907 for William McKinley, the twenty-fifth President of the United States who made the controversial decision to annex Hawaii and make it an American territory in spite of opposition by the Queen and native Hawaiians. During the 1920s and 1930s, half of all secondary school students in Hawaii attended McKinley High School.
Thomas Square was officially established in 1850 and is named in honor of British Admiral Richard Darton Thomas. In 1843, Queen Victoria sent Thomas to the island to restore Hawaiian sovereignty. Thomas landed in July 1843 and ended the unauthorized British takeover that had occurred five months earlier by Captain Lord George Paulet. The attempt to occupy and control Hawaii in 1843 is known as The Paulet Affair and serves as context for other attempts to control the island chain in the 19th century. The ceremony to restore King Kamehameha III to power took place at the park. The current state motto is "the life of the land is preserved in righteousness," a phrase that was first used by the restored King of Hawaii at this ceremony. The park features a bronze sculpture of "Kamehameha III" next to the Hawaiian flag and is administered by the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Founded by Anne Rice Cooke in 1927, the Honolulu Museum of Art, formerly Honolulu Academy of Arts, is Hawai‘i’s largest private presenter of visual arts programs, with an internationally recognized collection of more than 50,000 works spanning 5,000 years with significant holdings in Asian art, American and European painting and decorative arts, 19th- and 20th-century art, an extensive collection of works on paper, Asian textiles, and traditional works from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. In addition, film and concert programs, lectures, art classes and workshops make the museum the city’s cultural hub. It also has one of the largest single collections of Asian and Pan-Pacific art in the United States.
Mabel Smyth died at an early age (42), but her accomplishments as a nurse and her service to the field of Public Heath live on through the dedication of this building to her memory upon its completion during World War II. When Smyth died in 1937, a local effort to commemorate her life resulted in the dedication of this public health building in her honor. C.W. Dickey, a highly acclaimed Hawaiian architect, designed the building.
This historic mansion was built in 1847 for John Dominis, a wealthy American merchant. John Dominis's son John Ownes Dominis married Queen Liliuokalani the last monarch of Hawaii The mansion serves as the focal point for the transition of Hawaii from a monarchy to that of a U.S. territory and state. A coup d'état backed by American forces in 1893 ousted the Queen, who lived here with her husband John Owen. The former monarch continued to live here after John Owens' death. During the coup, she was confined here as a prisoner temporarily. She continued to live here after the coup until her death. The residence transitioned to the executive residence for the U.S. territorial (and state) governors until 2002. The mansion is now a National Historic Landmark and open for tours.
The Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts was created in 1965 by the Hawai'i State Legislature to promote, preserve, and importantly encourage the arts and culture. To this end it offers classes, and cultural backgrounds, as well as hosting a museum with so much history and information to offer on the people of Hawai'i.
Our Lady of Peace (1843) is one of the oldest remaining buildings in Hawaii and serves as a monument to the religious struggles that took place in Hawaii during the 1830s. This historic church is a reminder of the growing American Protestant influence on the island's religious, cultural and political affairs, which included mistreatment of diverse religious leaders including Catholics and an effort to force Catholic priests to leave the island. The 1839 Laplace Affair was in many ways a response to these actions as the French military intervened to end the persecution of Catholics. The now-historic Cathedral opened its doors in 1843.
Built in 1922, the exceptional decor, lavish details, and modern engineering behind the Hawaii Theatre made this building the "Pride of the Pacific" when it opened according to local newspaper reports. The theater hosted stage productions and films upon its open, with well-known performers frequenting the stage. Similar to many other historic theaters, the structure had suffered from deferred maintenance and faced potential demolition before a fundraising campaign and series of renovations in 1992 saved the Hawaii Theatre. Today, the historic structure continues to serve as a cultural and entertainment center.
William F. Dillingham constructed this building in 1929 as a headquarters for his family's growing empire. Dillingham, along with his father Benjamin Franklin Dillingham, left an indelible mark on Hawaii with their entrepreneurial endeavors which included railroads, dredges and docks, and sugar plantations. The family was also responsible for many of the early docks at Pearl Harbor. The building serves as an excellent example of Mediterranean Revival Style architectural design style.
This historic downtown Honolulu building was constructed in 1902 by English sailor and merchant Joseph W. Podmore. Podmore did business in Honolulu during the early 1900s and built this structure for the purpose of renting it to retailers and professionals. The structure is one of the few surviving stone-cut buildings in Hawaii and is made of local lava (basalt) rock. Portuguese immigrant stone masons that cut the lava rock to create the building, which later served as the headquarters of the Hawaiian Board of Missions. The building also served as a center of commerce and transportation as a variety of businesses from DHL to local retailers.
Dedicated in 1982, this monument honors Queen Liliuokalani, the first female monarch and the last ruler of the independent kingdom of Hawaii. Liliuokalani would be remembered for her attempt to preserve the kingdom's independence and her love of the Hawaiian people. She is also known as a poet, musician, and leader who helped to craft a new Constitution to preserve the monarchy. She confronted sugar planters who supported annexation by the United States in ways that put her against many well-established American companies and wealthy families who hoped to seize power and present the island to the United States government for annexation. US Marines supported a coup led by people representing planters and others that saw Queen Liliuokalani’s palace surrounded by armed men. Liliuokalani agreed to step down from her throne to prevent bloodshed under the terms that she would be allowed to present her perspective to Congress. Queen Liliuokalani won over many American leaders and even convinced the President that the coup was a violation of Hawaiian sovereignty. The question of whether or not to annex Hawaii became a leading political issue until the Spanish-American War. At that time, Hawaii was seen as an important strategic location as it was halfway between the Philippines and America's West Coast. Congress supported annexation after the war and Hawaii became a US territory in 1900. Liliuokalani spent the rest of her life as an advocate of forgiveness although she still opposed annexation and worked to preserve some measure of political self-determination and cultural independence for Native Hawaiians. Queen Liliuokalani worked to preserve Hawaiian traditions: writing and playing songs, sharing her cultural heritage, and helping people in need. Before her death, she established the Liliuokalani Trust to be used to help orphaned Hawaiian children. Queen Liliuokalani said this in her memoir, "I could not turn back the time for the political change, but there is still time to save our heritage. You must remember never to cease to act because you fear you may fail.”
Built from 1899-1900 and in the wake of the American annexation of Hawaii, this building was home to Hawaii's first major brewery, the Honolulu Malting and Brewing Company. The company was best known for the popular Primo Lager, a brand that lasted long after the building was sold to the American Brewery Company. Royal Brewery name is a reference to the beer made by that company, although Primo beer resumed production after Prohibition and was popular through the 1960s. Primo later became part of the Schlitz brewing empire before being produced by Stroh's and finally Pabst. The building is currently home to the Hawaii Community Development Authority and serves as a reminder of the numerous industrial buildings that arose during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Built in 1934, the building served as a U.S. immigration office until World War II when it temporarily served as a detention facility that held persons of Japanese ancestry. As a result, the building reflects the complex and often difficult history of immigration history in Hawaii, from independence to annexation and from World War II to the present. For nearly 100 years, more than 300,000 immigrant laborers arrived to the islands, and most of these new arrivals hailed from Asia and worked at the island's many plantations and mills. Though plenty of negatives arrived with that history, the multi-cultural richness that also arrived is what C.W. Dickey -- prominent native Hawaiian architect attempted to capture with some of the design, though that was comprised during World War II.
As Hawaii (and Honolulu) grew, so did urban issues including disease associated with unclean drinking water. From 1896 to 1900, officials financed the construction of a modern sewer system which included this pumping station which pushed the island's sewage 1,200 feet out to sea. This historic building operated as the primary pumping station for the area near Waikiki until 1955. In 2014, efforts began to convert the historic building into the Na Kupuna Makamae (The Beloved Kupuna) Center for senior citizens. To see the pumping station is to understand the constant battle created by urbanization, once deemed a "flush and forget" society by environmental historian, Theodore Steinberg. Urban locations must always find a way to drink from clean water while simultaneously using that water to dispose of waste. Thus, as Oahu grew, so did its urban problems and the pumping station served as its first line of defense against one of its most significant issues -- disease related to unclean water.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This walking tour starts at Hawaii's leading art museum and winds its way west to the downtown area with stops at historical and cultural landmarks along the way. We will add more entries to the tour shortly.
