Washington Place - The Queen's Home
Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
A stop on Historic Downtown Honolulu Walk, a free self-guided tour.
Behind the trees and the iron fence stands the gracious white home of Queen Liliuokalani. A sea captain, John Dominis, started building it in 1846 but was lost at sea before it was finished. His son, John Owen Dominis, married the future queen in 1862, and this became her home for the rest of her life.
She was living here in 1895 when supporters of the monarchy launched an armed attempt to restore her. It failed, weapons were found buried in the garden, and the queen was arrested in this house. To win the release of her jailed supporters, she signed a formal abdication. She protested the loss of her kingdom and opposed annexation for the rest of her life, and she died here in 1917.
The Territory bought the house in 1921 and it served as the governor's residence until 2002. Today it is a museum; public tours are offered by reservation, so check ahead.
Getting here: Walk inland on Punchbowl Street to Beretania Street and turn left; Washington Place is behind the fence across from the Capitol.
Did you know?: The house was named Washington Place in honor of George Washington, a name approved by King Kamehameha III in 1848.
Photo op: Look through the front gate on Beretania Street to frame the white columns and wide veranda framed by the garden trees.
More on Wikipedia: Washington Place · Lili?uokalani · John Owen Dominis · 1895 Wilcox rebellion
Stops on this tour
- Iolani Palace - A King's Modern Palace
- Iolani Barracks - Home of the Royal Guard
- Capitol Modern - Art in an Old YMCA
- Chinatown - Lions at the Gate
- Aloha Tower - The Harbor's Front Door
- Aliiolani Hale - Where the Kingdom Fell
- King Kamehameha Statue - The Statue That Sank
- Kawaiahao Church - Built From the Reef
- Mission Houses - New England in the Tropics
- Washington Place - The Queen's Home
- Damien and Liliuokalani Statues - Two Beloved Figures
- Hawaii State Capitol - Open to the Sky