Aliiolani Hale - Where the Kingdom Fell

Photo: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Historic Downtown Honolulu Walk, a free self-guided tour.

This grand building with its clock tower was first planned as a palace for Kamehameha V, but the government needed offices more than the king needed a home, so it became the kingdom's courthouse and government center in 1874. Its name means house of heavenly kings. It is still the home of the Hawaii State Supreme Court.

On January 17, 1893, the Committee of Safety, a group of mostly American and European businessmen and lawyers led by Lorrin Thurston, read a proclamation here ending the monarchy. They said the queen had acted illegally by trying to replace the 1887 constitution and restore royal power. Her supporters saw it as a coup, made possible because the U.S. minister had brought armed sailors and Marines ashore. The queen yielded under protest, to the United States rather than to the committee, to avoid bloodshed. A century later, in 1993, Congress formally apologized for the U.S. role.

Inside, the free King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center tells the story; check its hours.

Getting here: Walk back inland on Richards Street to King Street; the building with the clock tower is on your right, just past the Kamehameha statue.

Did you know?: TV fans know this building as the police headquarters in the 2010 series Hawaii Five-0.

Photo op: From the King Street sidewalk across from the building, frame the clock tower above the arched front porch.

More on Wikipedia: Ali?iolani Hale · Lorrin A. Thurston · Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom · Apology Resolution

Aliiolani Hale - Where the Kingdom Fell

Stops on this tour