Lunalilo | Page 4 | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

July 27, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kekāuluohi

Kekāuluohi, daughter and firstborn (July 27, 1794) of Kaheiheimālie and Kalaʻimamahu (Kamehameha’s younger half-brother,) was reared by her maternal grandparents, Namahana and Keʻeaumoku, who “fondled her as if she were a feather lei from the precious mamo bird.” (Luomala)

“Her grandfather, Keʻeaumoku, was the most noted of all the warriors of Kamehameha I, and by his personal prowess placed that eminent man on the throne of Hawaii; first by slaying with his own hand his great antagonist Kiwalaʻo, and subsequently Keōua, the only remaining enemy on that island.” (Jarves; The Friend)

Kekāuluohi was “a favorite above all the other grandchildren,” and was also the favorite of the uncles and cousins of her aunt Kaʻahumanu, her mother’s older sister and one of Kamehameha’s wives.

Kekāuluohi was looked on as the family head, and her father’s own trusted kahu and the latter’s kin were her caretakers.

“(S)he was betrothed in her youth to Pomare, the King of Tahiti, but his death prevented the union by marriage of the Kingdoms of the Hawaiian and Society Islands. She is reported to have been remarkably handsome in her youth, and as having possessed a very tenacious memory, treasuring up the old genealogies of the islands.” (Jarves; The Friend)

Kekāuluohi became Kamehameha’s youngest wife, cowife (punalua) with her mother, her mother’s sister, and other high-ranking chiefesses. After Kamehameha’s death his son Liholiho (Kamehameha II) took her as one of his wives. Around 1821 Kamehameha II gave Kekāuluohi to his friend Charles Kanaʻina.

Kekāuluohi succeeded her half-sister Kīna‘u as Kuhina Nui. Initially, she was considered something of a “place-holder” for Kīna‘u’s infant daughter Victoria Kamāmalu, who would later assume the office. (Archives)

“…The authority hitherto possessed by my mother Kaʻahumanu II. Until her decease is now transferred to my other mother (Miriam Kekāuluohi) though Victoria Kamehamalu II is her superior, but still under my direction.”

“Furthermore; no documents nor notes, referable to government, after this date, which have not my own signature, and also that of Miriam Kekāuluohi at the bottom of said writing will be acknowledged as government papers.” (Proclamation: Ke Kukala Ana a Ke Ali‘i, June 8, 1839; Archives)

“The person who attracted, our attention most, was Kekāuluohi. … She was altogether one of the most remarkable-looking personages I have ever seen.” (Wilkes, 1849)

“She lives in a grass-hut near the water, and has several chiefs in attendance on her: she appears to be a good-natured and contented person, and has adopted some foreign customs in her way of living.” (Wilkes, 1849)

“This lady is upwards of six feet in height; her frame is exceedingly large and well covered with fat. She was dressed in yellow silk, with enormously large gigot sleeves, and wore on her head a tiara of beautiful yellow feathers interspersed with a few of a scarlet colour.” (Wilkes, 1849)

“Above the feathers appeared a large tortoise-shell comb, that confined her straight black hair. Her shoulders were covered with a richly embroidered shawl of scarlet crape. She sat in a large arm-chair, over which was thrown a robe made of the same kind of yellow feathers as decked her tiara.” (Wilkes, 1849)

Kekāuluohi was a co-signer with Kamehameha III of Hawai‘i’s first Constitution in 1840, which provided for an elected representative body, a first step toward the common people gaining political power. The constitution also codified for the first time, the responsibilities and authority of the Kuhina Nui.

Other important events during Kekāuluohi’s tenure were the threats to Hawaiian sovereignty by the French and English. Soon after assuming her office in 1839, the French threatened war if Kamehameha III did not provide special privileges to the Catholic missionaries, repeal liquor laws and grant generous concessions to French citizens in Hawai‘i.

Then, in 1843, the infamous Charlton land claim resulted in the temporary loss of Hawaiian sovereignty when Lord George Paulet intervened and took possession of the Hawaiian Islands on behalf of the King of England. Richard Charlton was the British Consul in Honolulu who, in 1840, claimed valuable land based on dubious documentation and authority.

As the pressures of international diplomacy and economic development increased on the Hawaiian kingdom, it was necessary to structure the government for better administrative control. As her life came to a close, Kekāuluohi appointed Gerrit P Judd as Minister of the Interior to administer on her behalf. (Archives)

Kekāuluohi became a member of the Protestant church of the missionaries. “In the afternoon the congregation assembled again, a little earlier than the usual hour, and the church took their seats in order round the table of the Lord.”

“Kekauluohi first presented herself before the church and congregation, and, at her request, her desire to consecrate herself to God, and to obey the Gospel, was made known, and she was propounded for admission after further trial.” (Bingham)

“(I)n 1834, Miriam Kekāuluohi having, with her husband, Kanaʻina, built an elegant two story house of rock coral, near the mission houses, at Honolulu, received and entertained, one evening, at a well-furnished table, thirty-three missionaries, including men and women, presiding herself with the dignity of a Christian matron.”

“Kekāuluohi, having tried the routine of civilized domestic life, about two years, in her well finished and furnished habitation, received, at a Christian tea-party, the king, and some twelve or fourteen chiefs .… After tea, the company being conducted to the large upper drawing-room, united, as was customary, in a hymn and prayer.” (Bingham)

By Kanaʻina she had a son Prince William Charles Lunalilo, born on January 31, 1835; he succeeded Kamehameha V as king.

Kekāuluohi and Kanaʻina were the adoptive parents (kahu hānai) not only of Kalama, who became the wife of Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III,) but of the royal couple’s second son. (Luomala)

Kekāuluohi died June 7, 1845. “She was a chiefess of the highest rank at the time of her death. Mr. Jarves in an obituary notice published in the Polynesian of June 21, 1845, writes thus:”

“She was the last adult member of that distinguished family which for the past sixty years has, as it were, shared the Hawaiian throne with the Kings themselves.” (Jarves; The Friend)

The Hawai‘i State Archives is located in the Kekāuluohi Building on the ʻIolani Palace Grounds just behind the Kanaʻina Building (Old Archives Building.)

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Kekauluohi. Sketched by A. T. Agate; engraved by Welch and Walter

Kekauluohi by Alfred Thomas Agate

Kekauluohi_1842_signature

Kekauluohi-WC

Kekauluohi_(1864)

Proclamation-by-Kamehameha-III-naming Kekauohi-Kuhina Nui

July 5, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

“Call the little baby Kīna’u.”

“I was born in the ‘Old Mission House’ in Honolulu on the 5th day of July, 1831. When I was but a few hours old, ‘Kīna’u,’ the Premier, came into the bedroom with her crowd of ‘kahus,’ took me into her arms and said that she wanted to adopt me, as she had no girl of her own.”

“My mother, in her weak state, was terribly agitated, knowing that the missionaries were unpopular and entirely dependent on the good-will of the natives, so feared the consequences of a denial. They sent for my father in haste, who took in the state of affairs at a glance.”

“’We don’t give away our children,’ he said to Kīna’u. ‘But you are poor, I am rich, I give you much money,’ replied the Chiefess. ‘No, you can’t have her,’ my father answered firmly. Kīna’u tossed me angrily down on the bed and walked away, leaving my poor mother in a very anxious frame of mind.” (Wilder; Wight)

“She accordingly went away in an angry and sullen mood, and was not heard from until the infant was being christened a few weeks later, when she again appeared, elbowed the father to one side, and exclaimed in the haughtiest of tones, ‘Call the little baby Kīna’u.’”

“Fearing that a second refusal would result disastrously, the parents agreed, and the child was accordingly christened Elizabeth Kīna’u Judd.” (The Friend, May 1912)

Kīna’u “seemed somewhat appeased after the (christening) ceremony, and, as I was the first white girl she had ever seen, deigned from that time on to show a great interest in me, either visiting me or having me visit her every day.” (Wright, Wight)

Kīna’u, daughter of Kamehameha I, became a Christian in 1830. She succeeded her aunt Kaʻahumanu as Kuhina Nui upon the latter’s death in 1832.

She acted as the Regent for her brother Kauikeaouli when he became King Kamehameha III, from June 5, 1832 to March 15, 1833. She would rule with him until her death. She was responsible for enforcing Hawaiʻi’s first penal code, proclaimed by the king in 1835.

Gerrit and Laura Judd were in the 3rd Company of missionaries. In 1839, at the request of King Kamehameha, Judd, a physician, looked after the royal children in the Chiefs’ Children’s School.

Judd left the mission in 1842 and for the next 10+ years served the Kingdom in various positions, including translator, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Interior and Commissioner to France, Great Britain & US.

The Judd’s child was not the only missionary child named for Hawaiian Chiefs or Chiefesses.

Maria Kapule Whitney was born October 19, 1820 to the Pioneer Company missionaries/teachers, Samuel and Mercy Whitney. She was “the first haole girl to be born in the Hawaiian archipelago,” and named for Kauai Chiefess Kapule, wife of Kauai’s King Kaumualiʻi.

Maria went to the mainland at the age of six to be educated; she returned to the Islands with the 11th Company. She married bachelor missionary Reverend John Fawcett Pogue of the 11th Company.

Reportedly, the daughter of Samuel and Nancy Ruggles (missionaries/teachers of the Pioneer Company) born on December 22, 1820, was named Sarah Trumbull Kaumuali’i Ruggles. (Some suggest her Hawaiian name was Ka‘amuali‘i.)

The Whitneys and Ruggles escorted Humehume (Prince George,) King Kaumuali‘i’s son, back to Kauai, where they set up a missionary station.

Lucia Kamāmalu Holman was daughter of Thomas and Lucia Ruggles Holman of the Pioneer Company (Lucia was Samuel Ruggles sister.) Holman was the mission’s first physician and was stationed in Kona. She was born March 2, 1821 on Kauai and named after Queen Kamāmalu, King Kamehameha II’s wife.

Elisabeth “Lizzie” Kaahumanu Bingham was born March 8, 1829 in Honolulu to Reverend Hiram and Sybil Bingham, leaders of the Pioneer Company of missionaries. She was named after Queen Kaʻahumanu, favorite wife of King Kamehameha I and a friend of the mission.

In 1840, Lizzie returned to the mainland with parents and, after graduating from Mount Holyoke, taught on the continent. Lizzie returned to Hawai‘i in 1868 to work at Kawaiahaʻo Seminary (until 1880.) She died November 27, 1899 in Honolulu.

Mary Kekāuluohi Clark was born to Ephraim and Mary Clark (from the 3rd Company of missionaries) on September 20, 1829. She was named for Kekāuluohi, who later became Kuhina Nui (as Kaʻahumanu III;) Kekāuluohi was mother of King Lunalilo.)

Harriet Keōpūolani Williston Richards was born in 1829 to Reverend William and Clarissa Richards of the 2nd Company of missionaries. (Harriet was sent to the continent and lived with the Willistons; when her father died, she was adopted by the Willistons and took their name.)

Harriet was named for the mother of King Kamehameha II and III. When the 2nd Company arrived in the Islands (1822,) Richards and others escorted Keōpūolani to Lahaina where Richards was stationed. William Richards left the mission in 1838 at the request of King Kamehameha III to become the King’s translator, counselor and political advisor.

Douglass Hoapili Baldwin was son of Reverend Dwight and Charlotte Baldwin of the 4th Company of missionaries. He was born in 1840 and died in 1843; Hoapili was Governor of Maui and lived in Lahaina (where the Baldwins were stationed at the time of Douglas’ birth.

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Elizabeth_Kinau_Judd-WC

Elizabeth_Kinau-1836

Kinau-Returning from Church-PP-98-2-007-1837

Gerrit and Laura Judd

Elizabeth Kaahumanu Bingham gravestone

Queen_Kaahumanu

Hiram and Sybil Bingham-1819

Maria Kapule Whitney Pogue

Samuel and Mercy Whitney-1819

Samuel and Nancy Ruggles-1819

Thomas and Lucia Holman

April 14, 2016 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Huliheʻe, Its Owners and Visitors

John Adams Kuakini was born about 1789 with the name Kaluaikonahale, the son of Keʻeaumoku and his wife Nāmāhana. His sisters were Queen Kaʻahumanu (Kamehameha’s favorite wife who later became the powerful Queen Regent and Kuhina nui,) Kalākua Kaheiheimālie and Namahana-o-Piʻia (also queens of Kamehameha) and brother George Cox Kahekili Keʻeaumoku.

He married Analeʻa (Ane or Annie) Keohokālole; they had no children. (She later married Caesar Kapaʻakea. That union produced several children (including the future King Kalākaua and Queen Liliʻuokalani.))

In 1838, Kuakini built Huliheʻe as his primary residence; a structure that exemplified Hawaiʻi’s ability to build modern structures; it is a two-story stone structure with a symmetrical floor plan that has strong similarities to a New England style house. These similarities were readily apparent to foreign visitors.

In 1838, a visitor who witnessed the palace under construction wrote: “It is of stone and as handsome a building as I have seen in the islands …. It is two story, has three rooms above and below, a lanai in front the whole length and a piazza back, the lower part painted marble color and the upper green. He has much of the Koa in it which is almost as nice as mahogany.” (NPS)

Huliheʻe Palace was a source of great pride for its builder and he would regularly show the palace off to foreign visitors to the island. Kuakini died December 9, 1844 in Kailua-Kona; Huliheʻe passed to his hānai son, William Pitt Leleiōhoku.

Leleiōhoku died a few months later, leaving Huliheʻe to his wife, Princess Ruth Luka Keʻelikōlani. It became a favorite retreat for members of the Hawaiian royal family.

Following Kuakini’s death, Amos Cooke and Thomas Rooke took the children of the Chiefs’ Childrens’ School (Royal School) on a visit to Kona, arriving on July 11, 1846. Cooke noted in his journal:

“… we landed at Kailua, & were escorted to the large stone house, builed by John Adams. It had been cleared of its furniture, but mats were plenty & we occupied them for beds. Our meals were cooked on board the vessel & brought on shore.”

“The house had three large rooms above 5 below. The boys took one end room above & the girls the other. The room under the girls was used as a dining hall while we were there. It was a large & commodious house & must have cost $10,000.”

Later, Kamehameha IV (Ruth’s half-brother, who had visited Huliheʻe as a student at the Royal School) and Queen Emma particularly enjoyed their time vacationing at Huliheʻe, and visited the palace many times with their son, Prince Albert.

Kamehameha IV signed a lease with Princess Ruth for Huliheʻe at $200 per year, with the agreement that additions and repairs made would be deducted from the rental. (Daughters of Hawaiʻi)

The King and Queen purchased the ahupuaʻa of Waiaha; in 1858 they moved to Kona for a 4-month stay. (That visit was cut short with the untimely death of Queen Emma’s hānai father, Dr Rooke.)

In May, 1861 Lady Jane Franklin, widow of a famed explorer, visited the palace. Lady Franklin describes Huliheʻe as “a huge house, with excellent rooms, standing within a grassy enclosure close upon the shore and faced to the sea by a wall of lava blocks. “

“We have the great house all to ourselves, every door and window open, scanty furniture (only a bed, a sofa, tables and chairs).” The future king and future owner of the palace, David Kalākaua, accompanied Lady Franklin on the trip. (NPS)

Shortly after being elected King in 1873, Lunalilo became ill and at the urging of Princess Ruth and Queen Emma went to Huliheʻe to recover. Lunalilo brought the Henry Berger and the Royal Hawaiian Band to the palace throughout Christmas and the New Year to entertain the royalty during the holiday season. Lunalilo never recovered from his illness and died shortly after returning to Honolulu.

Despite owning Huliheʻe Palace, Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani chose to live in a large hale pili (traditional grass home) on the same oceanfront property. When she became ill in Honolulu, her doctors recommended that she return to Huliheʻe, her Kailua-Kona residence, where they believed she would more quickly regain her health.

She received medical attention, but did not recover. On May 24, 1883, Keʻelikōlani died at the age of fifty-seven at Haleʻōlelo, her hale pili. Per her will, Huliheʻe Palace went to Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop (who died within a year of inheriting the palace.)

Shortly after King Kalākaua finished building ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu (1882,) he purchased Huliheʻe from Pauahi’s estate in 1885 and turned Huliheʻe into his summer residence.

He completed some major renovations so that the palace would more closely resemble the modern structures he saw during his travels. He stuccoed the entire lava rock exterior and plastered over the koa-paneled walls. He felt that the palace was outdated and that these renovations were necessary so that Hawai’i could portray itself to the world as a modern society.

Other changes included enlarging the lanais, and hanging crystal chandeliers, like those he had seen in the United States and Europe, in the entry ways. The ceiling of the palace was given an ornamental cornice and gold leaf picture molding was added in some of the rooms.

Kalākaua felt that these larger and more modern palaces were more comparable to those that he saw when he was abroad, and that they were better suited for the aliʻi to live in. (During the renovation he also demolished Princess Ruth’s grass house that still stood on the property.)

The same year he finished renovation to Huliheʻe (1887,) Kalākaua, under threat of force, signed the ‘Bayonet Constitution.’ The King spent the majority of his time at Huliheʻe Palace after he signed the new constitution.

He continued to make improvements to Huliheʻe while living there and had a telephone line installed in the palace in 1888, which was one of the first telephones on the island of Hawai’i. He continued to entertain foreign visitors at the palace.

In 1889 the Prince and Princess Henri de Bourbon, members of the Austrian royal family, visited the palace and were entertained by the King. Kalākaua died in 1891 and his wife, Queen Kapiʻolani, inherited the palace. Kapiʻolani resided at Huliheʻe throughout the period of the subsequent overthrow.

Upon her death in 1899, the property went to her nephews, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole and Prince David Kawānanakoa. Fifteen years after the Princes inherited the palace they sold it to a wealthy woman, Mrs Bathsheba Alien, for $8,600. (She died just one month after the transaction.)

For years the property sat vacant and eventually fell into a state of disrepair. In 1925, the Territory of Hawaiʻi purchased the property then turned it over to the Daughters of Hawaiʻi to run it as a museum (which they continue to do today.)

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Hulihee_Palace,_before 1884

‘John Adams’ Kuakini, royal governor or the island of Hawai’i, circa 1823

Bayside_view_of_Hulihee_Palace,_prior_to_1884

Huliheʻe_Palace,_Kona,_Hawaiʻi,_c._1859._Watercolor_by_Paul_Emmert

WLA_haa_James_Gay_Sawkins_Kailua-Kona-1852

Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani (1826-1883)

Hulihee_Palace_with_Princess_Ruth_Keelikolani’s_grass_house,_ca._1885,_by_C._J._Hedemann

Princess Ruth slept in a pili grass house rather than Hulihee Palace

Visit to Hulihee Palace, Kona, Hawaii by Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole (1871-1922) and party-(HSA)-PP-97-1-012

King_Kalakaua

Hulihee Plaque

Hulihee_Palace,_Kona-entry-gate

Hulihee Palace(left)-Mokuaikaua Church(right)

Hulihee in background-the girl sitting (left) is my mother-sitting next to her(in hat) my grandmother-1928

Esther Julia Kapiʻolani Napelakapuokakaʻe (1834–1899) was Queen consort of King Kalākaua

Chris J. Willis, John Maguire, and his son Charles Maguire-on_Hulihee_Palace-Lanai-(HSA)-PP-97-1-025

Map of Kailua Bay, noting Hulihee Palace

December 5, 2015 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kanaʻina

Kekāuluohi (the niece and former wife of Kamehameha I) became one of the wives of Kamehameha II; but when Christianity was introduced in the Islands, Kamehameha II allowed her to marry Kanaʻina (descended from Līloa of Waipiʻo, Hawaiʻi and Piʻilani of Maui.)

Reportedly Kanaʻina was named after his uncle Kanaʻina I, a name that means “The conquering;” it is said Kanaʻina I was one of the two chiefs along with Palea who may have struck to final blow, killing Captain Cook in 1779.

High Chief Charles Kanaʻina and High Chiefess Kekāuluohi “are among the most interesting of the aristocracy; and, of their claims to respect and attention, we needed no other proof, than that afforded on the present occasion.” (Stewart, 1831)

Kanaʻina was a noble of Hawaiʻi and a man of wisdom; Kekāuluohi, was a beautiful woman of large stature. After the death of Kamehameha the Great she took the name ʻAuhea, meaning “where has he gone.” Her Christian name was Miriam (during the reign of Kamehameha III she was Kuhina Nui (Premier) and known as Kaʻahumanu III.) (Galuteria)

“They both write with great readiness; and (Kanaʻina) with a freedom and command of hand that would class him among good penman anywhere.”

“The entrance (to their home) is by a large folding door—the lower pannels painted green, and the upper part of glass—into a spacious room floored with mats, and furnished, as that we had left, in its whole length on one side with an inviting lounge, and, on the opposite, with a side table and mirror.”

“A semicircle of chairs, with a centre table, occupied the middle; and at each of the further corners, stood a handsome cabinet, surmounted by a bookcase top, with glass doors and silk hangings.”

“At the one, the lady of the house was seated, and at the other her husband ; both engaged in writing, with books, slates, and papers around them.” (Stewart, 1831)

in 1834, they built an elegant two story house of rock coral, near the mission houses, at Honolulu, “received and entertained, one evening, at a well-furnished table, thirty-three missionaries, including men and women, presiding herself with the dignity of a Christian matron.” (Bingham)

They had two sons, Davida (who died quite young) and William. His mother was ambitious for William and she said others are high in rank but this is highest of all and he shall be named “Lunalilo”, that is so far up on high as to be lost out of sight – “luna” meaning above and “lilo” lost. (HHS)

Lunalilo’s parents wanted him to have the best possible education. They enrolled him in the Chiefs’ Children’s School which was being established for the children of Hawaiʻi’s aliʻi.

It was a boarding school where the children lived away from their homes. Mr. and Mrs. Amos Starr Cooke were the teachers. When the school opened its doors in 1839 Lunalilo stepped in as one of its first pupils. He was just four years old. (Galuteria)

He received “a liberal English education, and as he possessed naturally a quick mind, he became one of the best scholars in the school. For English classical literature he had great fondness, and “his familiarity with the English poets was remarkable.”

Lunalilo later served as a writer for Robert C Wyllie, the foreign minister. However, Lunalilo was never offered any employment or responsibility by the ruling king. He was never given any public office by any king. He was never asked to travel abroad officially. He was kept on a small allowance of money. His cousin, King Kamehameha V, ignored him.

Lunalilo had many fine qualities. In spite of his many fine qualities he was overcome by one weakness. He became addicted to liquor.

In 1858 Kanaʻina, out of love and concern for his son, petitioned the court to appoint guardians for him. Lunalilo agreed to this idea even though he was twenty-three years old. So the court appointed his father and two others, Dr. Richard Armstrong and James W Austin, as guardians.

The prince remained under guardianship for fourteen years. His last guardians were Kanaʻina and Charles Reed Bishop, husband of Princess Bernice Pauahi. On December 31, 1872, after the death of Kamehameha V, the Probate Court ended the guardianship when it appeared that Lunalilo would be the next king. (Galuteria)

Prince David Kalākaua and others not in the Kamehameha lineage chose to run against Prince Lunalilo. At noon on January 8, 1873, the Legislature met, as required by law, in the Courthouse to cast their official ballots of election of the next King. Lunalilo received all thirty-seven votes.

On Tuesday February 3, 1874, at 8:50 pm King Lunalilo died at thirty-nine years of age. Those present around his bed included His Highness Charles Kanaʻina, the king’s father; the Honorable Mrs Bernice Pauahi Bishop; Her Excellency Ruth Keʻelikolani; the Honorable Mrs Fanny Naʻea; Robert Stirling, minister of finance and two attending physicians, Dr George P Trousseau and Dr Richard Oliver.

Before his death Lunalilo did not name a successor to the throne. As the people had selected him, so he insisted that the choice of the next monarch should rest in the hands of the people. (Galuteria)

The featured image shows Kaʻahumanu; several claim the young attendant and kahili bearer is Kanaʻina, father of the future King of the Islands.

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Reportedly-Kanaʻina was kāhili bearer and attendant to Ka’ahumanu

Portrait_of_Kanaina,_a_chief_of_the_Sandwich_Islands-Webber-1778

Portrait of Kanaina, a chief of the Sandwich Islands – one of the two chiefs along with Palea-he may have struck to final blow to Cook-1779

Kanaina and Lunalilo

Kanaina_(PP-97-12-002)

Pa’u riders in front of the Kanaina Bldg., Iolani Palace Grounds-PP-34-3-002

Kanaina-Archives_Building

January 21, 2015 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Charles John Wall

Charles John Wall was born in Dublin, Ireland, on December 23, 1827. He married Elizabeth Evans (Miller) Wall; they had 10-children: Thomas E Wall; Emily Wall; Charles Wall; William Albert Wall; Henry Wall; Walter (Walt) Eugene Wall; Arthur Frederick Wall; Alford Wall; Ormand E Wall and Alice Wall

In 1880, the family came to Honolulu by way of California. Wall (and some of his children) left some important legacies in Hawaiʻi. Charles was an important nineteenth century Honolulu architect, some of the buildings he designed are still here; several have been lost, but not forgotten.

Charles J Wall participated, or led the design of ʻIolani Palace, Kaumakapili Church, Lunalilo Home and the Music Hall/Opera House.

ʻIolani Palace

The design and construction of the ʻIolani Palace took place from 1879 through 1882; three architects were involved: Thomas J Baker, Charles J Wall and Isaac Moore. The Baker design generally held in the final work.

A quarrel broke out between Baker, Samuel C Wilder (Minister of the Interior) and the Superintendent of Public Works. Shortly after the cornerstone was laid on December 31, 1879; Baker apparently ended his connection with the Palace.

He was succeeded by Wall, who had recently arrived in the Islands and was “employed to make the detail drawings from the first architect’s plans.”

According to the March 31, 1880 Hawaiian Gazette, Wall had “skillfully modified and improved” some of the objectionable features of the original design. (Peterson) Wall was succeeded by Isaac Moore after about nine months.

ʻIolani Palace was the official residence of both King Kalākaua and Queen Lili‘uokalani. After the overthrow of the monarchy, ʻIolani Palace became the government headquarters for the Provisional Government, Republic, Territory and State of Hawai‘i.

During WWII, it served as the temporary headquarters for the military governor in charge of martial law in the Hawaiian Islands. Government offices vacated the Palace in 1969 and moved to the newly constructed capitol building on land adjacent to the Palace grounds.

Click HERE for a Link to additional information on ʻIolani Palace:

Kaumakapili Church

Starting in 1837, “the common Hawaiian folk of Honolulu” started petitioning Rev. Hiram Bingham, head of the Hawaiian Mission, to establish a second church or mission in Honolulu (Kawaiahaʻo being the first.)

It started as a thatched-roof adobe structure erected in 1839 on the corner of Smith and Beretania Streets. The adobe building was torn down in 1881 to make way for a new brick edifice.

King Kalākaua took great interest in the church and wanted an imposing church structure with two steeples. His argument was, “…that as a man has two arms, two eyes, two ears, two legs, therefore, a church ought to have two steeples.”

The cornerstone for the new church was laid on September 2, 1881 by Princess Liliʻuokalani (on her birthday.) Seven years later the new building was completed.

It was an imposing landmark, first of its kind, and visible to arriving vessels and land travelers. It was dedicated on Sunday, June 10, 1888. In January, 1900, disaster struck. The Chinatown fire engulfed the entire building leaving only the brick walls standing.

On May 7, 1910, the congregation broke ground for the third church building. It was dedicated on June 25, 1911, the same day in which the 89th Annual Conference of the Hawaiian Evangelical Association (ʻAha Paeʻaina) was hosted by the church.

Click HERE for a Link to additional information on Kaumakapili Church:

Lunalilo Home

The coronation of William Charles Lunalilo took place at Kawaiahaʻo Church in a simple ceremony on January 9, 1873. He was to reign as King for one year and twenty-five days, succumbing to pulmonary tuberculosis on February 3, 1874.

His estate included large landholdings on five major islands, consisting of 33 ahupuaʻa, nine ‘ili and more than a dozen home lots. His will established a perpetual trust under the administration of three trustees to be appointed by the justices of the Hawaiian Supreme Court.

Lunalilo was the first of the large landholding aliʻi to create a charitable trust for the benefit of his people. The purpose of his trust was to build a home to accommodate the poor, destitute and infirm people of Hawaiian (aboriginal) blood or extraction, with preference given to older people.

In 1879 the land for the first Lunalilo Home was granted to the estate by the Hawaiian government and consisted of 21 acres in Kewalo, near the present Roosevelt High School.

The construction of the first Lunalilo Home at that site was paid for by the sale of estate lands. The Home was completed in 1883 to provide care for 53 residents. An adjoining 39 acres for pasture and dairy was conveyed by the legislative action to the Estate in 1888.

After 44 years, the Home in Kewalo (mauka) had deteriorated and became difficult and costly to maintain. The trustees located a new 20-acre site in Maunalua on the slopes of Koko Head.

Click HERE for a Link to additional information on Lunalilo:

Music Hall – Opera House

In 1881, a Music Hall was built across the street from ʻIolani Palace, where Ali‘i regularly joined the audiences at performances. Queen Lili‘uokalani is even said to have written her own opera. (Ferrar) It was built by the Hawaiian Music Hall Association.

The building was first called the Music Hall, but shortly after its transfer to new owners, the name was changed to the Royal Hawaiian Opera House. (Daily Bulletin, February 12, 1895)

Despite its name, the Opera House was not primarily a venue for classical entertainment. Many of its bookings were melodramas and minstrel shows, two very popular forms of theater at the time. Then, it was the first house to show moving pictures in Hawaiʻi.

The building was of brick 120 by 60 feet on the ground floor and walls forty feet high and twenty inches thick. The front door was ten feet wide, opening into a vestibule 16 by 27 feet. The seating capacity of the house was 671 persons. The stage was forty feet deep and provided with a complete set of scenery, traps and all necessary paraphernalia. (Hawaiian Star, February 12, 1895)

“Originally there were two (private) boxes. One on the right of the stage looking out was regarded as the property of the late King Kalākaua, who had subscribed liberally to the stock of the Association. The box on the opposite side was owned by the present proprietors, Messrs. Irwin & Spreckels. About two years ago two boxes wore opened above those mentioned for letting to whomever first applied for thorn on any occasion.” (Daily Bulletin, February 12, 1895)

Click HERE for a Link to additional information on the Opera House:

Wall died at Honolulu on December 26, 1884.

The image shows some of Wall’s designs – ʻIolani Palace, Kaumakapili Church, Lunalilo Home and the Opera House. In addition, I have added others similar images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

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