Aliiolani Hale

"Fun with the Family"

Aliiolani Hale is the state judiciary building. Kamehameha V, a predecessor of King Kalakaua, originally directed its construction in 1872 as a royal palace. Kamehameha V died before the structure was completed, and it was later redesigned as a court building because Kalakaua had alternative palace plans.
After the monarchy was overthrown in 1893, all eyes in Honolulu were focused on the steps of Aliiolani Hale. It was here that the first proclamation was read by the members of the Committee of Safety. The proclamation stated that the sovereign nation of Hawaii no longer existed and the land would be controlled by a provisional government. Thus Hawaii began its journey to statehood, which ended with its desination as the fiftieth state in August 1959.
The bronze statue in front of Aliiolani Hale is a tribute to King Kamehameha the Great, who was the first Hawaiian monarch to consolidate all of the islands under one rule. This was no small feat, because each island was under the domain of a different chief or king. Kamehameha and his warriors endured a series of bloody battles and finally triumphed. The result was an organized society with a defined caste system of chiefs and commoners that flourished until the monarchy was overthrown.
As an everlasting tribute, June 11 is King Kamehameha Day, a state holiday inHawaii, and on this day the statue is draped with hundreds of floral leis bursting with a rainbow of color—quite a fragrant spectacle.