Washington Place
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Washington Place is a Greek Revival home in the Capital District in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and was formerly the official residence of the Governor of Hawaiʻi. The current governor's residence is located on the same grounds as Washington Place.
The home was constructed from 1844–1847 for an American merchant, John Dominis, who was lost at sea, in 1846, just as the house was nearing completion. His wife, Mary, then converted the home into a boarding house. One of the first borders of the home was Anthony Ten Eyck, an American Commissioner to the islands appointed by President James K. Polk. Ten Eyck was credited for naming the building "Washington Place", in 1848, after George Washington in celebration of the first president's birthday.
The building was built by the master carpenter Isaac Hart, who had built the first ʻIolani Palace. The building was also constructed by Daniel Jenner, an Italian master mason. The interior was originally finished by the master painter Israel Wright. Native Hawaiians were also involved in the construction of the building, but are not individually named in the archival records.
The foundation of the building, the lower level walls and the lower columns are constructed of coral stone. The upper floor is of wood frame construction. Washington Place conforms to period French Creole Greek Revival houses that were built along the lower Gulf-Coastal region of the southeastern United States. The home was constructed with an almost square core surrounded by a peristyle, a two tiered verandah, Tuscan columns on its upper floor, and a hipped roof. The interior of the home is arranged in a traditional Georgian floor plan, with four distinct parlors on the first floor and four bedchambers on the second floor.
William Little Lee, made Washington Place his home from 1849–54. Lee was instrumental in integrating a Western legal system in the Hawaiian Islands, based upon the Massachusetts model. Lee also authored the Great Mahele, which introduced private land ownership into Hawaiian culture.
Lydia Kamakaeha Paki, the future Queen Liliʻuokalani and the Heir Apparent to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, married John Owen Dominis, the son of John and Mary Dominis, in 1862, making Washington Place the private residence of the princess and future queen.
In 1893, Washington Place was the site of the dramatic events of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It was there that the queen was arrested by the new governmental forces that were aided by a detachment of United States Marines. They brought her before a military tribunal, where she was charged with concealment of treason against the new government, the Republic of Hawaiʻi. She was convicted and was confined for several months at Washington Place after her release from imprisonment at ʻIolani Palace.
Queen Liliʻuokalani resided at Washington Place for the remainder of her life. She died in the downstairs bedroom of Washington Place on November 11, 1917. The home offers the citizens of Hawaiʻi a strong sense of place and belonging in association with the kingdom and of Queen Liliʻuokalani's memory.
Beginning in 1918, Washington Place became the Executive Mansion for twelve governors of Hawaiʻi. Technically it was the residence of 13 governors because John Owen Dominis, the queen's consort, was governor of the island of Oʻahu from 1863 to 1891. The home served in this role until 2002, when it became a historic house museum. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is currently a candidate as a National Historic Landmark.
On May 14, 1921, the territorial legislature of Hawaiʻi purchased the building, for $55,000, from the estate of Queen Liliʻuokalani.
In her book, Hawaiʻi's Story by Hawaiʻi's Queen, Liliʻuokalani described the building as "a palatial dwelling" and a "choice tropical retreat in the midst of the chief city of the Hawaiian islands."
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