Hale Koa, Iolani Barracks, reaches its 150th Anniversary

You may know that before Iolani Barracks became the ticket offices for Iolani Palace tours, it served to house the Royal Guard, responsible for guarding the Palace and protecting the King.  However, did you know that it was not originally built at this location? Originally, Halekoa (house of warriors) was located along what is now Hotel Street, but was moved, rock by rock, in 1965 to make way for the State Capitol building.

While Hale Koa was reconstructed of the same materials at its present location, the style of the current building is quite different than the original, which was built in 1871. The building architect was Theodore Heuck, a Honolulu merchant and amateur architect. Construction was plagued by setbacks. Plans were originally submitted to Governor Dominis in 1866. Construction financed by the War Department and was slowed due to a shortage of workmen (at the time, the post office and a number of other public buildings were concurrently under construction). In addition to re-using coral from the old post office wall, prison labor was used to bring up coral from Honolulu reef. In its original form, the building was plastered with a smooth finish and scored to create an illusion of gothic stone. When reconstructed, the coral blocks and cement mortar were left uncovered.

In 1873, after Hale Koa was built and established for the Guard a notable historic event took place in the building: a small mutiny by some of the Guard. After being disciplined for abandoning their posts the day before, a group of the guards barricaded themselves in the barracks, forcing an embarrassing situation for King Lunalilo.  The King gave in to their demands, including allowing their release, and disbanded the Guard.  Eventually, the Guard was reappointed and continued to occupy the barracks through the remaining period of the monarchy.

Following the 1893 overthrow of the monarchy, Hale Koa served a number of purposes before it was moved: as temporary shelter for refugees of the 1899 Chinatown fire, a clubhouse for military veterans, offices for school administration, home of the Hawai‘i National Guard, and was later occupied by the State Treasury Department.

Today, the Barracks houses the Palace Gift Shop, ticket office and video theatre.

The 150th sesquicentennial anniversary of Iolani Barracks will be recognized at the 2021 Preservation Honor Awards Virtual Ceremony on Friday, May 21, 2021. Click here for details.

Adapted from HHF’s Story Map of the Capital Historic District, an online resource providing public art, architecture, history about this district listed on the Hawai‘i State Register of Historic Places. Click on the link to the left from your smart phone or tablet to begin! https://historichawaii.org/portfolio-items/halekoa/

Sources:

Nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places, Halekoa

“Halekoa” by Richard Greer, Hawaiian Historical Review, Selected Readings, 1969.

The Sydney Morning Herald. Wed., Nov. 19^th, 1873. Found on web: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13326851