Hale Koa, Iolani Barracks, reaches its 150th Anniversary

Iolani Barracks, photo courtesy Iolani Palace 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. Courtesy Library of Congress 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.  [...]