State Capitols – Honolulu, Hawaii

Hawaii Capitol in Honolulu (1 September 2022)

Constructed: 1965-1969

Architect: John C. Warnecke with Belt, Lemmon & Lo

State Admitted to Union: August 21,1959 (50th)

State Population (2020): 1,455,271 (40th)

Removed from the classical capitol styles, this modern government building sought to symbolize more of the tropical islands’ character. The eight columns that front the building are shaped like royal palms...eight to represent the main islands of the archipelago. The legislative chambers are cone-shaped, representing the volcanos that define the islands. Instead of a closed rotunda, the center of the building is open to the sky...also simulating a volcano.

Hawaii Capitol Inner Exterior (1 September 2022)

Note the top photo shows a wall that surrounds the capitol. It hides a reflecting pool that was an original component of the property, intended to signify the fact the state is surrounded by water. Sadly, the pool has had a persistent algae problem that has resisted control followed by leaking and other inconveniences. The state continues to grapple with the logistics and cost associated with fixing the problem.

‘Aquarius’, Central Rotunda Mosaic, Hawaii Capitol (1 September 2022)

The 36-foot installation is a mosaic that contains over 600,000

ceramic tiles. Fifty-seven different shades of blue, green and white

tiles were used to evoke the surrounding Pacific Ocean.

Our 50th state is unique in many ways. It is the only state outside of the North American continent, the only state that is an archipelago or group of islands and only state in the tropics. In addition to being the state that consumes the most Spam, it is the only state with two official languages – English and Hawaiian. It is one of four states that have outlawed billboards.

Hawaii’s Flag (1 September 2022)

The only state flag with the British Union Jack symbol, the banner

reflects the relationship the islands have had since Captain

James Cook became the first westerner to visit he islands in 1775.

Hawaii also has a history unlike any other state. The island chain was inhabited by Polynesians since AD 750 and by 1810, King Kamehameha unified the islands into a single kingdom. From then on, American missionaries and business interests worked to influence local governance. Sadly, the most effective way the outsiders ‘influenced’ the locals was to introduce numerous new diseases that decimated the island population and weakened its governance. A population that was estimated to approach a half million was reduced to 40,000 by 1890.

After Captain Cook, foreign, especially American business interests, descended on the islands. When hurricanes devasted the Caribbean sugar industry, plantations were created in Hawaii...and we love their pineapples, too. In 1893, with the help of the U.S. military, the foreign commercial interests engineered a coup and overthrew the internationally-recognized monarchy...another case of ‘might makes right.’

Statue of Saint Damien and the State Seal

Hawaii Capitol. Honolulu (1 September 2022)

For 16 years in the 19th century, the Catholic

missionary served islanders afflicted with leprosy.

He was canonized by the pope in 2019.

While we were easily admitted into the capitol, the legislative chambers were closed both from the floor and gallery levels. We explained in a plaintive way that we came 6000 miles to take a couple of photos and could some kindly employee allow us in for a few quick shots? The sad looks helped and we were admitted to the House chamber where 51 representatives meet for two-year terms.

We were only able to peer through the outside windows of the Senate chamber since it was really closed to the public. It was Election Season and since Hawaii is a vote-by-mail state, the chamber is where the votes were collected and tabulated. Even most state employees could not enter the Senate at this time.

The Speaker’s View of the House of Representatives

(1 September 2022)

Six American states have majority non-White populations but Hawaii is the only one with an Asian plurality. That might explain why its politics are as blue as the Pacific Ocean. Currently, the 25-member Senate has two Republicans. The House has 51 members and just six are Republicans.

Iolani Palace (1 September 2022)

Another distinction for this state, the Iolani Palace is the only royal palace on U.S. soil. Completed in 1879, it was the residence of the royal family until the monarchy was overthrown in 1893. It served as the capitol of the territory and the state until the current capitol was completed in 1969.

Statue of Queen Lili’oukalani (1 September 2022)

Queen Lili’oukalani was Hawaii’s last monarch. With the increasing influence of western missionary and American business interests, the tensions between royalists and anti-monarchists favoring annexation came to a head in 1893 when the queen was overthrown. She was imprisoned in the Iolani Palace for months after the coup. President McKinley formally annexed the islands in 1898.

For years after being deposed, the queen worked unsuccessfully to have crown land rights restored. Her last years were spent in Washington Place, a stately home she had lived in since she married in 1862. The former queen died there in 1917. Her freshly-decorated statue stands between the capitol and the Iolani Palace.

Hawaii House of Representatives (1 September 2022)

(Image made by pasting 10 photographs together)