Skip to main content

Notable locales in downtown Honolulu

By

During Tom's 2021 trip to O'ahu there was numerous locations in downtown Honolulu that were visited but did not fall under the umbrella of a notable highway.  This blog is intended to serve as a compellation of notable locales in downtownn Honolulu which were not attached to a highway blog.  The blog cover is the Aliʻiōlani Hale which once was the seat of government for the Kingdom of Hawaii.  In a highway related twist the Aliʻiōlani Hale is more well known as the headquarters of the fictional Hawaii Five-0 Task Force.  

This page is part of the Gribblenation O'ahu Highways page.  All Gribblenation and Roadwaywiz media related to the highway system of O'ahu can be found at the link below:

https://www.gribblenation.org/p/gribblenation-oahu-highways-page.html


Hawaii State Capitol 

The Hawaii State Capitol is located 415 South Beretania Street in downtown Honolulu.  The Hawaii State Capitol building broke ground on November 10th, 1965 and was completed on March 15th, 1969.  The Hawaii State Capitol is somewhat unique looking given the central atrium is open-air.   The Hawaii State Capitol features numerous designs intended to represent features of the state such as; the reflecting pool around the building perimeter is intended to represent the Pacific Ocean and the legislative chambers are shaped to represent the volcanos of the Hawaiian Islands.  

The Eternal Flame is located across Beretania Street north of the Hawaiian State Capitol and was dedicated on July 24th, 1995.  The Eternal Flame is a metal sculpture that is intended as a tribute honoring the enlisted Hawaiian servicemen and servicewomen of conflicts the United States has been engaged in.


  

ʻIolani Palace

'Iolani Palace is located at 364 South King Street in downtown Honolulu.  Construction of 'Iolani Palace began with the cornerstone being laid December 31st, 1879 during the reign of Hawaiian King David Kalākaua.  'Iolani Palace features an American Florentine design which has traditionally been most popular on the Hawaiian Islands.  A European style coronation ceremony at 'Iolani Palace was held on February 12th, 1883 despite King David Kalākaua having been in power for nine years.  Following the death of King Kalākaua in 1891 the grounds of 'Iolani Palace would become home to Queen Liliʻuokalani.  'Iolani Palace would remain the home of the Hawaiian royal family until the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom during 1893.  'Iolani Palace would become the seat of the Hawaiian Territorial government and State of Hawaii government prior to the construction of the Hawaii State Capitol.  'Iolani Palace was featured heavily in original run of Hawaii Five-0 as offices for the fictional police organization.  'Iolani Palace is the only former royal palace located in the United States.  


Aliʻiōlani Hale

Aliʻiōlani Hale is located 417 King Street in downtown Honolulu and can be found directly south of 'Iolani Palace.  Aliʻiōlani Hale features a Italian Renaissance design which was intended to be the home of King Kamehameha V.  King Kamehameha ordered the designs for Aliʻiōlani Hale be repurposed as chambers for the Kingdom of Hawaii government which at the time had inadequate facilities.  The cornerstone of Aliʻiōlani Hale was laid by King Kamehameha V on February 19th, 1872 but would not be completed before his death.  Aliʻiōlani Hale was dedicated by King David Kalākaua during 1874.  Aliʻiōlani Hale would serve as the home to numerous Hawaiian government bodies, the Hawaiian Legislature and Hawaiian Courts until the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown during 1893.  As noted in the intro Aliʻiōlani Hale served as the background as the fictional Hawaii Five-0 headquarters and is presently home to the Hawaii State Supreme Court.  

The statue in front of Aliʻiōlani Hale is of King Kamehameha I who lived 1758-1819.  King Kamehameha I is generally considered to be the most important figure in Hawaiian history due to his conquest which united the Hawaiian Islands.  



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bleriot Ferry - Alberta

By
  Alberta operates six ferries scattered throughout the province. Roughly twenty to twenty-five kilometers up the Red Deer River from the town of Drumheller is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in all of Wild Rose Country, the Bleriot Ferry. Using the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838, or AB 838), the Bleriot Ferry provides a scenic river cruise of sorts in the Canadian Badlands. The Bleriot Ferry started operating in 1913 as the Munson Ferry when a few bridges crossed the Red Deer River. The ferry was started by Andre Bleriot, the brother of famed early aviator Louis Bleriot, who became famous for being the first person to fly over the English Channel. At the time, the Alberta provincial government commissioned local residents to run the ferries. There were several ferries along the Red Deer River, and not only did they serve as vital transportation links, but they also served as local social hubs, since everyone had to take the ferries to go places. Over time, as the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

By
In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...
4 comments
Read more

I-73/I-74 and NC Future Interstates Year in Review 2024

By
Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes. Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East: Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unop...
Post a Comment
Read more