The No. 1 Capitol District Building, on the site of the former Armed Services YMCA Building, now houses the Hawaii State Art Museum and the

Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts The Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts was established by the Hawaii State Legislature in 1965 to "promote, perpetuate, preserve, and encourage culture and the arts, history and the humanities as central to the quality of life of the ...

History

While they were both in the cabinet, under King

Kamehameha V Kamehameha V (Lota Kapuāiwa Kalanimakua Aliʻiōlani Kalanikupuapaʻīkalaninui; December 11, 1830 – December 11, 1872), reigned as the fifth monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi from 1863 to 1872. His motto was "Onipaʻa": i ...

, American politicians

John Mott-Smith John Mott-Smith (November 25, 1824 – August 10, 1895) was the first dentist to set up a permanent practice in the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was also a politician, newspaper editor, and diplomat. Life John Mott-Smith was born in New York City on No ...

and Charles Coffin Harris convinced the legislature to fund a hotel. It first opened in 1872. The hotel was converted to a

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

in 1917 and used by the military in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1926 the termite-infested building was finally torn down, and a new one designed in Spanish mission style by Lincoln Rogers of the firm Emory & Webb. The new building was dedicated on March 16, 1928. The two-story U-shaped building includes a swimming pool in its courtyard. It is located at 250 South Hotel Street,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

. Across Richards Street is the

Hawaii State Capitol The Hawaii State Capitol is the official statehouse or capitol building of the U.S. state of Hawaii. From its chambers, the executive and legislative branches perform the duties involved in governing the state. The Hawaii State Legislature—com ...

building. The area was added to the

National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu __NOTOC__ This is a list of properties and districts on the Hawaiian island of Oahu that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Oahu is the only major island in Honolulu County. The location of the city of Honolulu, Oahu is the m ...

as the

Hawaii Capital Historic District The Hawaii Capital Historic District in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been the center of government of Hawaii since 1845. Location With the grounds of Iolani Palace and the Hawaii State Capitol at its core, the historic district reaches inland across B ...

on December 1, 1978.

Museum

The Hawaii State Art Museum is operated by the

, and is located on the second floor of the No. 1 Capitol District Building. Admission is free at all times. The museum consists of three galleries. In addition to changing temporary exhibitions, there is a permanent display of

Hawaiian art The Hawaiian archipelago consists of 137 islands in the Pacific Ocean that are far from any other land. Polynesians arrived there one to two thousand years ago, and in 1778 Captain James Cook and his crew became the first Europeans to visit Hawa ...

. It reflects a mix of Hawaii's ethnic and cultural traditions through 132 works of art by 105 artists. In a wide variety of artistic styles, movements, and media, the exhibition illustrates the varied cultural influences that fuel the creativity of Hawaii's artists. The museum is open everyday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Predominately comprising works dating from the 1960s to the present, the exhibition depicts the expression of artists throughout the state and their profound contributions toward understanding the people of Hawaii and their aspirations. Sculptor

Satoru Abe Satoru Abe (born 13 June 1926) is a Japanese American sculptor and painter. Biography Abe was born in Moiliili, a district of Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended President William McKinley High School, where he took art lessons from Shirley Xime ...

(born 1926), sculptor

Bumpei Akaji Bumpei Akaji (1921–2002) was an American sculptor from Hawaii. He was known for welding large copper and brass sculptures which can be seen all over Hawaii as part of Hawaii's Art in Public Places program. Biography Akaji was born in Lawai, ...

(1921-2002), sculptor Sean K. L. Browne (born 1953), sculptor Edward M. Brownlee (born 1929), Mark Chai (born 1954),

Jean Charlot Louis Henri Jean Charlot (February 8, 1898 – March 20, 1979) was a French people, French-born United States, American Painting, painter and illustrator, active mainly in Mexico and the United States. Life Charlot was born in Paris. His father, ...

(1898-1979),

Isami Doi Isami Doi (May 12, 1903 – November 29, 1965) was an American printmaker and painter. Biography Doi was the first son of Japanese immigrants, born in Ewa on the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands in 1903. He moved with his family to th ...

(1883-1931),

Juliette May Fraser Juliette May Fraser (January 27, 1887 – July 31, 1983) was an American painter, muralist and printmaker. She was born in Honolulu, which was then the capital city of the Kingdom of Hawaii. After graduating from Wellesley College with a de ...

(1887-1983),

Hon Chew Hee Hon Chew Hee (1906 – 1993) was an American muralist, watercolorist and printmaker who was born in Kahului, on the Hawaiian island of Maui in 1906. He grew up in China, where he received his early training in Chinese brush painting. He r ...

(1906-1993), ceramicist

Jun Kaneko is a Japanese-born American ceramic artist known for creating large scale ceramic sculpture. Based out of a studio warehouse in Omaha, Nebraska, Kaneko primarily works in clay to explore the effects of repeated abstract surface motifs by using ...

(born 1942), John Melville Kelly (1877-1962),

Sueko Matsueda Kimura Sueko Matsueda Kimura (June 10, 1912 – December 25, 2001) was an American artist. She was born in Papaikou, Hawaii in 1912. She received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, whe ...

(1912-2001), ceramicist Sally Fletcher-Murchison (born 1933), printmaker Huc-Mazelet Luquiens (1881-1961), ceramicist

David Kuraoka David Kuraoka (born 1946) is an American ceramic artist. He was born in Lihue, Hawaii, grew up on the island of Kauai, Hawaii in Hanamaulu and Lihue, and graduated from Kauai High School in 1964. Kuraoka spent his formative years in Hanamaulu w ...

(born 1946), Ben Norris (1910-2006),

Louis Pohl Louis Pohl (1915 – December 22, 1999) was an American painter, illustrator, art teacher, printmaker and cartoonist. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1915. A childhood illness made it impossible to walk without pain and prevented Pohl from en ...

(1915-1999), sculptor

Esther Shimazu Esther Shimazu is an American sculptor who was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1957. Her grandparents were immigrant laborers from Japan. She attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa before transferring to the University of Massachusetts in Amhe ...

(born 1957), Shirley Ximena Hopper Russell (1886-1985),

Tadashi Sato Tadashi Sato (February 6, 1923 – June 4, 2005) was an American artist. He was born in Kaupakalua on the Hawaiian island of Maui. His father had been a pineapple laborer, merchant, and calligrapher, and Tadashi's grandfather was a sumi-e ...

(1954-2005), Reuben Tam (1916-1991), ceramicist

Toshiko Takaezu Toshiko Takaezu (June 17, 1922 – March 9, 2011) was an American ceramic artist, painter, sculptor, and educator who was known for her rounded, closed forms that viewed ceramics as a fine art and more than a functional vessel. She is of Japan ...

(1922-2011),

Masami Teraoka Masami Teraoka (born 1936) is an American contemporary artist. His work includes ''Ukiyo-e''-influenced woodcut prints and paintings in watercolor and oil. He is known for work that merges traditional Edo-style aesthetics with icons of American cul ...

(born 1936), Madge Tennent (1889-1972), and sculptor Michael Tom (1946-1999) are among the artists whose works are on display.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Art museums and galleries in Hawaii Historic district contributing properties in Hawaii Hotel buildings completed in 1928 Museums in Honolulu 1872 establishments in Hawaii National Register of Historic Places in Honolulu