The Hulihee Palace is located in historic

Kailua-Kona Kailua-Kona is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States. It is most commonly referred to simply as Kona (a name it shares with the district to which it belongs), but also as Kona To ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, on Ali'i Drive. The former vacation home of Hawaiian royalty, it was converted to a museum run by the Daughters of Hawaii, showcasing furniture and artifacts. It is located at 75–5718 Alii Drive,

History

The palace was originally built out of lava rock by

John Adams Kuakini John Adams Kiiapalaoku Kuakini (1789–1844) was an important adviser to Kamehameha I in the early stages of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He was responsible for contributing to the infrastructure among other changes in the Kona District during this era ...

(governor of the

island of Hawaii Hawaii is the List of islands of the United States by area, largest island in the United States, located in the Hawaii, state of Hawaii, the southernmost state in the union. It is the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands, a chain of volcani ...

) during the

Hawaiian Kingdom The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands. It was established in 1795 w ...

. When he died in 1844 he left it to his ''hānai'' (adopted) son William Pitt Leleiohoku I, the son of Prime Minister William Pitt Kalanimoku. Leleiohoku died in the

measles Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...

epidemic of 1848 and left it to his son John William Pitt Kīnau, but he died young and the palace went to his mother Princess Ruth Keelikōlani. Ruth made Hulihee her chief residence for most of her life, but she preferred to sleep in a grass hut on the palace grounds rather than in the palace. She invited all of the reigning monarchs to vacation at Hulihee, from

Kamehameha III Kamehameha III (born Kauikeaouli) (March 17, 1814 – December 15, 1854) was the third king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kīwalaō Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula K ...

to Liliuokalani. Ruth died and left the palace to her cousin and sole heir Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. It was later sold to

King Kalākaua King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by f ...

and

Queen Kapiolani Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

. Kalākaua renamed the palace ''Hikulani Hale'', which means "House of the Seventh ruler," referring to himself, the seventh monarch of the

monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...

that began with King Kamehameha I. In 1885, King Kalākaua had the palace plastered over the outside to give the building a more refined appearance. After Kalākaua's death it passed to Kapiolani who left Hulihee Palace to her two nephews, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaole Piikoi and Prince David Kawānanakoa. In 1927, the Daughters of Hawaii, a group dedicated to preserving the cultural legacy of the Hawaiian Islands, working alongside the

Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from Apri ...

and the palace custodian Stella Maude Jones worked to restored Hulihee Palace and turned it into a museum."Stella Jones, Territorial Archivist, Dies at 66". ''

Honolulu Star-Advertiser The ''Honolulu Star-Advertiser'' is the largest daily newspaper in Hawaii, formed in 2010 with the merger of '' The Honolulu Advertiser'' and the '' Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' after the acquisition of the former by Black Press, which already owned ...

''. January 25, 1955. p
A1A3
Retrieved March 31, 2025 – via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings on the island of Hawaii in 1973 as site 73000653. The palace's walls and ceiling had slight cracks following the

2006 Kiholo Bay earthquake The 2006 Kīholo Bay earthquake occurred on October 15 at with a magnitude of 6.7 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe''). The shock was centered southwest of Puakō and north of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, just offshore of the Kon ...

that was centered on the Kohala coast.

Images

Image:Hulihee_Kailua.jpg, Hulihee Palace, seen from Alii Drive. File:Hulihee Palace after earthquake.jpg, Hulihee Palace after 2006 earthquake. (01/2007) File:Hulihee Palace south wall.JPG, South wall after 2006 earthquake. (01/2007) Image:Huihee Palace after 2006 earthquake.jpg, Earthquake damage, as of January 2007. Image:Grass House at Hulihee Palace.jpg, Princess Ruth's grass house that stood on the palace grounds. File:Gate with Huilihe'e Crest.jpg, Gate with royal crest at Huilihee Palace. (10/2012) File:Gate post ornament with Kahili motif.jpg, Gate post ornament with Kahili motif at Hulihe Palace. (10/2012) File:Side view of the palace from the driveway.jpg, Side view of Hulihe Palace. (10/2012) File:Side view of the palace through palm trees.jpg, Side view of Hulihe Palace through the palm trees. (10/2012) File:Stone wall and gate with musicians in the yard.jpg, Stone wall and gate of Hulihe Palace with musicians in the yard. (10/2012) File:Huilihe'e Palace - Historical Plaque.jpg, Historic marker at Hulihe Palace. (10/2012)

References

External links

The Hulihee Palace official web site
* {{Authority control Royal residences in Hawaii Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii Historic house museums in Hawaii Museums in Hawaii County, Hawaii Houses in Hawaii County, Hawaii Historic American Buildings Survey in Hawaii Houses completed in 1838 1838 establishments in Hawaii National Register of Historic Places in Hawaii County, Hawaii Kailua-Kona, Hawaii