Scenes of Hawaii

Washington Place

The last home of Queen Lili'uokalani, last queen of the Kingdom of Hawaii

Washington Place was built by Captain and Mrs. John Dominis. He was lost at sea while obtaining furnishings for the house. Their son married Lili'uokalani, then a princess. The broad verandahs give the house a larger appearance. In actual fact, the rooms are quite small for such a grand house. The grandest feature of the house is the lanai, which extends from the main house. Jibe windows can be raised to open the lanai to the outdoors. After serving for many years as the governor's residence, it has become a museum of Hawaiian history.

A new governor's residence was built behind Washington Place in the early 21st century. It is called “Hale Kia’âina” which means “Home of the Governor.” The new residence was needed primarily because official functions made living in Washington Place difficult. The first family had to use the back stairs, rather than the grand staircase, and to live entirely upstairs, not in the grand living areas downstairs.