Hawaiian architecture
Hawaiian architecture is a distinctive style of the engineering arts developed and employed primarily in the Hawaiian Islands of the present-day United States — buildings and various other types of structures indicative of the people of Hawaii and the environment and culture in which those people live. Hawaiian architecture is one means of documenting the history of the islands from antiquity through the kingdom era, from its territorial years to statehood and beyond.
The various styles that came and went as Hawaii travelled through history were telling of the attitudes and the spirit of the people of the periods. Hawaiian architecture is said to tell the story of how indigenous native Hawaiians and their complex society in ancient times slowly evolved with the infusion of new styles from beyond its borders, from the early European traders, the visiting whalers and fur trappers from the Canadian wilderness, the missions of the New Englanders and French Catholics, the communes of the Latter-day Saints from Utah, the plantation laborer cultures from the Orient to the modern American metropolis that Honolulu is today.
Hawaiian antiquity
Within the body of Hawaiian architecture are various subsets of styles; each are considered typical of particular historical periods. The earliest form of Hawaiian architecture originates from what is called ancient Hawaii — designs employed in the construction of village shelters from the simple shacks of outcasts and slaves, huts for the fishermen and cone builders along the beachfronts, the shelters of the workingclass maka'ainana, the elaborate and sacred heiau of kahuna and the palatial thatched homes on raised lava rock foundation of the ali'i. The way a simple grass shack was constructed in ancient Hawaii was telling of who lived in a particular home. The patterns in which dried plants and lumber were fashioned together could identify caste, skill and trade, profession and wealth. Hawaiian architecture previous to the arrival of British explorer Captain James Cook used symbolism to identify religious value of the inhabitants of certain structures. Feather standards called kahili and koa wood adorned with kapa cloth and crossed at the entrance of certain homes indicated places of royalty. Totems inclosed within lava rock walls indicated the homes of the priestly caste.
Hawaiian mission
Hawaiian architecture experienced its first revolution with the arrival of Congregational missionary Hiram Bingham. Presbyterian religious families followed suit and settled in the major port towns of Honolulu and Lahaina. Upon their arrival, they erected the first frame houses in Hawaii in the New England style. They were simple homes typical of the English colonies with high-pitched roofs and overlapping weatherboards. The simplicity and unassuming character of these structures were derived from the puritan ideals of ornamentation — that plainness was a virtue of true Christians. As years passed, the New England style morphed into a distinctive style called Hawaiian mission architecture. New England methods and materials were replaced by methods and materials readily available to Hawaiians.
Hawaiian mission architecture moved away from construction solely using wood and experimented with the use of coral blocks hewn from the offshore reefs of the Hawaiian Islands. Coral seemed plentiful and were comparable to bricks used for construction in New England. When Queen Kaahumanu converted to the Congregational denomination of Christianity, she commissioned the construction of a major church in what is now downtown Honolulu. Kawaiahao Church is one of the longest lasting relics of Hawaiian mission architecture using coral blocks. Today, Kawaiahao Church stands adjacent to the Mission Houses Museum, surviving examples of Hawaiian mission architetcture using wood.
At the same time that Congregational missionaries went about the construction of Kawaiahao Church, French Catholic missionaries of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary under the leadership of Bishop Louis Maigret introduced their own version of Hawaiian mission architecture. The difference was that their Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace project was based on simple French church architecture in the basilica form. The regional twist, like the adaptation that Congregational missionaries embraced, was the use of coral blocks from the reefs of Ala Moana and Kakaako. What the Picpus religious order succeeded in doing was creating the first instance of Hawaiian architecture based on continental European styles as opposed to the American puritan styles imported by the Protestants. The Picpus Fathers opened the doors to classical, baroque, renaissance, rococo and neoclassical architectural variations that would become uniquely Hawaiian.
Hawaiian gothic
The first experiment of gothic architecture in Hawaii was undertaken by the Hawaii Catholic apostolic vicariate. Discontent with the earliest designs of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in 1910, Bishop Libert H. Boeynaems began an ambitious project to transform the Hawaiian mission cathedral into a unique cathedral in what was to be called Hawaiian gothic architecture. The first phase of Boeynaemes' project was the construction of an elaborate porch over the cathedral entrance. By the time it was completed, he had exhausted his financing. Such an elaborate architectural style proved too costly. His successor, Bishop Stephen Alencastre, stripped the cathedral facade of its gothic style and financed his own renovation project. The addition of doric columns transformed the cathedral into a simple but elegant classical building.
A more successful rendering of the Hawaiian gothic style came as Kamehameha IV assumed the throne and established the Hawaii Reform Catholic Church, also known as the Anglican Church of Hawaii. With the advice and consent of his bishop Lord Thomas Nettleship Staley, Kamehameha IV oversaw the drafting of plans for the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. Unfortunately, the king died and his brother Kamehameha V was left to lay the cornerstone. Completed in 1867, the Cathedral of Saint Andrew was the first instance of the use of vaulting in Hawaii. Also, while the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace was the first to employ stained glass, the royal cathedral installed larger panes as allowed by vaulting.
Other notable buildings constructed in the Hawaiian gothic style are the Royal Mausoleum and the Aloha Tower. Hawaiian gothic architecture was not as widespread for the reasons Bishop Boeynaems and Bishop Alencastre found in their experiments with the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. The elaborate treatments were too expensive and were deemed unsuitable against the backdrop of the Hawaiian environment. People believed that any gothic building in Hawaii would look out of place.
Hawaiian renaissance
While Kamehameha IV succeeded in developing the Hawaiian gothic style, Kamehameha V fathered Hawaiian renaissance architecture. Commissioned in 1850, the last king of the House of Kamehameha originally planned Aliiolani Hale to be his royal palace inspired by the sleek beauty of historic Italian structures. In the middle of its construction, the building was changed to become the kingdom's judicial center. Renaissance comes from the Italian word for rebirth. Hawaiian renaissance was therefore a rebirth of traditional Roman architectural principles of aesthetics but also included concepts derived from Hawaiiana. Elegant facades had petite columns and wide verandas and walls that seemed to crinkle. Curves and ornamentation were important.
When the David Kalakaua became king, he shared in his predecessor's delight with Hawaiian renaissance architecture. He also shared in Kamehameha V's dream of building a world-class royal palace befitting of a modern monarchy such as that of Hawaii to rival the famed palaces of Europe. Iolani Palace was finished in 1882 and did fulfill Kalakaua's expectations. Considered the finest example of Hawaiian renaissance architecture, Iolani Palace became a world-famous royal landmark.
In addition to his contributions to the development of Hawaiian renaissance architecture, Kalakaua experimented with various other styles. One of his other famous building projects was the completion of Iolani Barracks. Constructed adjacent to Iolani Palace and across the street from Aliiolani Hale, Iolani Barracks housed the royal guards. It resembled medieval castle buildings with crenelated parapets and towers.