Aliiolani Hale, 463 King Street, Honolulu, Honolulu County, HI

Significance: Begun in 1871, the Aliiolani Hale was officially opened by the legislature on April 30, 1874. The design is an adaptation by Robert Stirling, Superintendent of Public Works, from a design for a palace for King Kamehameha V submitted by Thomas Rowe, architect, Sydney, Australia. The exterior bearing walls of large molded concrete blocks are original, this being one of the earliest uses of this building material in the United States. The interior has undergone a series of changes which seem to have removed completely any vestiges of the original. Major alterations in 1911-12 by Ripley and Reynolds, architects, completed the transformation with a new structural system of steel and concrete. In addition, the existing octagonal rotunda and cast iron stairways date from this period. In 1941-42, the large addition to the rear (makai) practically doubled the original building. Having housed various government functions throughout its history, it finally came into possession of the courts and is now commonly known as the Judiciary Building.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-18
Survey number: HABS HI-18