Only Royal Palace in United States Is Being Restored

HONOLULU —  Hawaii’s people “can be proud” of the Iolani Palace complex after 20 years of work and more than $7 million spent to restore its royal appearance, says James Pavelle, the restoration project director.

“The popularity and awareness of Iolani Palace has broadened considerably,” he said in an interview. However, he added: “People have to realize . . . that we are still in a developmental stage . . . Our services are still limited.”

He said “significant growth” is anticipated in the next five years during the 12th phase of work.

Landscaping is being completed now to create a park-like setting for the nation’s only royal palace. Plantings that were there during the monarchy era of the 19th Century have been reintroduced to the 10-acre site.

The main problem is locating enough native Hawaiian loulu palms to complete the landscaping theme, Pavelle said. Landscape architects need 24 loulu palms for the historic setting, and they are still short by eight or 10.

“They’ve been out on weekends driving around various areas,” Pavelle said. “If they see one, they ring the doorbell and ask folks if they would like to sell it.”

Aside from the missing palms and a continuous search for original palace furnishings, Pavelle said: “I think we’re doing well. I think we can all be proud.”

He said visitors to the palace increased from 65,000 in 1983-1984 to 70,700 during the last fiscal year. Admission fees totaled $214,000 last year, compared to $199,000 the previous year.

The historic complex includes Iolani Palace, built in 1882; Iolani Barracks, moved to the palace grounds in 1965 from the state Capitol site, and the bandstand, originally built as a coronation pavilion.

The restoration project is funded by the state and administered by the Friends of Iolani Palace, a nonprofit organization.