Honolulu Hale | |
 Front elevation along King St. | |
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| Location | 530 S. King St.,Honolulu, Hawaii |
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| Coordinates | 21°18.279′N157°51.433′W / 21.304650°N 157.857217°W /21.304650; -157.857217 |
| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | C.W. Dickey &Hart Wood, Robert Miller,Rothwell Kangeter & Lester |
| Architectural style | ItalianateSpanish Colonial Revival style |
| Part of | Hawaii Capital Historic District (ID78001020[1]) |
| Added to NRHP | 1 December 1978 |
Honolulu Hale (originally called theHonolulu Municipal Building), located on 530 South King Street indowntown Honolulu in theCity & County of Honolulu,Hawaiʻi, is the official seat of government of the city and county, site of the chambers of theMayor of Honolulu and theHonolulu City Council.
In theHawaiian language,hale (pronounced HAH-leh) means house or building.Honolulu Hale meansHonolulu House (although the Hawaiian language word order would beHale Honolulu). In 1978, it was listed as acontributing property to theHawaii Capital Historic District, which is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[1]
Honolulu Hale was an idea started byJoseph J. Fern. Before becoming amayor-council type of government, Honolulu was administered by the Board of Supervisors. After the creation of the now-defunct County of Oʻahu, the Board of Supervisors met in city halls located in various downtown Honolulu locations. Supervisor Fern had a vision of a permanent home for the fledgling municipal government, which had only been created in 1900 upon passage of theHawaiian Organic Act. When the County of Oʻahu and the Board of Supervisors dissolved in 1907 and established the City & County of Honolulu, Fern became its first mayor and began making preliminary plans for the construction of a city hall. Unfortunately, Fern died in 1920 of diabetes before he could persuade residents of the need for a permanent city hall.Mayor John H. Wilson, who was also the Honolulu Chapter President of theAmerican Association of Engineers, carried on Fern's dream.
Honolulu Hale was finally completed in 1928 with the help of every major architect in town—C.W. Dickey,Hart Wood, Robert Miller, andRothwell Kangeter & Lester—but did not open for business until the following year.[1] It was built in anItalianateSpanish Colonial Revival style that was popular in the islands at the time. Its interior courtyard, staircase, and open ceiling were modeled after theBargello inFlorence. Einar Peterson was commissioned to paint frescoes in the interior while Mario Valdastri was commissioned to install intricate stonework. In 1951, two three-story wings were added to the original structure.[2]
A new, high-riseHonolulu Municipal Building was later constructed at 650 South King Street. In 2006, it was renamed theFrank F. Fasi Municipal Building in honor ofFrank Fasi, the city's longest-serving mayor.[3]
Surrounding Honolulu Hale are other prominent historic and artistic landmarks:Aliʻiōlani Hale,Hawaiʻi State Capitol,ʻIolani Palace,Kawaiahaʻo Church,Sky Gate (a 24-foot (7.3 m) high sculpture byIsamu Noguchi), and theTerritorial Building.
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