Washington Place
Historic Hawai‘i Foundation
680 Iwilei Road, Suite #690, Honolulu, HI 96817
Phone: 808-523-2900 Fax: 808-523-0800
Email: webmaster@historichawaii.org
Copyright 2003-2009 Historic Hawaii Foundation unless otherwise noted
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Photo by Jill Radke
Built: 1846
Designed by: Isaac Hart
Washington Place is a Greek Revival home originally built by Captain John Dominis at a time when thatched homes were the norm of the Honolulu neighborhood. King Kamehameha III was the ruler of the Hawaiian Kingdom at the time, and was building a new home blocks away by the same architect and builder, Isaac Hart.
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In 1846, Captain Dominis set sail as the mansion neared completion but sadly, never returned to live in the grand home.
His widow, Mary Dominis, supported her home by renting sections of it to select boarders. One of the first prominent boarders, the U.S. Commissioner, christened the mansion as "Washington Place" in 1848 in honor of George Washington's Birthday.
In 1862, the son of Mary Dominis, John Owen Dominis, married the future Queen of Hawaii, Queen Liliuokalani, and his new bride moved into Washington Place, where the couple lived with Mary Dominis until her death.
Queen Liliuokalani lived in Washington Place for 55 years until her death. The home was later dedicated to the Territory of Hawaii to become the official residence of the Governor of the Territory and later the State of Hawaii. It continues in this role today.
