Washington Place is the former residence of Queen Lili'uokalani and now the home of the Governors of Hawai'i.

Washington Place is the official home of the Governor of Hawaii and is designated as a National Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1846, Washington Place was commissioned by the Kingdom of Hawai'i under Kamehameha III and was built in the Greek Revival architectural style for and by Captain John Dominis, father of John Owen Dominis, royal governor of Oahu under King David Kalakaua and Prince Consort of Hawai'i to Queen Lili'uokalani.

When Captain Dominis left Hawai'i on a voyage to Asia, his wife Mary Dominis rented out a room to American Commissioner Anthony TenEyck. TenEyck remarked how much the building reminded him of George Washington's home Mount Vernon. From then on, the mansion built by Dominis became known as Washington Place.

Upon the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai'i in 1893, Queen Lili'uokalani retired to Washington Place until her death. With annexation and the creation of the Territory of Hawai'i, Washington Place was chosen as the official residence of the governor. Its distinction as home of the governor remains today.

Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano (served 1994-2002) and First Lady Vicky Cayetano raised private funds to commission the construction of a new mansion on the grounds of Washington Place in 2001. The Cayetano family hoped to return the original home of Queen Lili'uokalani to the people of Hawaii as a royal museum. Governor Linda Lingle became the first Governor of Hawaii to begin her term in residence at the new Washington Place.

See also

• List of Governors of Hawai'i

Resources

• A Sense of Washington Place