Hanaiakamalama
Hanaiakamalama, or Queen Emma's Summer Palace, is a historic landmark, museum, and tourist site located less than a half-hour drive outside of downtown Honolulu. Not far from Hanaiakamalama is the Pali Lookout, site of the battle of Nuuanu Pali, where Kamehameha I defeated to forces of the King of Oahu, consolidating his claim as monarch of the Hawaiian Islands. The area in which Hanaiakamalama is located, the Nu‘uanu Valley, had been a popular location first for Hawaiian chiefs and royalty, and later for non-Hawaiian residents, who found the cooler climate of the uplands more comfortable than downtown Honolulu. The frame of the home was built in Boston and shipped to Hawaii. It was then assembled on a property purchased by John Lewis from the Hawaiian Government. It had six rooms, one story, and a porch with Doric columns. In 1850, two years after it was completed., the home was purchased at auction by John Young II for $6,000. Young owned the estate until 1857, when he gave it to his niece, Queen Emma. In 1869, Queen Emma added a large room called the Edinburgh Room in preparation for the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh. After Queen Emma’s death in 1885, the Hawaiian Monarchial Government bought the estate. At one point, plans were made to build a baseball park over the site. However, the Daughters of Hawaii purchased the site with the aim of restoring it as a monument to Hawaii’s history. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Sites in the 1970s. Today, Queen Emma’s Summer Palace, at 2913 Pali Highway, sits on a 2.16 acre (8,740 m²) plot owned by the Queen Emma Estate, and maintained by the Daughters of Hawaii. The grounds are extensively landscaped, with many plants native to the Hawaiian Islands. The house itself is a museum displaying Queen Emma’s possessions, along with those of her husband, King Kamehameha IV, their son, Prince Albert Edward, and other members of the Hawaiian royal families. The museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and is maintained with entrance fees, revenue from the gift shop, and other funds raised by the Daughters of Hawaii.
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