{{Short description|Town square in Hilo, Hawaii}} {{Use American English|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox park | name = Kalākaua Park | image = Kalakaua Park, view of U.S. Post Office.jpg | image_size = | image_alt = | image_caption = Kalakaua Park, with the view of the [[Federal Building, United States Post Office and Courthouse (Hilo, Hawaii)|Federal Building and U.S. Post Office (ZIP 96721)]] across Waianuenue Ave. | map = <!-- or | map_image = --> | map_size = | type = | location = | nearest_city = Hilo, Hawaii | coordinates = {{coord|19|43|31|N|155|05|19|W| region:US-HI_type:landmark_source:dewiki| display=inline,title}} | area = | created = 1934 | operator = | visitation_num = | status = | designation = | open = }} '''Kalākaua Park''' is the central "[[town square]]" of the city of [[Hilo, Hawaii]]. It is surrounded by historic buildings and includes a war memorial.
==History== [[File:Kalakaua Park, sundial.jpg|thumb|left|The sundial donated by King Kalakaua]] The area was originally the site of the first Christian Mission in the area known as [[Waiakea Mission Station-Hilo Station]] in 1825;<ref name=haili>{{cite web| author=Renee Von Elsner| url={{NRHP url|id=02000387}} |title=Haili Church Nomination form |work=National Register of Historic Places |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> the missionaries had originally established their site on the seasonal flood plain of the [[Wailuku River]], but they moved at the urging of [[Queen Kaahumanu|Queen Ka{{okina}}ahumanu]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52742164/walking-tour-of-hilo-with-harold/ |title=The best way to see Hilo |author=McNarie, Alan D. |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |date=April 14, 2002 |access-date=1 June 2021}}<br/>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52742277/walking-tour-of-hilo-part-2/ |title=WALKING: Hilo reveals its past (continued) |author=McNarie, Alan D. |author-mask=— |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |date=April 14, 2002 |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref> The land was ceded to the territorial government by King Kamehameha in 1848.<ref name=HTH-1970>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52593397/objections-to-fountain-article/ |title=Objections Greet Kalakaua Park Fountain Idea |date=June 17, 1970 |newspaper=28 May 2021}}</ref> Later, a grass house was built and served as the home of Sheriff J. H. Coney until he built a new house across King (now Kalakaua) Street in 1858, a site presently occupied by the [[East Hawaii Cultural Center]] (EHCC, a building completed in 1932 and previously used as the old police station and county courthouse).<ref name=HTH-2001>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52425980/history-of-kalakaua-park-kent-warshauer/ |title=The origin of Kalakaua Park |author=Warshauer, Kent |date=October 7, 2001 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}<br/>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52426134/history-of-kalakaua-park-continued/ |title=The origin of Kalakaua Park (continued) |author=Warshauer, Kent |author-mask=— |date=October 7, 2001 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref> Coney's grass house was replaced by a prefabricated wooden courthouse built by a company in [[Bangor, Maine]], which was erected in 1868; Queen Emma and King David Kalakaua read proclamations from the courthouse lanai, commemorated by a sundial erected in the former courthouse's courtyard in 1877 which is still present in the park.<ref name=HTH-2001/>
[[File:Waianuenue Street, view of trees, photograph by Brother Bertram.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|View northeast along Waianuenue Avenue towards [[Saint Joseph Catholic Church (Hilo, Hawaii)|Old Saint Joseph's Catholic Church]] (at the intersection of Waianuenue and Keawe), c.1880s, by [[Brother Bertram]]; the low perimeter wall bounding the area that would become Kalakaua Park is on the right side of this photograph.]] Later it evolved into the equivalent of a [[New England]] [[town square]], surrounded by important civic buildings, such as the [[District Courthouse and Police Station]],<ref name="court">{{cite web|author=Frances C. Sherrard| url={{NRHP url|id=79000752}}| title=District Courthouse and Police Station Nomination form| work=National Register of Historic Places| publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> and the U.S. Post Office and Office Building. In 1897, the courthouse wall was dismantled and the stones were reused in the structure for Waianuenue Avenue; in 1932, both the old county courthouse and Coney house (then being used as the county government building) were replaced with what is now EHCC, and the demolition of the 1868 courthouse began on November 14, 1932.<ref name=HTH-2001/>
Hilo park commissioners Dr. Eugene W. Mitchell, Herbert Shipman, and Annabelle Ruddle began designing a park for the former county courthouse site shortly after clearing began, with the help of Robert O. Thompson and his wife Catherine (née Jones), landscape architects from Honolulu.<ref name=HTH-1970/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52531668/kalakaua-park-neglected-part-1/ |title=Kalakaua Park: Not Appreciated? |author=Abe, Keith |date=August 25, 1946 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}<br/>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52531668/kalakaua-park-neglected-part-1/ |title=Kalakaua Park (continued) |author=Abe, Keith |author-mask=— |date=August 25, 1946 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40529312/obituary-for-r-o-thompson-aged-67/ |title=Landscape Architect R. O. Thompson Dies |date=December 30, 1960 |newspaper=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref> The [[banyan tree]] at the west end would be retained and a shallow stage would be built using three stone-edged grass terraces, and a shallow pool measuring {{cvt|150|×|15|ft}} would be built at the lower end of the park. Work began on the new park in April 1933, and was completed by February 1934.<ref name=HTH-2001/>
During World War II, bomb shelters were built on the grounds; in March 1943, plans were started for a war memorial plaque on the site, and shortly after V-J Day, the bomb shelters were cleared and the pond was repaired and replanted.<ref name=HTH-2001/> The bronze statue of King Kalakaua sculpted and cast by [[Henry Bianchini]] was dedicated on August 6, 1988, with a time capsule embedded in its base.<ref name=HTH-2001/>
===Federal Building=== {{main|Federal Building, United States Post Office and Courthouse (Hilo, Hawaii)}} After annexing the [[Territory of Hawaii]] in 1898, the [[United States]] government made plans to build a Federal office building in Hilo, the second-largest city in the territory.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://archive.org/details/reportgovernort02govegoog |title= Report of the Governor of the Territory of Hawaii to the Secretary of the Interior |page=[https://archive.org/details/reportgovernort02govegoog/page/n297 141] |publisher= U.S. Government Printing Office |year=1902 }}</ref> However, funds were not available until 1913.<ref name="gsa">{{cite web | url= http://www.gsa.gov/portal/ext/html/site/hb/category/25431/actionParameter/exploreByBuilding/buildingId/550 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110101203426/http://www.gsa.gov/portal/ext/html/site/hb/category/25431/actionParameter/exploreByBuilding/buildingId/550 | url-status= dead | archive-date= January 1, 2011 | title=Federal Building, U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, Hilo, HI |publisher= United States [[General Services Administration]]}}</ref> Designed to include the post office at the time, it was built across Waianuenue from the present-day site of the park from 1915 to 1917. It was designed by Henry D. Whitfield, who was [[Andrew Carnegie]]'s brother-in-law. It was in the Mediterranean neoclassic style with some modern touches such as open circulation with a large arcade. Unusual for Hawaii, it had a full basement, a raised first floor with high ceilings for the post office, a second floor for Federal court functions, and a [[clerestory]] band of [[oriel window]]s above the courtroom for natural lighting.<ref name="focus"/>
In 1936, an addition in a similar style of was designed by [[Louis A. Simon]] to result in a "U" shape with two three-story wings. These were opened in 1938. The courtyard contains a flag pole, a mosaic-tiled fountain, and two decorative urns.<ref name="gsa"/> In 1978 most postal functions moved to a new building. In a 1979 interior renovation, the courthouse was converted to federal office space.<ref name="focus">{{cite web| author=Randall J. Biallas and Gerron S. Kite | url={{NRHP url|id=74000708}}| title=U.S. Post Office and Office Building Nomination form| work=National Register of Historic Places| publisher=National Park Service | year=1973 |access-date= October 12, 2010 }}</ref>
==Description== {{Hilo Bay parks}} The park was named in honor of [[Kalākaua|King David Kalākaua]] who ruled the [[Kingdom of Hawaii]] from 1874 to 1891, often called the "Merrie Monarch" because of his revival of [[Ancient Hawaii]]an song and dance. The [[Merrie Monarch Festival]] is a major cultural event held annually in Hilo. He dedicated the park around 1877.<ref name=focus/>
It is in the block bounded by Waianuenue Avenue and [[Kalākaua Avenue]], and Kino{{okina}}ole Street and Keawe Street. Kino{{okina}}ole Street, originally Pitman Street, was named for [[Kinooleoliliha|Kino{{okina}}ole o Liliha Pitman]].
===Banyan tree=== [[File:Kalakaua Park - Banyan.jpg|thumb|left|Banyan tree at Kalakaua Park]] The banyan tree at the west end of the park was one of two originally planted by Sheriff and later Postmaster [[Luther Severance (politician from Hawaii)|Luther Severance]] in 1882,<ref name=HTH-1917/> although newspaper articles in 1964 credit King Kalakaua with the planting.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52564839/kalakaua-park-banyan-tree/ |title=Kalakaua Had Fondness For Hilo, Left Royal Mark Here |date=February 16, 1964 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52565390/kalakaua-park-banyan-tree-mentioned-in/ |title=Hilo Landmarks To Merry Monarch |date=April 3, 1964 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}<br/>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52565621/kalakaua-and-hilo-landmarks-story/ |title=Hilo Land (continued) |date=April 3, 1964 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref> Severance lived across Waianuenue from the 1868 courthouse; the home itself, built approximately 1866 or 1867, had been moved to the intersection of Kilauea and Keawe with the construction of the Federal Building.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52470092/severance-home-demolished-kalakaua/ |title=Old Severance home is torn down after historic existence |date=June 24, 1928 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}<br/>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52470183/severance-family-home-kalakaua-park/ |title=Landmark passes, Severance home torn to ground |date=June 24, 1928 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref> One of the trees was moved {{cvt|5|mi}} to Kaumana by Sheriff George Williams when Waianuenue was widened.<ref name=HTH-1917>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52464688/banyan-tree-kalakaua-park-1917/ |title=Reminiscences of Hilo landscape |date=July 27, 1917 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref> It has survived at least one attempt to cut it down after it damaged a water main.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52491612/banyan-in-kalakaua-park-trouble-with/ |title=Giant Banyan Tree At Kalakaua On Spot |date=January 13, 1939 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}<br/>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52491922/kalakaua-park-banyan-tree-part-2/ |title=Banyan Tree (continued) |date=January 13, 1939 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref>
===Kalākaua statue=== {{multiple image |align=left |direction=vertical |image1=Kalakaua Park, King Kalakaua.jpg |caption1=The Statue of King Kalakaua
|image2=Kalakaua Park, time capsule 1991-2006.jpg |caption2=The time capsule of 1991 to be opened in 2106}} A bronze statue of Kalākaua in the middle of the park holds a [[taro]] leaf and ''[[ipu]]'', a gourd used in ancient chants; the taro leaf symbolizes the bond between native Hawaiians and the aina (land), while the ipu refers to the king's revival of ancient culture. The statue was dedicated on August 6, 1988; it was sculpted by [[Henry Bianchini]] using the [[lost wax]] process.<ref name=HTH-1988>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52728342/statue-of-king-david-kalakaua-by-henry/ |title=Kalakaua statue a tribute to the last Hawaiian king |author=Hughes, Maxine |date=September 4, 1988 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=1 Jun 2021}}</ref> Bianchini chose a seated pose for the statue for two reasons: "First, he would be closer to the people, and I thought he would have liked that. Also, besides offering a more interesting composition, visually he would not be lost in the branches of the overhead Banyan tree as he would have been if he were standing."<ref name=HTH-1988/>
Donations totaling $40,000 were raised for the statue.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52727635/fund-raising-for-statue-of-king-david/ |title=Donations sought for statue |date=April 11, 1988 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/52729005/birthday-tribute-to-king-david-kalakaua/ |title=Birthday tribute to Hawaii's last king |author=Critchlow, Leigh |date=November 17, 1988 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref> After Bianchini was selected as the sculptor in January 1988, he was given a hard deadline of July 1 to complete the statue; portions of the statue were cast in Bianchini's Hawaii studio and others in California because he was unable to receive sufficient supplies in Hawaii. It took him 17 days to assemble, weld, grind, polish, and patina the separate segments.<ref name=HTH-1988/>
A second time capsule was buried in 1991 during a total [[solar eclipse]], to be opened in the next one to be visible here.<ref>{{cite book| title=Hawaii| author=Kimberly Grant, Glenda Bendure| year=2005| isbn= 978-1-74059-871-2| publisher=Lonely Planet| page=257}}</ref>
===War memorial=== {{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |image1=Kalakaua Park - War Memorial.jpg |caption1=War Memorial monument and lily pond
|image2=Kalakaua Park, War Memorial.jpg |caption2=The Hawaii County War Memorial}} A Vermont Danby Imperial white marble monument to those who died in [[World War II]] from the [[Hawaii (island)|Island of Hawai{{okina}}i]] was conceived in 1943 by the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce and completed in 1948 at the east end of the park. [[Charles William Dickey]] Associates were chosen as architects. They commissioned Sculptor [[Roy King (artist)|Roy King]] of [[Honolulu]] to design and carve the monument.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper= [[Hawaii Tribune-Herald|Hilo Tribune-Herald]] |date=October 31, 1948 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/555599420/ |title=Sculptor Calls Hilo's War Memorial 'Spiritual Reminder' |author=Sargent, Alice |access-date=16 June 2021}}</ref> Donations came from the Hawaii [[American Legion]] Veterans, and [[Hawaii County, Hawaii|Hawaii County]]. It is {{convert|10|ft}} long, {{convert|4|ft}} wide, and {{convert|6|ft}} high. 157 names of soldiers and sailors from Hawai{{okina}}i Island killed during World War II were inscribed on top. A lily pond reflects one side showing a central figure, a winged fighting man representing all combat forces. His wings signify protection and peace. On either side of him are people of the world living together in harmony. The back is inscribed "That their spirit may guide us to an ever living peace among all mankind." Since its completion, the names of those killed during the Korean and Vietnam Wars have been added.<ref>{{cite web |title= Hawaii's War Memorial Monument, (sculpture) |work= Inventory of American Sculpture web site |publisher= [[Smithsonian American Art Museum]] |url= http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!423833~!0 |access-date= 2010-04-24 }}</ref>
At dedication October 31, 1948, Harold R. Warner, chairman of the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce memorial committee, turned the monument over to county chairman Clem A. Akina. Hundreds of residents stood in silence as Shojiro Takayama, who lost two sons in World War II, unveiled the monument.<ref name=HTH-2001/><ref name=HTH-1948/> Veterans of the [[442nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|442nd Infantry Regiment]] and [[100th Infantry Battalion (United States)|100th Infantry Battalion]] turned out. Unveiling ceremonies were followed by a procession to military services at the Veteran's cemetery at (called Homelani) for four war dead returned from cemeteries in southern France and Italy. Maj. Hiro Higuchi, Army chaplain, formerly with the 442nd regiment officiated at the military services.<ref name=HTH-1948>{{cite news |newspaper= [[Hawaii Tribune-Herald|Hilo Tribune-Herald]] |date=October 31, 1948 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/555599420/ |title=Memorial Will Be Dedicated Today At Park |access-date=16 June 2021}}</ref>
Relatives of the following war dead attended the unveiling ceremonies: Pfc. Satoshi Matsuoka, Pfc. Toshiaki Morimoto, Pvt. Setsuo Nagano, and Pfc. James K. Okamoto.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/555599595/ |title=War Memorial Unveiled in Sunday Ceremonies |date=November 1, 1948 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=16 June 2021}}</ref>
Two plaques were added to opposite ends of the monument. One in memory of Hawaii County's honored dead from the [[Korean War]] inscribed "Our deaths are not ours, they are yours. They will mean what you make them. Whether our lives and our deaths were for peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say. It is you who must say this." The other in memory of Hawaii County's honored dead of the [[Vietnam War]] inscribed "We leave you our deaths. Give them their meaning. Give them an end to the war and a true peace. Give them a victory that ends the war and a peace afterwards." Because of these additions, this monument is often referred to as the Korean War Memorial.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
The pond, which has a capacity of {{cvt|50000|USgal}}, was restored in 1989 and 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2012/06/01/hawaii-news/kalakaua-park-pond-to-be-dedicated/ |title=Kalakaua Park pond to be dedicated |date=June 1, 2012 |newspaper=Hawaii Tribune-Herald |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2012/06/08/video-refurbished-kalakaua-park-war-memorial-pond-celebrated/ |title=Kalakaua Park War Memorial Pond celebrated |date=June 8, 2012 |newspaper=Big Island Video News |access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref> A multi-color lighted fountain was proposed for the pond in the early 1970s, but met considerable resistance.<ref name=HTH-1970/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{commons category}}
[[Category:Urban public parks]] [[Category:Parks in Hawaii]] [[Category:Protected areas of Hawaii (island)]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Hilo, Hawaii]]