Brick Palace facts for kids
The Brick Palace was the very first building in the Hawaiian Islands made in a Western style. It was built for Kamehameha the Great, who was the first king of the Hawaiian Kingdom. This palace was meant to be his royal home.
Lahaina became the main place where the Hawaiian government was located until 1845. King Kamehameha asked for this special building to be constructed at Keawa'iki point in Lahaina, Maui. Two foreign builders, who had experience from Australia, helped create the home.
Work on the palace started in 1798 and finished four years later in 1802. The king wanted it for his favorite and most powerful wife, Kaahumanu. However, she chose to live in a traditional Hawaiian-style home nearby instead.
In 1802, Kamehameha used the building as part of his large camp. More than 1000 people were with him. The area around the palace became a special neighborhood for the royal family. Food was grown for them in a place called the "Royal Taro Patch," which was connected to this building. Later, after a war on Kauai, Kamehameha moved his court to Honolulu.
Building the Palace
The king chose this spot because he had strong connections to the island of Maui. Two of his wives, Kaʻahumanu and Keōpūolani, were from Maui. Kamehameha I was very interested in Western-style buildings.
Before 1795, some foreign sailors were shipwrecked on Oahu. From these foreigners, Kamehameha hired Mr. Mela (Miller) and Mr. Keka 'ele'ele (also known as Black Jack). These two men had building skills and came from Australia. Keka 'ele'ele might have been the first Black person to settle in the Hawaiian Islands. They had been on the island before the Hawaiian islands were united. After the Battle of Nuʻuanu, they supported Kamehameha.
The palace was built on a raised area. This area was surrounded by a wall made of round rocks. The raised area was bigger than the building itself. It probably had a place for canoes to land. The ground was covered with smooth, black pebbles. This area might have been part of an even older structure.
The palace was a two-story building made of red bricks. The bricks were laid in a pattern called "British bond." This was likely because the builders were from England. The building had glass windows and possibly a chimney. It is thought that about 92 tons of clay were needed to make 38,500 bricks.
Early stories about the palace's size were not quite right. Later discoveries showed it was 41 feet long and 15 feet wide. Inside, it was divided into four rooms using Koa wood. Within 17 years, the walls of the building started to sag. The main problem was the traditional raised area it was built on. This type of base was made for lighter Hawaiian huts. The heavy brick building was too much for it. To try and fix it, the whole building was covered with plaster.
Finding Out About the Palace
In 1964, experts from the Bishop Museum invited two archaeologists to dig at the site. They wanted to find the exact spot of the palace. They also wanted to learn what materials were used and its precise size.
After removing the pavement from the area, the digging began on December 9, 1964. Walter M. Fredericksen and Demaris L. Fredericksen wrote a report about their findings in 1965. This report was made for the Maui Historical Commission.
The Bricks Used
The bricks used to build the palace were not all the same quality. Most of them were red. Samples show that most bricks were made from local brownish clay. The differences in the bricks might have come from trying new things or from not collecting the clay well. Even though they were baked, the bricks were not baked very well.
Their thickness varied from 1 1/2 to 3 inches. All the bricks found were from a time before modern standard bricks were common. The mortar, which is like glue for bricks, was mostly made of sand and coral. Two types of mortar were found. One was a lavender color, made of sand and coral that had been burned for lime. This was found in most of the remains. In one corner, there was a brown mortar. This was a softer mix of mud, sand, and coral pieces.
At the highest point of the remaining walls, four layers of bricks were found. They were all laid in the "British bond" pattern. Three corners of the building were found. This helped show the total size of the structure.
What You Can See Today
Today, the place where the Brick Palace stood is in Lahaina Banyan Court Park. This park is off Front Street in Lahaina, right behind the public library. Part of Wharf Street was changed in 1964 when the digging happened. Now, it curves into Papelekane Street.
A reconstructed outline of the palace is shown permanently. It is set into a concrete base. A layer of red bricks is laid in the same way as the original building. This clearly shows where the foundations were and the size of the palace.
