The King Kamehameha I bronze sculpture in front of Aliiolani Hale (home of the Hawaii Supreme Court) in downtown Honolulu has had conservation work done “to restore the patina and gilding.”
It comes just in time for celebrations this weekend marking the Hawaiian monarch’s birth. King Kamehameha Day is Tuesday, June 11.

The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts said in a press release Friday that $12,400 was spent on the work.
It was funded through the Art in Public Places Program of the SFCA, which gets 1% of construction and renovation costs for state buildings in order “to integrate art into the built environment” of Hawaii.
“This bronze statue is one of Oahu’s most photographed landmarks,” says SFCA.
Did you know: Four bronze plaques on the base of the pedestal show Kamehameha greeting Captain James Cook, reviewing a fleet of war canoes, warding off five spears at one time and with a family in a scene representing the “law of the splintered paddle.”
Yep, me neither. Thank you, SFCA!
The 103rd Annual King Kamehameha Celebration Floral Parade begins Saturday at 9 a.m.
GET IN-DEPTH
REPORTING ON HAWAII’S BIGGEST ISSUES
What it means to support Civil Beat.
Supporting Civil Beat means you’re investing in a newsroom that can devote months to investigate corruption. It means we can cover vulnerable, overlooked communities because those stories matter. And, it means we serve you. And only you.
Donate today and help sustain the kind of journalism Hawaiʻi cannot afford to lose.
About the Author
-
Chad Blair is the politics editor for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at cblair@civilbeat.org or follow him on X at @chadblairCB.