Project Details

• MASON has been the project architect for 11 major phases of restoration work on the palace, its accessory buildings/structures, and many other projects. Specialized repair work has included ornamental plaster reconstruction, decorative painting and furnishing reconstruction.
• Work on the Palace itself includes maintenance of and improvements to the roofing and finishes, upgraded HVAC, installation of new basement exhibit galleries, drawings of historic furnishings for reconstruction, security systems and installation of site lighting and walkways.
• A 1985 restoration of the 1883 Coronation Pavilion, which had been moved, rebuilt in 1910, and set on a concrete base in 1920.
• A 1987 restoration and adaptive reuse of the Old Archives (Kanaina) Building as offices for the Friends of Iolani Palace. The building was updated to meet ADA requirements with the installation of an unobtrusively placed access ramp and the creation of new accessible restrooms. Extensive research on historic finishes led to the restoration of historic color schemes, exposing and refinishing stone baseboards, terrazzo flooring and the skylight in the primary historic spaces.
• New basement galleries allow the public to view the royal crowns, royal jewelry, a feathered cloak and kahilis, articles collected by King Kalakaua on his travels, and other regalia in specially designed cases in three climate-controlled galleries.ries.
• Work on the grounds included restoration of the original entrance gates, the Kalakaua Fountain and various pergolas, reconstruction of guard shacks, re-creation of the original entrance pillars, as well as installation of walkways and historically inspired benches.