Electric lighting flickered for the first time in Hawaii in the mid-1880s, on a summer evening on Iolani Palace grounds. Within a year, the palace interior would be lit with hundreds of incandescent lights. And in 1888 the lighting debuted on Honolulu streets.
King David Kalakaua, a strong proponent of technological advances, spearheaded the effort that helped usher in modern Hawaii. These days, the push to the future continues with a switch to renewable energy, said Iolani Palace’s executive director, Kippen de Alba Chu.
The palace has significantly reduced the building’s energy consumption through installation of a new air-conditioning system, window film to reduce heat, and replacement of all incandescent fixtures with LED lights. “Kalakaua saw the future in adopting new technologies, and we honor his legacy and foresight by participating in Blue Planet Foundation’s ‘We Are 100’ campaign supporting Hawaii’s journey to 100 percent renewable energy,” he said.
In addition to environmental gains, the technology tweaks help Friends of Iolani Palace, the nonprofit that manages the only official residence of royalty in the United States, make financial ends meet.
Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa, considered by many to be Hawaii’s last princess, paid the palace’s electric bills from 2010 through August 2017. Since then the funding has stopped as the 92-year-old Campbell Estate heiress contends with an ongoing legal dispute involving her $215 million estate.
“Our backup plan for this past fiscal year has been to delay or forgo large expenses, curtail some programming, and utilize our credit line to stay current with Hawaiian Electric. Thankfully, our ticket and gift shop sales were enough so that we did not have to consider any layoffs or reduction in hours,” de Alba Chu said. “We are confident that the palace will remain open for the foreseeable future, and have always known that Princess Abigail’s donations would not continue in perpetuity.”
A Honolulu native, de Alba Chu was recently named as chairman of the board of directors for the American Alliance of Museums, which focuses on accreditation and advocacy issues. “My role will be to help AAM in the areas of diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion in all aspects of museums’ structure and programming.”
Question: As Iolani Palace’s executive director, what are your responsibilities?
Answer: My main responsibilities have changed since I first started in 2006. Back then, my main task was literally to keep the lights on and the palace open for tours. This included dealing with many incidents both on the grounds and in the palace itself of various sovereignty groups protesting in one way or another, often resulting in us closing down for a period of time.
However, our efforts to build relationships with key individuals have resulted in the diffusion of tensions and the acknowledgment that we all have a shared kuleana to protect Iolani Palace. Since November 2011, there have been no further such incidents where the palace has had to close to the public.
Today, my main responsibilities center on growing the organization through increased partnerships with community groups, educational institutions and cultural organizations as well as further developing our staff professionally.
Q: How do you respond to questions about modern relevance, such as “Why should people care about Iolani Palace?”
A: Anyone who says they care about Hawaii should also care about Iolani Palace because one can’t exist without the other. In countless ways, the palace is much more than a royal residence and the grounds much more than a park. It is the multicultural epicenter of the Hawaiian archipelago, officially starting with King Kamehameha III when he moved into the original Iolani Palace and Honolulu became the new capital for the kingdom.
If people want to know why Hawaii has the ethnic makeup that it does today or why Hawaii remained independent for so long compared to other Polynesian countries, they can find out by visiting the palace. … It is breathtaking to consider all of the momentous decisions made by our ruling alii who resided here, and the impacts they had in shaping present-day Hawaii.
Q: Do you have a favorite room or corner of the palace?
A: My favorite space in the palace is the second-floor hall next to the doors that face on to King Street. Every time I stand there, I imagine what the scenery was like during the time of the monarchy. I imagine King Kalakaua standing in the very same spot, staring out at all the ships in Honolulu Harbor and contemplating what role Hawaii could play on the world’s stage. … The shoreline was much closer back then, where Queen Street is today.
Q: What sorts of projects are in the works at the palace?
A: By far, our biggest project is the renovation of the basement galleries, half of which is still closed to the public. We are in the midst of developing new exhibits that will tell the story of how Iolani Palace was restored through the involvement of the descendants of Their Royal Highnesses David and Abigail Kawananakoa. We will also showcase the Hawaiian Kingdom’s diplomatic efforts around the globe, including King Kalakaua’s world tour in 1881.
Part of the renovation will include updating the existing gallery spaces and the placement of panels throughout in both Hawaiian and English. The use of technology (such as touch-screen panels) will allow us to share much more information – historical photos, newspaper accounts, handwritten letters … on a number of different topics. We begin the final design phase later this summer with construction work scheduled toward the end of this year.
Another major project slated for launch this November will be two entirely new audio tours that will feature many more Hawaiian words and their meanings: one for adults and other geared toward families with young children. We will also be adding a new language: Italian. The others currently offered are English, Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French and German.
Q: How much does it cost to keep the palace operational each year? What are the funding sources?
A: When I first started, the cost was about $1.5 million per year to operate our organization. For the upcoming 2018-19 fiscal year, that cost has now doubled to $3 million.
While we do not receive any government subsidy, we have received several grants-in-aid from the state Legislature for capital improvement projects and continue to rely heavily on earned income — 75 percent of our funding comes from ticket and gift shop sales, while 20 percent is from fundraising, grants and membership dues.
Q: Does Iolani Palace have any sort of relationship with other sites focused on Native Hawaiian history?
A: We have been building relationships with a number of different schools, including the University of Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific University as well as Bishop Museum, the Honolulu Museum of Art and Queen Emma Summer Palace. … We are partnering with the Honolulu Museum of Art on its upcoming exhibit on the Kalakaua era that will open this fall. A number of objects in the palace collection will be on loan to the museum.
Q: Does Iolani Palace actively support or get involved in Native Hawaiian-focused issues, such as sovereignty?
A: The palace … supports Native Hawaiian issues from a historical and educational perspective.
On the issue of sovereignty, which includes various forms of self-rule, the palace is not involved as these are prospective issues dealing with some future time. We support the dissemination of information regarding what happened in the past, so that people can make informed decisions today regarding these important issues.
Q: What do you find most rewarding or enjoyable about your work?
A: From the time I began, the palace has taught me so much. That is by far the most rewarding thing about my work, constantly learning new things. It is inspiring to discover just how interconnected the Hawaiian Kingdom was with the Pacific and the rest of the world. We were not isolated and uncivilized natives simply frolicking in the sun and surf all day long.
In fact, we were highly educated and advanced for that era, deftly navigating the rough waters of international diplomacy while promoting the cultural and economic welfare of all of the kingdom’s citizens.
