Sitting directly behind the statue of King Kamehameha I is a building known as Aliʻiolani Hale. Hale in Hawaiian means "house" and Aliʻiolani literally means "a chief known unto the heavens." This is a "secret" name given to King Kamehameha V at birth.
It was Kamehameha V who commissioned the construction of this building which he originally intended to be his palace. The building was completed after the death of Kamehameha V under the reign of David Kalākaua who had plans to build his own palace across the street. Kalākaua named the building Aliʻiolani Hale in honor of the late king.
Following the completion of construction in 1874, the building was used as the headquarters for the Hawaiian government and home to the Legislative Assembly and Supreme Court. It was in this building that the Provisional Government officially overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893.
Today Aliʻiolani Hale is home to Hawaii's Supreme Court and State Law Library. There is also a Judiciary History Center on the first floor.
Aliʻiolani Hale is well worth a stop. It was in one of the conference rooms of the building that several scenes from ABC's Lost was filmed such as the scene where Claire meets the prospective adoptive parents of her baby and where Michael and his wife meet with their attorneys over their divorce terms.
