Washington Place was built in 1847 by an American ship captain who was lost at sea before the house was finished. His son, John Owen Dominis, along with his wife, Lydia Kamakaeha Pāki, lived here until she became Queen Lili’uokalani of the Kingdom of Hawaii. She moved to the ‘Iolani Palace. In 1893, the queen retreated and was arrested here during the overthrow of the monarchy. After her release by the Republic of Hawaii, this was her home until she died in a bedroom in 1917. The following year, Washington Place became the governor’s mansion until 2002.
