Washington Place
opens to public

Washington Place celebrates the holiday season beginning Friday with a series of special events that represent the first public viewing of the mansion's second floor, formerly open only to Hawaii's first families and staff.

The second floor will be undergoing extensive restoration to include galleries to showcase treasures belonging to Queen Liliuokalani. For the holidays it will be decked out in a Victorian Christmas tree, recapturing a time of old elegance, when Mary Dominis entertained hundreds at her home.

Here is the schedule:

Friday: Open house, 5-9 p.m., in conjunction with First Friday, downtown Honolulu's gallery walk.

Saturday: Open house, 5-9 p.m., in conjunction with the opening of Honolulu City Lights. Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona and Vivian Aiona will greet guests from 5 to 6 p.m.

Dec. 12: Open house, 1-5 p.m., with a Christmas reading by former first lady Lynne Waihee from 2 to 2:30 p.m.

Washington Place is also open for free guided tours on weekdays, with reservations. Donations to the Washington Place Foundation are accepted. Call 586-0248.

In a related event, former first ladies Nancy Quinn and Vicky Cayetano will sign the Washington Place Foundation's annual Christmas ornament from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 11 at Macy's Christmas Store, Ala Moana Center (former St. John store, second floor).