Washington Place is a national treasure

THE ISSUE Washington Place has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

WASHINGTON PLACE has appropriately been designated as a National Historic Landmark by the Interior Department. The last home of Queen Liliuokalani and the official home of all governors before Linda Lingle is a national treasure that should be as open as can be to an appreciative public.

Built by Capt. John Dominis in 1847, the stately Greek-revival mansion was passed on to his son, John Owen Dominis, who married Liliuokalani in 1862. The queen was deposed in the 1893 overthrow and lived at Washington Place until her death in 1917.

Later, Washington Place was the executive mansion for a dozen governors. Vicky Cayetano, the last first lady to live there, raised $1.3 million in mostly private funds to build a new governor's mansion in back of Washington Place, and Lingle became the first governor to inhabit the new official residence.

Cayetano's project included preservation and protection of Washington Place, now under control of the nonprofit Washington Place Foundation. Public tours can be scheduled on weekdays. Ideally, greater public exposure someday will become feasible.

CORRECTION Friday, April 13, 2007 » An April 8 editorial on Page E2 incorrectly stated that Queen Liliuokalani was arrested at Washington Place during the 1893 overthrow of the monarchy. The arrest occurred in 1895 after an abortive attempt by Hawaiian royalists to restore her to power. Please see the applicable Corrections Page for more information.