Capitol Modern – Hawai‘i State Art Museum
To promote, perpetuate and preserve culture and the arts in Hawaiʻi.
Hawaiʻi’s state government arts agency
About Capitol Modern
Capitol Modern (Hawaiʻi State Art Museum) is a free public art museum within the SFCA Art in Public Places Program. As a part of this public art program, the museum features exhibitions curated from the State’s Art in Public Places Collection and from student exhibitions.
The museum is in the No. 1 State Capitol Building, near the State Capitol, ʻIolani Palace, and the State Library.
Hawaiʻi State Art Museum
Engaging the public with the arts in downtown Honolulu.
Capitol Modern’s History
Capitol Modern is housed in the No. 1 Capitol District Building and occupies a site in downtown Honolulu with a rich history. The Hawaiian Hotel was built on this site in 1872 during the reign of King Lot Kamehameha V. It entertained many guests until 1917 when it was relocated to Waikīkī and renamed the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. This original wooden building was then used by the Army and Navy before being demolished in 1926 and rebuilt as it stands today.
The museum’s current Spanish-Mission style concrete and stucco building opened in 1928 and was designed by local architects Walker Emory and Marshall Webb, with San Diego architect Lincoln Rogers. The structure features cast stone detailing, iron grill work and ornamental light fixtures, with Italian scrollwork and other architectural details modeled after the Davanzati Palace in Florence, Italy. Stunning original tile work can still be seen on the first and second floors.
Renamed the Armed Services YMCA after World War II began, the building housed and entertained United States military personnel throughout the war years. In 1978, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Properties, and in 1989, after extensive renovations, it was renamed No. 1 Capitol District Building. In 2000, the State of Hawai‘i purchased the building, which houses various State Departments, including the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.
The Hawai‘i State Art Museum opened to the public here on November 3, 2002, and was renamed Capitol Modern in 2023.
Mission
The mission of the Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts (SFCA) is to promote, perpetuate, and preserve culture and the arts in Hawai‘i. SFCA funding is provided by the State of Hawai‘i and the National Endowment for the Arts.
State Foundation on Culture and the Arts
250 South Hotel St., Honolulu
