Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, the capital and largest city of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. It is bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Honolulu Harbor to the south. Both modern and historic buildings and complexes are located in the area, with many of the latter declared

National Historic Landmarks A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Districts

Downtown Honolulu can be subdivided into four neighborhoods, each with its own central focus and mix of buildings. These areas are the Capitol District, the Central Business District, Chinatown, and the Waterfront.

Capitol District

The Capitol District, or Civic Center, contains most of the federal, state, and city governmental buildings and is centered on the Hawaii State Capitol,

Iolani Palace Iolani is a masculine Hawaiian name meaning "royal ''hawk''." It comes from the Hawaiian words ''ʻio'', meaning "Hawaiian hawk," and ''lani'', meaning "royal." It may refer to: *ʻIolani School, a private school located in Hawaii *ʻIolani Palac ...

, and

Honolulu Hale Honolulu Hale (originally called the Honolulu Municipal Building), located on 530 South King Street in downtown Honolulu in the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, is the official seat of government of the city and county, site of the chambers of ...

( city hall). It is roughly bounded by Richards Street on the west, Ward Avenue on the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Nimitz Highway to the south. Significant buildings in this area include: * Old Advertiser Building * Aliiōlani Hale * Bishop Estate Building * Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building *

Hawaii State Capitol The Hawaii State Capitol is the official statehouse or capitol building of the U.S. state of Hawaii. From its chambers, the executive and legislative branches perform the duties involved in governing the state. The Hawaii State Legislature—com ...

Hawaii State Library The Hawaii State Library is a historic building in Honolulu, Hawaii, that serves as the seat of the Hawaii State Public Library System, the only statewide library system and one of the largest in the United States. The Hawaii State Library buil ...

Honolulu Fire Department The Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Honolulu. Founded on December 27, 1850, by K ...

Headquarters *

Honolulu Police Department The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, headquartered in the Alapa'i Police Headquarters in Honolulu CDP. Officially recognized as a part of the government of the ...

Headquarters *

Iolani Barracks Iolani is a masculine Hawaiian name meaning "royal ''hawk''." It comes from the Hawaiian words ''ʻio'', meaning " Hawaiian hawk," and ''lani'', meaning "royal." It may refer to: * ʻIolani School, a private school located in Hawaii *ʻIolani Pal ...

* Kakaako Fire Station * Kalanimoku Building * Kamehameha V Post Office * Kawaiahao Church * Kawaiahao Plaza * King Kalakaua Building * Kapuaiwa Building * Leiopapa a Kamehameha Building * Mission Memorial Building *

The Pacific Club The Pacific Club is a historic social club in Honolulu, Hawaii. History William Lowthian Green founded the club in 1851 and was its first president. It was originally called "The Mess", and then called "The British Club" since many of its member ...

* Prince Kūhiō Kalanianaole Federal Building * Territorial Building * Washington Place

Central Business District

Centered on Bishop Street and Fort Street Mall, the central business district is roughly bounded by Nuuanu Avenue, Nimitz Highway, Richards Street, and Vineyard Boulevard. This area contains most of the headquarters buildings of Hawaii-based companies and most of the skyscrapers. Buildings in this area include: * 1100 Alakea Street * 1132 Bishop Street * Alexander & Baldwin Building * Ali'i Place * American Savings Building * Arcade Building * Armstrong Building * Army and Navy YMCA * Bishop Bank Building * Bishop Square * Cades Schutte Building * Capitol Place * Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew *

Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (French: ''Cathédrale de Notre Dame de la Paix''; Portuguese: ''Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Paz''; Hawaiian: ''Malia o ka Malu Hale Pule Nui''; Latin: ''Basilicæ cathedralis Sanctæ Mariæ de Pac ...

* C. Brewer Building * Central Fire Station * Central Pacific Plaza ( Central Pacific Bank) * Century Square * City Financial Tower * Davies Pacific Center * Dillingham Transportation Building * Executive Center * Financial Plaza of the Pacific ( Bank of Hawaii) * Finance Factors Center *

First Hawaiian Center First Hawaiian Center is the second tallest building in the U.S. state of Hawaii and the city of Honolulu, the largest city in the state. It is the world corporate headquarters of First Hawaiian Bank, the oldest and largest bank based in Hawaii. ...

* Fort Street Mall * Harbor Court * Hawaii Pacific University * Hawaiian Electric Building * Hawaiian Telcom Building * Judd Building * Central Middle School (Honolulu, Hawaii) * McCandless Building *

Melchers Building The Melchers Building is a historic commercial building in Downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. Located at 51 Merchant Street, it is the oldest commercial building in Honolulu. Designed in the Classical Revival style by an unknown architect, it was construc ...

* Oahu Railway and Land Terminal * Oceanit Center * Pacific Guardian Center * Pinnacle Honolulu * Pioneer Plaza * Royal Brewery * Stangenwald Building * Theo H. Davies Building * TOPA Financial Tower *

Yokohama Specie Bank was a Japanese bank founded in Yokohama, Japan in the year 1880. Its assets were transferred to The Bank of Tokyo (now MUFG Bank) in 1946. The bank played a significant role in Japanese overseas trade, especially with China. The original b ...

* YWCA Building

Chinatown

Located between Nuuanu Stream and Nuuanu Avenue, Chinatown at one time was the center of Chinese cultural contact on the island. Central to this area is the open-air Oahu Market. The area around Nuuanu Avenue has become an Arts District, thanks to the renovation of the Hawaii Theatre. Buildings in this area include: * Hawaii Theatre * Lum Yip Kee Building * Nippu Jiji Building * Oahu Market * Wo Fat Building

Waterfront

Honolulu's waterfront area centers on

Aloha Tower The Aloha Tower is a retired lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the state of Hawaii in the United States. Opened on September 11, 1926, at a then astronomical cost of $160,000, the Aloha Tower is located at Pier 9 of Honolulu ...

, which was once the tallest building in Hawaii and where cruise ships would dock before the advent of air travel between Hawaii and the U.S. Mainland. Recently, cruise ships between the Hawaiian Islands now dock at Honolulu Harbor. Buildings in this area include: *

* Falls of Clyde *

Hawaii Maritime Center The Hawai`i Maritime Center was the principal maritime museum in the State of Hawai`i from 1988 until it closed in 2009. Located at Pier 7 of Honolulu Harbor east of Aloha Tower, the center was a campus of the Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop ...

* Honolulu Foreign Trade Zone

Government and infrastructure

The

operates the Alapai Police Headquarters and the Downtown Police Station in Downtown Honolulu. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

operates the Downtown Honolulu Post Office at 335 Merchant Street.Post Office Location - Downtown Honolulu
" ''

''. Retrieved on May 21, 2009.

References

External links

* {{Honolulu

Economy of Honolulu Hawaiian architecture Neighborhoods in Honolulu Special economic zones of the United States