Before leaving the Iolani Palace, I wanted to give you a closeup of the main facade with full fisheye distortion. With the center section bowed out, it almost feels like the palace invites you up the stairs.

Completed in 1882, the palace was built in the American Florentine architectural style, the only building in the world categorized as such. It served as the official residence of the Hawaiian monarch until 1893 and is the only office state residence of royalty on U.S. soil.

I don’t have enough architectural knowledge to identify the distinguishing elements of American Florentine. To my untrained eyes, it looks like another ornate Victorian-era structure. According to Google, American Florentine is a type of Renaissance Revival featuring symmetric facades, rounded arches, and classic columns with stone or masonry exteriors.

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