Bishop Museum - Establishment

Establishment

Charles Reed Bishop, a philanthropist and co-founder of Kamehameha Schools and First Hawaiian Bank, built the museum in memory of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. She was the last legal heir of the Kamehameha Dynasty, which ruled the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi between 1810 and 1872. Bishop had originally intended the museum to house family heirlooms passed down to him through the royal lineage of his wife.

William Tufts Brigham was hired by Bishop as the first curator of the Museum, later serving as director from 1898 until his retirement in 1918.

The museum was built on the original boys campus of Kamehameha Schools, an institution created to benefit native Hawaiian children as outlined in the Princess' last will and testament. In 1898, Bishop constructed Hawaiian Hall and Polynesian Hall in the then popular Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style. The Pacific Commercial Advertiser newspaper dubbed the buildings as "the noblest buildings of Honolulu." Both Hawaiian Hall and Polynesian Hall stand today and have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Hawaiian Hall is home to a complete Sperm Whale skeleton with papier-mâché body suspended above the central gallery. Along the walls are prized koa wood display cases worth more than the original Bishop Museum buildings. It is also home to the Hawaiian Royal regalia, including the Hawaiian royal crown and the consort's crown.