Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 3, Number 7, 1 Iulai 1986 — Mauna Ala Fence Gets Preservation Award [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Mauna Ala Fence Gets Preservation Award

The iron-wrought gates and fencing fronting Mauna 'Ala (the Royal Mausoleum) in Nuuanu were originally brought from England in 1867 to adorn and guard this final resting plaee of great kings and queens. It received little or no maintenance until 1984 when the Trustees of the Charles R. Bishop Trust commissioned comprehensive restoration. Restored with as mueh historical accuracy as pos-

sible to its original condition by the metal work craftsmen of Klahm and Sons, the entire structure is eompletely repaired and freshly painted with all finials, spear tips, coat of arms and crown gilded in 23 karat golf leaf. It was one of several places and individuals whieh received 1986 Preservation Awards during Historic Hawaii Foundation's annual meeting held last April.

The restored Roya) Mausoleum fence is decorated with 350 flower motif finials and 50 small crowns. The fīnials are a decorative element thought to have a religious connotation, and the crowns may be pattemed after the crowns of the Hawaiian alii, complete with taro leaf replica. The fence was ordered to specification from the prestigious Coalbrookdale Co. in England by Kamehameha IV. — Photo by Bruce G. Lum, Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate.