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Theodore Heuck

Theodore C. Heuck (born 1830-1877) was Hawaii's first professional architect who is well known for creating Iolani Barracks in 1871 which was dedicated to Queen Emma. He was born in Hamburg, Germany and grew up as an only child (Burlingam). He was married to wife Mahiki on March 22, 1852. Two years later the couple divorced and had no children (Family Search). Traveling from Australia, Heuck went to Hawaii with his partner Herman Von Halt in 1850 where they were both merchants and owned a retail store (Hawaii Timeline).


Starting Out

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Trained as an architect, carpenter, and engineer Theodore C. Heuck was first noticed by King Kamehameha IV while walking around Heuck's retail store. The king saw Heuck's work and immediately wanted him to start building architecture in Honolulu. Heuck agreed to this proposition and decided that he and his partner Herman Von Halt should split up. Their retail store was shut down and Von Halt went on to being a merchant while Heuck started building for the king. Before starting, Heuck was given a contract on May 26th which stated that he would be responsible for any flaws that may occur when finished with any piece of architecture. After agreeing to this contract Heuck constructed three major works of architecture: the Queens Hospital, the Royal Mausoleum of Hawaii, and Iolani Barracks(Celebrating 140 Years of Caring, Gregg).

The Queens Hospital

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By order of King Kamehameha IV, the Queens Hospital, now known as the Queens Medical Center, was created in 1860 and was dedicated to Queen Emma and the people of Hawaii. This building was Heuck's first project. In order for Heuck to start building this creation, King Kamehameha IV had to first get approval from the legislature. So in 1854 he announced to the legislature the objective to create a hospital for the people of Hawaii. At that time, the Hawaiian race was seriously threatened by different types of disease brought to the islands by foreign visitors. Queen Emma supported the dream of a hospital, and the two campaigned tirelessly to make it a reality. They personally went door-to-door making the necessary funding. The royal couple exceeded their goal in just over a month, raising $13,530. In turn, the Legislature provided $6,000. With all this money it was given to Heuck to go and get whatever supplies needed to finish this architecture. By 1860 the structure was completed and ended up being flawless. Because everyone had been so impressed by Heuck's work, he was elected to the legislative board of the Kingdom from 1864-1867 as a trustee of Queens Hospital and also served as the secretary of the Board of Health. He was also made a Knight of the order of Kamehameha I. Through six generations, The Queen's Medical Center has become a major provider of health care to the people of Hawaii and stands near downtown Honolulu on Punchbowl Street (Burlingame ,Celebrating 140 Years of Caring).It is beautiful as it was years ago.

The Royal Mausoleum

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King Kamehameha IV passed away November 30, 1863, 15 months after his son. His brother Lot Kamehameha came to the throne of Hawaii as King Kamehameha V. Immediately Theodore had been hired to start the construction of a building for the king and the son known as "The Royal Mausoleum". Built in Nu'uanu, Oahu at Mauna'ala Theodore constructed the mausoleum so that it was surrounded by a black fence, bearing the royal seal at the gate and built a small chapel which is located near the center, which is behind the tomb of Kalākaua and his family, and to the right of the Kamehameha tomb, Bishop Monument, and Wyllie tomb. This was Theodore's second project to be built. After finishing this structure in 1864 on February 3, 1864, there was a large national funeral for the king. Later in the evening Ka Haku (King Kamehameha IV's son) rested alongside his father. Queen Emma was so distraught with the grief of losing her husband and son she would camp on the grounds of the mausoleum, and sleep in the wing where her family had been buried (Royal Mausoleum Wikipedia ,Nu'uanu Oahu).

Iolani Barracks

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Built partially from coral blocks and blocks cut with prison labor "Iolani Barracks" or also known as "Halekoa" (House of warriors) was built in 1871 under the direction of King Lot Kapuaiwa (King Kamehameha V). It was used by the kingdom's army, formerly called the "Household Troops" and copromised of about 60 soilders. Theodore had constructed the barracks to have a medieval castle look from Europe. It had coral block walls and a slate roof. It's surronded by rooms once used by the guards as a mess hall, kitchen, dispensary, Beth room , and lock up. This building was originally constructed in the site where the State Capital now stands. Every stone of "Iolani Barracks" was moved in 1965 to its present location at 364 South King Street on the "Iolani Palace grounds". This was Theodore's third project completed and spent an over budgeted cost of $25, 103.78. After the completion of this architecture Theodore's name was placed in the back of the barrcks. The structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. After the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy in 1893 the barracks was used on several occasions as headquarters fo the National Guard of Hawaii. Now it has a palace Shop, ticket office ,video theater ,and membership office. (Burlingame,Iolani Barracks Wikipedia,Hawaii Timeline ,On the Palace Grounds ).

Controversy

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Theodore C. Heuck was no doubt a brilliant architect. He's been awarded many times for his architectures and has been recognized for his kindness towards others. But not everyone had felt that way about him.In 1870 an attornery General named Stephen Phillips had tried to put Theodore behind bars. He allegedly claimed that Heuck was buying stolen whalebone to construct his building. This case had been going on for awhile until in 1873 both men went to court. After the feud the jury decided Theodore was innocent and Stephen guilty. Stephen was put behind bars for giving false evidence. Newspapers were published immediately, and were sent out everywhere. The "Gazette" newspaper had become the most popular brand to buy. It stated how it was absurd that anyone would accuse Theodore for doing such a thing (Chaplin).


The Contract

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On May 26th Theodore C. Heuck was given a contract regarding that any building he built would not have any flaws. Failure to this contract would be death. On November 1, 1860 Theodore's contract was ended. As it turned out every building he made had been flawless and built to perfection. The trustees had inspected every single building many times and found this to be true. The trustess thanked Theodore for his hard work and promised that his name would be placed on the back of "Iolani Barracks" to show their appreciation. But he didn't recieve any money though. Instead the other men had recieved their pay when all they did was check to see if Theodore was doing his job. Of course Theodore was furious with this but did not stress the matter, for fear that he would be killed for not being appreciative to the gift he already had (Kanahele).

The End Of a True Legacy

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Throughout all the years Theodore C. Heuck had spent all his time building the most beautiful architectures for the monarchies, and he loved it. He loved what he did and loved seeing the result of his creation. He also loved the people's reactions when they see what he had done. He was a very kind and generous man and did not complain when work had to be done. He was greatly appreciated for everything and was recognized for his artistic talents. So in 1874 Theodore left Honolulu with the most satisfying feeling and returned to his homeland in Hamburg, Germany . In 1877 he died in his Homeland and was never forgotten. The monarchy had a great feast in honor of his name and sent flower leis and pooka shells to his grave sight. Theodore C. Heuck had done many great things not only for himself but also for others. He is a true legacy and will always be remembered for his great accomplishments in time (Ward).

Works Cited

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  • Chaplin, George. Presstime in Paradise. Honolulu Advertiser. University of Hawaii Press: Honolulu Advertiser, 1998.
  • Gregg, David, and King ,Pauline. Diaries of David Lawrence Gregg:An American Diplomat in Hawaii. Hawaii: Hawaiian Historical Society, 1982.
  • Kanahele, George S. Emma: Hawaiian Remarkable Queen. University of Hawaii Press, 1999.

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