The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1882-02-11
Birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess
Ruth Keelikolani.

Her Royal Highness Princess Ruth Keelikolani
celebrated, on Thursday last, her sixty-fourth
birthday by a luau, or banquet in native Hawaii
an fashion,, given at H. Il. HIS new mansion in
Emma-street, followed on the evening of Friday
by a Reception and Ball. The occasion was in
deed adopted for the "'house-warming the
handsome and beautifully decorated house being
only just ready for occupation. The event has
been long talked of, and looked forward to, and
has been the chief topic of conversation during
the past week, almost to the exclusion of all 9TH
ers, causing the exciting events of the previous
week to fall quite into the background.
The Mansion which was the scene of these fes-
tivities is situated on the land known as Kaako-
qua, which has a long frontage to the Eva side of
Emma-street. 1t is a handsome structure of two
main stories, on Il high basement with an attic
story and turret above. On the main floor on
the mauka side of the house, are two drawing
rooms which communicate with one another by a
wide arch. The dimensions of the larger room
are 49, it. by 24H it,, and those of the smaller
"a #, by 1917 #. On the makai side of the
building are three rooms, two of which are bed
rooms, the other being apparently designed as a
boudoir. Between the bedrooms are two bath
rooms, fitted with every convenience of the latest
A1OOCAo. II AOblAo 'NS 80
24L #. by 81 it,, "a #. by 1877 it,, and 1917 #.
by III it., and they are all 16 it. in height. More
striking even than the dimensions of these noble
rooms, are their elaborate internal decorations.
A description of the ceilings with their moulded
centres and cornices, was published in the PACIFIC
COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER of 18th Nov, 1880, in
the following terms -" One department of
the work has lately been completed. This
10 tha pIoSfarinn wb1ch from the Styla of in
ternal finish adopted, assumes an important
place IL the construction. The building is plas-
tered internally throughout, and the plaster is
made the medium of augmentation of a very
elaborate character. In the hall, the keystones
of the arches which cross it, and the support
ing brackets at the sides attract notice at
once. The latter are of a strikingly handsome
pattern, the details of which are borrowed
from the capitals and pediments of Doric ar
chitecture. On the wall line is a moulding of
the egg and dart pattern, on the drop from
the ceiling a ball ornament, and between them
a wide ribbon of oak-leaves, while as a bor-
der to the ceiling itself is a twining vine.
These four lines of ornament make a happy COM
bination. which is repeated throughout the low
er floor. There are three elaborate centres IN
the hall, but those of the parlors throw the 9th
ers INTO the Snade. being . leet o AhShe9 III ui"HI
eter. These are of handsome designs of scroll
and arbesque work, Will fruit pieces in the I'M
mediate centers, the whole ceiling being panel
led in plaster. The roof of the vestibule or inner
entrance porch is p~lastered in imitation of a
groined roof. In the bedrooms and dining-room
the ceilings are as elaborate as in the parlors."
The dimensions of the vestibule are 1917 feet by
Is feet, and those of the hall which runs through
the whole of this portion of the building &c feet
by IS feet. The ceilings have all been painted
in fresco by an Italian artist, whose work must
be pronounced to be admirable. In his choice
of colors for the various parts of the moulded
work, and of ground colors and designs for the
fat portions of the ceilings he has been pecu-