Hawaii State Library, Mediterranean Revival public library in downtown Honolulu, United States
The Hawaii State Library is a public library in downtown Honolulu, housed in a building designed in the Mediterranean Revival style with Tuscan columns and wide arches at the main entrance. The building has several floors and a central courtyard lined with palm trees that serves as a shared open-air space.
The library's origins go back to 1879, when a Reading Room opened in Honolulu and initially allowed only men to borrow books. The current building replaced that first location later, as the collection and public demand grew over the decades.
The Hawaii State Library is the only library in the state recognized as an official Federal Depository Library, giving the public access to government documents from across the country. On the second floor, visitors can also use Hawaii's only Patent and Trademark Depository Library, which draws researchers and inventors alike.
The library stands at the corner of South King Street and Punchbowl Street in downtown Honolulu, within walking distance of many central points in the area. Inside, visitors can consult research materials on-site and use photocopying services without needing to take anything away.
The building contains a room known as the Mural Room, where paintings on the walls depict Hawaiian legends and give visitors a direct connection to local storytelling traditions. This space sits in the same building as one of the few public patent libraries in the entire Pacific region.
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