W. H. Shipman House, Victorian mansion on Reed's Island, Hilo, United States.
The W. H. Shipman House is a two-story mansion with a distinctive round tower and curved glass panes in Hilo. The building includes modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing and electricity and sits on Kaiulani Street on an island within the Wailuku River.
The mansion was designed by architect Henry Livingston Kerr and built by J. R. Wilson in 1899, before William Herbert Shipman purchased it in 1901. The purchase marked the property's transition to a guesthouse that later hosted notable visitors from around the world.
Kaʻiulani Street is named for Princess Kaʻiulani, a niece of Queen Liliʻuokalani and the last crown princess of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Deposed Queen Liliʻuokalani played her own compositions on the house's grand piano during visits, and the house served as a gathering place for Hilo society.
The property includes a main house, guest quarters, staff accommodations, gardens, and garages situated on an island within the river channels. Access and exploration of the site may be affected by the river, so it is helpful to check local conditions beforehand.
Jack London and his wife stayed in this house for five weeks in August and September 1907 while his boat The Snark was being repaired; his 1911 book The Cruise of the Snark came out of that voyage. In the early 1930s Cecil B. DeMille filmed Four Frightened People in the gulch below the house, and Georgia O'Keeffe stayed here in 1939 and was shown sites that appeared in her paintings.
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