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Iolani Palace in Hawaiian closed indefinitely after takeover
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-18 09:47

HONOLULU -- Iolani Palace will remain closed indefinitely while palace curators assess damage done to the historic structure during a takeover attempt by a Native Hawaiian sovereignty group.

Police arrested 23 people for the stunt, in which members of a group calling itself the Kingdom of Hawaii on Friday locked the gates, entered the palace and attempted to put their leader on the throne.

No artifacts in the palace were damaged or stolen, according to palace officials. Three locks, including those securing the throne room, were damaged.

Several Native Hawaiian organizations have rival claims to sovereignty over the islands.

Another group calling itself the Hawaiian Kingdom Government occupied the palace grounds April 30 and has been getting permits to set up on the grounds each week since then. That group claims to be operating a functioning government from the palace grounds.

The ornate palace was built by Kalakaua in 1882, and it also served as the residence for his sister and successor, Queen Liliuokalani, the islands' last ruling monarch. Liliuokalani was later imprisoned in the palace after the monarchy fell in 1893.

The palace was restored in the 1970s as a National Historic Landmark.