Beloved Queen Kapiolani statue turns blue prompting a restoration redo

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A recent restoration of a beloved statue in Honolulu raised concerns among some in the community.

The statue of Queen Kapiolani at her namesake park was restored by mainland company RLA Conservation in April, according to the city’s culture and arts office.

The monarch’s dress was restored to a deep blue color, but since then, the paint used deteriorated and changed to a brighter vibrant blue. The color didn’t look right to some people online who were led to think the statue was spray painted or vandalized.

To address the rumors, the city explained online what happened, saying the deterioration in color was likely due to a reaction between the paint and lacquer on the statue.

As a result of this unexpected change, the city said RLA Conservation will return to Oahu this month to redo the work using different products.

The statue stands at the start of the paved walkway at the park in the shadow of Diamond Head. It’s often draped in lei as people use it to honor Queen Kapiolani, who was Hawaii’s Queen Consort from 1874 to 1891.

No word on how much the restoration work cost the city.

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