Thomas J. Baker designed the palace, with Charles J. Wall and Isaac Moore contributing details. King Kalākaua commissioned it, and the cornerstone was laid on December 31, 1879. It was completed in November 1882 for over 340,000 dollars, and a coronation ceremony was held on February 12, 1883. The infobox gives 1845 and 1879 for the original and current buildings.
The building measures about 140 by 100 feet (43 by 30 m) and stands two stories over a raised basement. Four corner towers and two central towers rise to about 76 feet (23 m). It is brick with concrete facing, in a style the article calls American Florentine.
Government offices used it until 1969. Restoration began in the 1960s, and it opened to the public in 1978 as a house museum managed by the Friends of ʻIolani Palace.
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