‘Devastating’: Historic Hawaii estate, the Queen’s Retreat, torched in fire

It was once the place that inspired a Hawaiian princess to write an iconic song, but now, it is gone. A June 26 fire destroyed the Queen’s Retreat, also known as the Boyd-Irwin estate. 

Located on Maunawili Road, it was the oldest building in windward Oahu.

The fire that consumed the estate was first reported to Honolulu Fire Department at 2:50 a.m., according to KHON2. The fire also burned 50 feet by 100 feet of wildland area, including a smoldering albizia tree. If it had fallen, it had the potential to threaten the Maunawili Trail. Firefighters extinguished the blaze by 6 p.m. that evening. 

The Queen’s Retreat has a storied history. Major Edward Boyd and his wife Maria first acquired the land in 1869. The last monarchs of Hawaii, King David Kalakaua and his sister, then-Princess Liliuokalani, were friends with the Boyds, and often enjoyed visits at the estate. 

On one of her visits, Princess Liliuokalani was inspired to write her most famous song, “Aloha Oe,” in 1878. The song, which tells the story of a “fond embrace” as two lovers bid each other farewell, came after the princess witnessed James Boyd (son of Edward and Maria) tenderly embracing a young Hawaiian woman on the property.

Queen Liliuokalani, left, and her brother King David Kalakaua.

Images via Getty

But despite its royal history, the estate has suffered decades of neglect, becoming uninhabited by 1985. Over the years, trespassers sprayed graffiti inside and out, and photos of the interior showed the estate in slow decay. According to Paul Brennan, president of the Kailua Historical Society, the building has seen earlier fires, drug dealing and pornographic movies filmed inside.

“It has just been desecrated over time,” Brennan said. 

The Queen’s Retreat in May 2021. Although the building had historic significance in Hawaiian history, the building was not maintained or protected. 

Courtesy of Wendy Roberts/Kailua Historical Society

The fire left only the chimney standing. The loss stunned Brennan and other members of historical societies who had long advocated for a restoration of the Queen’s Retreat, despite being rebuffed multiple times by its current owners, HRT Realty, the real estate arm of the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Foundation.  “When I went there this past Sunday, it was a very sad day for me,” Brennan told SFGATE, referring to when he saw what was left of the Queen’s Retreat. Brennan has been involved with the historic property for more than 40 years, including leading guided tours, with permission from HRT Realty. “It was like a member of the family had passed away. It was beyond tears.” 

“This is devastating,” said Wendy Roberts, a former board member and volunteer with the Kailua Historical Society. “I wish we had had a chance to restore and protect it.” 

The Queen’s Retreat in the 1990s. 

Piliāmoʻo/Courtesy of the Kailua Historical Society

The Queen’s Estate in 2016. Over the years, without preservation or maintenance work, the building began to detieorate. 

Courtesy of Wendy Roberts/Kailua Historical Society

The Queen’s Estate in the 1990s, left, and in 2016. (Courtesy Of Wendy Roberts/Kailua Historical Society) The Queen’s Estate in the 1990s, left, and in 2016. (Courtesy Of Wendy Roberts/Kailua Historical Society)

Brennan said that he had always thought that the Queen’s Retreat would be a destination, to tell the stories of not only the royal Hawaiian family and the Boyds, but of Hawaiian agricultural practices on the land. 

Despite the loss, Brennan struck a note of hope for the future. He said that he and others would be asking the Weinberg Foundation to consider a request for rebuilding the area, pointing out that they had dimensions and an understanding of how the building was put together.

“There needs to be healing here,” he said. “There will be lingering feelings within the community that they were neglectful. They will be seen as not taking the steps that they could have. Maybe we now have the opportunity to turn the page and start anew.”