Wrecking Ball to Kiss the butt of the Kon Tiki Theater. - General Tiki

T the75stingray Member Dayton, Ohio Joined: Mar 24, 2002 Posts: 447	T the75stingray Posted posted on Tue, Jan 4, 2005 7:22 AM Inevitably, it was going to happen. The beautiful Kon Tiki Theater on Salem Ave in Dayton is scheduled to be torn down today. And it’s another sad day for Ohio Tiki-fanatics. Hell, it’s a sad day for anyone who appreciates those buildings with the Polynesian architecture. Some history of the Kon Tiki Theater : Levin Theatres of Dayton opened the Kon-Tiki in August 1968 with "The Odd Couple". The theater was later twinned and then tripled in the early 1980s. Levin leased the theater to USA Cinemas in the 1987. After Loews Theatres purchased USA, the theater continued to operate as the Loews Salem Avenue until closing in March 1999. Levins could not find a buyer for the 27,000 square foot theater, which they were supposedly asking $590,000 which included all the theater equipment and the acres of land. The Kon-Tiki, like so many other West Dayton buildings that are boarded up, could not stop vandals and they destroyed one screen and damaged the theater's lobby. After five years with no buyer, Levins decided to donate the Kon-Tiki to the City of Trotwood. (A gang all their own!) Interestingly enough, about two years ago, I made several attempts to contact the sellers of the property (not that I could afford it) because I wanted to take a look around the inside to see if anything of the décor could be salvaged. I received no reply. It had been years…since the first run of ‘Star Wars’ was showing, since I had been to the Kon Tiki. I remember going with my cousins to see it for the tenth time on a Christmas or New Years Day. I don’t recall seeing anything tiki inside…just red velvet as my eyes tried to adjust from the snow blindness caused in the parking lot. Throughout high school, I went to other theaters…frankly, Salem Avenue was not (and is not) in an area that a skinny white boy wanted to hang out. With wanna-be gang violence a plague upon the neighborhood, the entire area of Salem Avenue has suffered. Not only the Kon Tiki, but the majority of the Salem Mall, once a beautiful shopping center, is now vacant. So, say goodbye to yet another remarkable piece of pop-architecture.

Inevitably, it was going to happen. The beautiful Kon Tiki Theater on Salem Ave in Dayton is scheduled to be torn down today.

And it’s another sad day for Ohio Tiki-fanatics. Hell, it’s a sad day for anyone who appreciates those buildings with the Polynesian architecture.

Some history of the Kon Tiki Theater :
Levin Theatres of Dayton opened the Kon-Tiki in August 1968 with "The Odd Couple". The theater was later twinned and then tripled in the early 1980s. Levin leased the theater to USA Cinemas in the 1987. After Loews Theatres purchased USA, the theater continued to operate as the Loews Salem Avenue until closing in March 1999.

Levins could not find a buyer for the 27,000 square foot theater, which they were supposedly asking $590,000 which included all the theater equipment and the acres of land. The Kon-Tiki, like so many other West Dayton buildings that are boarded up, could not stop vandals and they destroyed one screen and damaged the theater's lobby. After five years with no buyer, Levins decided to donate the Kon-Tiki to the City of Trotwood. (A gang all their own!)

Interestingly enough, about two years ago, I made several attempts to contact the sellers of the property (not that I could afford it) because I wanted to take a look around the inside to see if anything of the décor could be salvaged. I received no reply.

It had been years…since the first run of ‘Star Wars’ was showing, since I had been to the Kon Tiki. I remember going with my cousins to see it for the tenth time on a Christmas or New Years Day.
I don’t recall seeing anything tiki inside…just red velvet as my eyes tried to adjust from the snow blindness caused in the parking lot. Throughout high school, I went to other theaters…frankly, Salem Avenue was not (and is not) in an area that a skinny white boy wanted to hang out. With wanna-be gang violence a plague upon the neighborhood, the entire area of Salem Avenue has suffered. Not only the Kon Tiki, but the majority of the Salem Mall, once a beautiful shopping center, is now vacant.
So, say goodbye to yet another remarkable piece of pop-architecture.

Post #133841 by the75stingray on Tue, Jan 4, 2005 7:22 AM