Post #435338 by dangergirl299 on Fri, Feb 20, 2009 11:47 AM

Here is the text of what I just sent to the Planning Dept:

Dear San Francisco Planning Department:

This letter is a formal objection to the 950 Mason Street – Fairmont Hotel Revitalization and Residential Tower Project that the Fairmont Hotel Company – San Francisco LP has proposed. I urge the Planning Department to deny approval of the project unless the historic restaurant the Tonga Room is included in the mandate to retain the historic hotel building.

The historic San Francisco Fairmont Hotel is wildly popular because it has maintained much of its original pre-art deco interior. The Fairmont Hotel’s landmark Polynesian restaurant the Tonga Room has been drawing fans since the last 1940s. This is one of the last un-remodeled original “tiki” restaurants in California and certainly the most elaborate. The Tonga room has a man-made lake in the middle, and delights guests with periodic thunder storms and rain showers.

The history of the Tonga Room is as compelling as the rest of the historic Fairmont building that is slated to be retained. In 1929 an indoor swimming pool was added to the historic 1902 building. In the late 1940’s, people going to take a dip in the 'Fairmont Plunge' were entranced to find themselves aboard the 'S.S. Tonga,' which provided a nautical atmosphere, along with exotic drinks accompanied by Chinese food. The S.S. Tonga evolved into the Tonga Room, with its musical boat in the middle of the pool, tiki huts under which patrons can enjoy a refreshing Mai-Tai, and an exotic menu reflecting the South Sea & Asian ambiance. A gleaming dance floor provides space for guests to dance which was originally the deck of the historic S.S. Forrester, one of the last of the tall ships that plied the route between San Francisco and the South Sea Islands.

World-renown for its original tiki chic, The Tonga Room has enchanted guests with its tropical decor, frothy libations and Asian cuisine for over 60 years. The eclectic Polynesian ambiance features a live band performing from a thatch-covered barge on the pool, a historic dance floor built from the remains of the S.S. Forester, and periodic light tropical rainstorms, complete with thunder and lightening....indoors! Following a $1 million restoration, The Tonga Room has rekindled the excitement of its unique and time-honored décor to recapture the glory of one of the nation’s first tiki palaces. Today, The Tonga Room is riding the wave of the tiki revival and recently has been recognized as one of the nation's hottest bars by InStyle, Gourmet, Travel & Leisure, Harper's Bazaar and Wallpaper magazines as well as The Food Network. As part of the marble-lined historic Fairmont Hotel, the Tonga Room has enchanted royalty and U.S. Presidents since 1945.

TikiCentral.com, which has over 9,000 members worldwide, is shocked and dismayed at the possibility that the Tonga Room would be demolished to make way for some overpriced condominium tower. (See http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=30385&forum=1&start=0&50) This website has over 700 posts alone discussing and admiring the Tonga Room. Tiki Central organizes an annual Tiki Bar Crawl of the Bay Area, which always spotlights the Tonga Room, and draws guests from all over the world. (See http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/10/tiki-is-back-cocktails-drinks-hawaiian.html). In addition, popular website yelp.com has received over 400 reviews of the Tonga Room, almost 100 of which stated that the Tonga Room was “of my very favorite tiki bars in the country” (emphasis added).

The historic Fairmont Hotel, which houses the Tonga Room, has survived the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 as well as the depression and neglect during World War II. It would be a deep shame on San Francisco to lose this significant artifact to an overpriced condominium complex for the ultra-rich, a dubious endeavor in today’s economy.

As an attorney who has litigated CEQA cases, I am very concerned about the propriety of approving a project that seeks to demolish such an integral part of San Francisco’s history and draw, as well as lack of notice to the public at large. Please send me notification of any further hearings or deadlines for public comment on this matter.