Tonga Room SF (Not) to be demolished? - General Tiki

J JOHN-O Tiki Socialite Dogtown, USA Joined: May 16, 2008 Posts: 2721	J JOHN-O Posted posted on Fri, Mar 12, 2010 1:16 AM Unfortunately the problem with the Tonga Room isn't so much how profitable it is as a bar, it's the value of the land it sits on. The Beverly Hills Trader Vic's fell to the same fate. In L.A., the only "historic" business I can think of that averted a similar destruction was the Formosa Cafe in West Hollywood. A local and preservationist movement was able to draw enough media attention to shame Warner Brothers into sparing the place. A similar approach could work with the Tonga Room. San Francisco treasures its history much more than Los Angeles does. L.A. is sentimental about its "Hollywood" history which the Formosa Cafe had in spades (you can see the place in "L.A. Confidential".) The question for the Tonga Room is whether a Tiki or South Seas nostalgia will resonate with modern day San Franciscans. It's too bad Sam Spade didn't hang out there in Dashiell Hammett's novels. [ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-03-12 01:43 ]

Unfortunately the problem with the Tonga Room isn't so much how profitable it is as a bar, it's the value of the land it sits on.

The Beverly Hills Trader Vic's fell to the same fate. In L.A., the only "historic" business I can think of that averted a similar destruction was the Formosa Cafe in West Hollywood. A local and preservationist movement was able to draw enough media attention to shame Warner Brothers into sparing the place.

A similar approach could work with the Tonga Room. San Francisco treasures its history much more than Los Angeles does.

L.A. is sentimental about its "Hollywood" history which the Formosa Cafe had in spades (you can see the place in "L.A. Confidential".) The question for the Tonga Room is whether a Tiki or South Seas nostalgia will resonate with modern day San Franciscans. It's too bad Sam Spade didn't hang out there in Dashiell Hammett's novels.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-03-12 01:43 ]

Post #516743 by JOHN-O on Fri, Mar 12, 2010 1:16 AM