Post #528053 by abstractiki on Tue, May 4, 2010 9:29 PM

Tonga Room NEWS from todays SF Chronicle

"Fairmont, preservationists at odds over Tonga Room
Robert Selna, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The owners of San Francisco's Fairmont hotel say a city report's recommendations for saving the popular Tonga Room as part of a major renovation clash with their proposal for a boutique hotel, grand ballroom and condominiums, and that the tiki lounge is inconsistent with the 1907 hotel's history anyway.

The City Planning Department's recently released draft environmental impact report identified the Tonga Room, which was added in 1945, as a "historical resource." As a result, the impact of its proposed demolition and alternatives must be considered before the project goes forward.

That sets up a potential fight between opponents of the demolition - thus far composed of the lounge's fans and some preservationists - and the owners of the hotel, Maritz Wolff & Co. The draft report is scheduled to be reviewed by the city's Historic Preservation Commission on May 19 and the Planning Commission on June 10. The project must receive the approval of each commission to move ahead.

The renovation also would include demolishing the hotel's 26-story tower and replacing it with a building of similar height featuring condominiums, doubling the height of an adjacent five-story podium and renovating a 1935 Art Deco lounge called the Cirque Room.

The removal of the Tonga Room is necessary for plans to move the hotel's grand ballroom from a lower level, where its windowless walls dominate the corner of Powell and California streets to the spot currently occupied by the Tonga. In that location, it would be proximate to other related gathering rooms, according to development adviser Susan Sagy.

"If we keep open the Tonga Room where it is, we cannot create a state-of-the-art ballroom connected to other function rooms. And the ballroom is integral to the purpose of the (remodeled) hotel," Sagy said.

Seeking upscale crowd
Meanwhile, the Tonga Room is not geared toward the crowd the remade hotel believes it will attract or that lives in the surrounding Nob Hill area, she said.

"The hotel is going to become more intimate and upscale, and the food and beverage will need to reflect that. ... If I asked today to put a use like the Tonga Room in this traditional Beaux Arts hotel, do you think I'd be able to get permission? It's so inconsistent."

The underlying reason for the Fairmont renovation is San Francisco's changing hotel economics. Nob Hill hotels have lost guests to South of Market locales as convention business has grown and new lodgings have emerged. To compete, the Fairmont decided it needed to appeal to higher-end travelers who want a boutique hotel experience, with spas, fine dining, and other amenities. The condominiums represent an economic driver, which takes some of the pressure off the hotel.

The city report's historic review was informed by Knapp Architects and San Francisco architect Christopher VerPlanck.

It concluded that the Tonga Room was a historic resource, in part because it "represents a rare remaining example of a distinct phase of post-World War II popular culture, and includes a substantial number of distinctive characteristics."

Support on Facebook
An indoor swimming pool installed at the hotel in 1929, known as the Terrace Plunge, later provided the space for a lagoon and floating stage when the Tonga Room was created in 1945. The restaurant was redesigned in 1967. Referring to its artificial lagoon, rainstorms and lava rock, the report said, "The Tonga Room exhibits exceptional importance due to its rarity and as one of the best examples of 'high-style' Tiki bar/restaurant in San Francisco."

When the hotel renovation plan was announced last year and word spread that the Tonga might close, a "Save the Tonga Room!" Facebook page was created to show support for its survival. An event promoted through the online networking site drew a couple of hundred people.

Organizer Barrett Fallentine said he understands the hotel owners' reasoning, but would hate to see the Polynesian-themed room go by the wayside.

"I used to go there as a younger person, and I still go a lot," said Fallentine, 37. "I'm drawn to things with historical significance, and who doesn't like a good Tiki bar?"

Fallentine said he's committed to trying to save the lounge and will organize events in the future if the situation calls for it.

Rejecting alternatives
Sagy rejected two alternatives the report proposed for relocating the Tonga Room in its entirety on the hotel property. She said a third possibility of a smaller version of the bar was the most plausible physically, but she did not sound enthusiastic.

"One has to question whether any (Tonga Room) is consistent with the historic nature of this hotel," Sagy said.

Longtime neighborhood resident Bob Varni said he supports the remodeling proposal without the Tonga Room. He wants the hotel to attract upscale visitors.

"If this plan is killed, the only way to fill rooms is to drop prices," Varni said. "You drop prices and pretty soon you have a Holiday Inn with RVs parked here, and that's not what Nob Hill should be."

This article appeared on page D - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle"