Post #600393 by bigbrotiki on Mon, Aug 1, 2011 9:14 PM

Thank you Jeff! Beautiful shot! After having visited this classic Tiki joint for the first time again since I photographed it for Tiki Modern in April of 2002, I am sad to find it sorely under-represented here on TC. Luckily it is still in the same condition than it was at my first visit. Here are some snapshots I took of some of the glorious features of the place:

The best original collection of Beachcomber lamps:

That great modernist soffit bamboo ceiling:

Fun faux Witco artwork (photographed in 2002) made by "Artistry in Wood":

And the entrance hut:

I am now 95% convinced that this "hut" must have been taken over from the Portland Kon-Tiki when that place closed in 1980. Here is why:

Stephen Crane's The Luau became the pattern after which he modeled his Kon Tiki restaurants, especially the first two, the Montreal (1958) and the Portland (1959) Kon Tikis:

After entering the Luau, you would find yourself in a small hut, from which you would reach the different sections of the restaurant. I have never seen a photo of it in situ, but there was an illustration of it in the Luau's menu:

With the help of this illustration, I recognized two remnants of the Luau in the Hanalei Hotel courtyard (where they had been brought after the Luau closed): That now iconic Tiki, and the hut itself:

Now, both of the Kon Tiki's blue prints show that this hut was copied for each of these follow up restaurants. It was called an "Entry Tepe":

Here is my previously unpublished shot of the "Tepe" at the Alibi, from 2002 (lit with the support of TikiMaxton!):

It is just half of the hut, but since I have never seen a structure like this used in any other Tiki Temple, I peg this to be the Kon Tiki Tepe!

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2011-08-04 07:36 ]