Post #739573 by tikicoma on Tue, Mar 17, 2015 11:43 PM

Name:Tiki Apartments (originally Tongaroa)
Type:apartments
Street:1111 South Highland
City:Tacoma
State:WA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status operational (no longer)

Description:
These apartments opened sometime in the 60's. There are 5 tikis still on site all of cedar and set in asphalt or concrete which is probably why they haven't rotted away.

Bigbro took this photo back in the mid 90's when he was shooting a commercial in the area.

This guy is over two stories tall.

Behind it in the entry way is this tiki protected from the weather still retains some of its finish.

Through the entry you turn around past the stairs and see these two.

On the the other side of the courtyard on a mound is the two faced idol (about 9 feet tall).


(The other side)

Now a little that is gone. Masks like this one, carved by Gale Haner, were on or beside the apt doors. I was told by the son of the managers in the 80's that most of these were torn off the walls by people who came home tripping or drunk in the 70's.

Then last year, when they repainted, these oddballs were swiped when off the building (just what are they anyway).

Lastly, these tikis and most of the others that had been in 6 different apartment complexes in the area look to be from the same mystery carver, with deep carved mouths, slanting eyes and many oddly showing the bottoms of their feet.

aloha, tikicoma

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2015-03-18 00:34 ]

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2018-04-16 21:42 ]

[ Edited by tikicoma on 2022-03-17 15:23:23 ]