Post #743386 by Mockingbird on Thu, May 21, 2015 7:56 AM

This is really interesting, and I would love to know more. Since Joe's or a previous owner obviously re-modeled the building I would imagine that they might have blueprints and even possibly elevation drawings on hand. With that in mind I just sent this letter to Joe's Crab Shack corporate:

"Hello, Please let me first introduce myself. My name is Karl Holbert and I belong to a group that is interested in the Polynesian pop (Tiki) movement of the middle part of the 20th century. I am contacting you today about your above location because when it was originally built in the early 60's it was a Tiki Bar/ Restaurant called the "Lahala House" and then a short time later "Steak Island". It was supposedly a favorite haunt of President LBJ as well and was one of the only a hand full (if that) of such establishments to ever be built in Austin. Very little is known about the Lahala House as almost no material about it, aside from a few old match books and a menu, seem to still exist. Thus, I was wondering as the buildings current occupant / owner if you might have or know where I might be able to find copies of original blueprints or architectural drawings. It would be fantastic to see and learn more about such a unique Austin establishment. Thank you for your time. I hope to hear back from you soon.

Sincerely,
Karl Holbert"

These days I don't expect much from corporate type folks but every now and then I am surprised. Let's hope this is one of those occasions. I will keep y'all posted on what I hear. Hope this helps. :)