Post #817788 by SBJiminyC on Sat, Jan 24, 2026 11:27 AM

Things seem to have been going great with the Tiki Gardens and Signal House. Here’s an ad from 1961 touting the “double header” attraction.

Sadly, on the night of May 9th, 1963; a fire broke out in the Signal House. In the panic to put out the fire, one of the volunteers even crashed his vehicle! Tampa Bay Times, May 10, 1963

The locals came out to take a look at the damage. When asked, Frank Byers said he would not rebuild. However his friends knew he would. Tampa Bay Times, May 11, 1963

Within just a few days, this article announces that rebuilding had already started. All the burned merchandise was dumped out back as fill.. who knows what is still buried there! Tampa Bay Times, May 20, 1963

By September construction was heavily underway and things were looking up for Tiki Gardens. According to the article, the new place would be patterned after the International Marketplace in Hawaii. The Bradenton Herald September 9, 1963

[ Edited by SBJiminyC on 2026-01-26 05:46:02 ]