Lafayette Condominiums, Long Beach, CA (apartments)

Name:Lafayette Condominiums
Type:apartments
Street:140 Linden Avenue
City:Long Beach
State:CA
Zip:90802
country:USA
Phone:(562) 436-5391
Status:defunct

Description:
Apartment building built in the 20's. Tiki boom hits in 1958 -

"January 2, 1958
Hotel expands with three cocktail lounges and dining spots: Ivanhoe Room has medieval splendor of King Arthur's court with tunnels, torture chambers, fireplaces, shields and lances; steaks, seafood, cocktails and piano bar. Outrigger Room off Broadway entrance has South Seas tropical decor, exotic drinks, "polynesian" waitresses, Cantonese appetizers and dinners."

"The late 50s tiki scene was alive and well at the Lafayette's Outrigger Room. Here, waitress Malio serves up Zombies, Head Shrinkers and Passionate Virgins."

Converts to residential hotel in 1967.

More here:
http://www.thelafayettelb.org/history.html

Trader Woody

[ Edited by: Trader Woody on 2004-08-22 12:22 ]

What an interesting article, thank you Trader Woody. I will check out this place next time I go there. There is some grea old architecture all over Long Beach. To know the stories behind these old buildings is far more interesting.

Good historical notation. I only hope that one of the unused banquet halls will be used to bring back the Outrigger Room.

"The late 50s tiki scene was alive and well at the Lafayette's Outrigger Room. Here, waitress Malio serves up Zombies, Head Shrinkers and Passionate Virgins."

Very cool thread. This has always been one of my favorite matchbooks. Nice to find out a little more about the place. I checked Googlemaps, and the Lafayette is still there.

Wonder if it had a Barney West Moai as decor....

I picked up a rare napkin from the Outrigger at the Lafayette Hotel and Lanais.

I seem to remember this scene from some another place??

DC

Wonderful napkin DC!

A nice drink menu from The Outrigger I found in my computer files. Must have clipped the images a few years back.

They covered the whole range of drinks.

DC

Here is an ad from the opening in 1957. Same logo as the napkin I have.

I swear I have seen this image somewhere else.

DC

Here is a newspaper clipping from 1959 that shows a glimpse inside the Outrigger Room restaurant. Nice Tapa on the walls.

DC

The original post mentioned that The Lafayette was converted to residential space in 1967, but I think The Outrigger Room closed before that.

It looks like The Lafayette underwent a comprehensive renovation starting no later than October 6, 1963, which is when this article ran in the Long Beach Independent. Note that, as part of the renovation, they had put a dance floor in The Outrigger Room:

That article says they were planning a grand re-opening later in the month; however, there must have been another renovation or re-conceptualization of the space or something, because by no later than October 1, 1964 (less than a year later), The Outrigger Room was advertising another "opening", this time focusing on go-go dancing:

Within a month or so after that, no later than November 13, 1964, they were no longer advertising it as The Outrigger Room at all, but had changed the name to The Go-Go Room:

The name change is referenced in this article from the December 4, 1964, Independent: