Wrecking Ball to Kiss the butt of the Kon Tiki Theater.

Inevitably, it was going to happen. The beautiful Kon Tiki Theater on Salem Ave in Dayton is scheduled to be torn down today.

And it’s another sad day for Ohio Tiki-fanatics. Hell, it’s a sad day for anyone who appreciates those buildings with the Polynesian architecture.

Some history of the Kon Tiki Theater :
Levin Theatres of Dayton opened the Kon-Tiki in August 1968 with "The Odd Couple". The theater was later twinned and then tripled in the early 1980s. Levin leased the theater to USA Cinemas in the 1987. After Loews Theatres purchased USA, the theater continued to operate as the Loews Salem Avenue until closing in March 1999.

Levins could not find a buyer for the 27,000 square foot theater, which they were supposedly asking $590,000 which included all the theater equipment and the acres of land. The Kon-Tiki, like so many other West Dayton buildings that are boarded up, could not stop vandals and they destroyed one screen and damaged the theater's lobby. After five years with no buyer, Levins decided to donate the Kon-Tiki to the City of Trotwood. (A gang all their own!)

Interestingly enough, about two years ago, I made several attempts to contact the sellers of the property (not that I could afford it) because I wanted to take a look around the inside to see if anything of the décor could be salvaged. I received no reply.

It had been years…since the first run of ‘Star Wars’ was showing, since I had been to the Kon Tiki. I remember going with my cousins to see it for the tenth time on a Christmas or New Years Day.
I don’t recall seeing anything tiki inside…just red velvet as my eyes tried to adjust from the snow blindness caused in the parking lot. Throughout high school, I went to other theaters…frankly, Salem Avenue was not (and is not) in an area that a skinny white boy wanted to hang out. With wanna-be gang violence a plague upon the neighborhood, the entire area of Salem Avenue has suffered. Not only the Kon Tiki, but the majority of the Salem Mall, once a beautiful shopping center, is now vacant.
So, say goodbye to yet another remarkable piece of pop-architecture.

SNIFF!!! do you have any pictures of the outside?

sniff?!? This deserves more than a "sniff' this deserves a RAZZ!!!!

On 2005-01-04 11:14, mrsmiley wrote:
SNIFF!!! do you have any pictures of the outside?

BOT. page 117. Another "second look" (with the magnifier) photo. Behind the sign you can see the building with it's almost Chinese A-frame entrance.
I would love to see a closer shot, to see what the rock wall and the round sign in the gable looked like. The weird outrigger type beams along the top of the building are interesting too, some sort of X-shape. And on the far left, partially out of frame, we can see that the exit doors had a sloping roofline too.

Also, the sign had bamboo and "native" patterns painted behind the lettering.

Correct me if I am wrong, Stingray, but I don't think there was any direct visual reference to Thor's Kon-Tiki. Entrepeneurs often used the name but then avoided using the mask logo in fear of copyright problems. I have a vintage tie with Kon-Tiki masks on it, yet on the back it's label reads "Aztec Masks" (..just in case somebody asked!)

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki on 2005-01-04 12:58 ]

Big Bro, as I recall, there was nothing 'tiki' or 'Kon Tiki' on the inside...just lots of red velvet curtains and that high arch celing. I don't even recall it having the wooden beams in the lobby. (That was one reason I was trying to pose as the agent for a potential buyer, to get a look inside.)

The outside did have the stone / lava rock look and maintained that even recently.

I may have some pictures I took while driving by a few months ago...but I'm not sure if I kept them or not. I'll check.

I wanted to drive by today just to see what I could, but just havent had the time or the heart to do so.

I'll keep you updated if I do make it past there.

Yes, try to go by today and take some pics of it being wrecked. In retrospect I wish I had taken more pictures of delapidated Tiki temples, there's nothing like the juxtaposition of a Polynesian palace in it's heyday next to a pic of it's destruction to drive the value of these places home to the viewer.

[i]On 2005-01-04 07:22, the75stingray wrote:

Interestingly enough, about two years ago, I made several attempts to contact the sellers of the property (not that I could afford it) because I wanted to take a look around the inside to see if anything of the décor could be salvaged. I received no reply.

Good effort. Maybe you should have used a little more self-help and checked if the vandals left the door open, or used the assistance of a crowbar.

Pic here:

http://img.coxnewsweb.com/B/08/80/90/image_1290808.jpg

Article here:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0103kontiki.html?UrAuth=NNUOcNYUbTTUWUXUTUZTZU`UWUbU]UZU\U_UcTYWVVZV

Registration site - You can get a login at http://www.bugmenot.com

Thanks Iolani! ...but we still don't know what was on that round sign under the roof.
And the Daily News requires registration to get the article, can you cut and paste it into this thread?

Well, here is my report. As far as the center circle, BigBro, I think it was a tiki design years and years ago...but can't recall. I'm currently looking through old scrap books to see if I can find the logo that they once used. Very similar to a Mark Pi's logo...more Japaneese than Polynesian. But it's been gone a long time. I took some video and will try to do some snippets and post some pics asap.

Chris- Belive me...I carry a gun and I was not about to venture inside that place at night when I was last out there! However, I did walk around the building as recently as a year ago, posing as a utility worker, trying to find some way to enter without getting shot or easily prosecuted. I was quickly approached by some wanna-be gang kids who wanted to know what I was looking for. I simply said I was the utility company checking the meters and allowed them a glimpse of my right hand on a Sig P226 inside my jacket. They moved back, but not far enough away for my comfort. I left. But, for what it's worth, I did try.

Okay...My report:

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Through dreary freezing rain of a gray and dismal Wednesday afternoon, I watched the large, yellow Komosto beast pick and choose the next victim of the Kon Tiki theater that he would carefully crush with his giant claw and drop into the large brown dumpster.

I stood in the rain and immediately struck up conversation with a photographer from the City of Trotwood. We exchanged memories of what a grand theater the Kon Tiki once was and what we last saw on her screens. We discussed the red and orange décor and the rock throughout the lobby. We reminisced about the lava-encrusted restrooms with their large seashell sinks. (I had all but forgotten about that!)

As we stood in awe of what had once been and what was happening, we observed various cars that arrived and departed, one after another, in the large parking lot to pay their respects to the Polynesian monument. Most vehicles kept a discrete distance, but many occupants were observed shaking their heads in disgust and helplessness.

By the time I arrived at the landmark, one half of the building had been torn down. (Right down the center.) The yellow machine was rolling over a small mound of rubble, red plastic seats and the yellow cushions that once adorned them.
One side of the exterior arch was still visible. One side of a lobby wall still standing. A theater style light fixture dangled in the winds that were becoming stronger and colder. The orange and red curtains on a wall remained in front of a gray stonewall projection booth.
The left side remained as it had in its glory, with six tall pine trees guarding the front sides of the building. One half of a arch stood, heavily damaged, with two white ball lights suspended from them, as they always had. The light blue front sides held strong behind the arch, giving support where there soon would be none. The middle, stone and cement, remained as well. The doors on each side of the stone center were not visible behind the debris that piled in front of the building. The small, round light in the center of the arch and above the doors once had a tiki on it, (I believe) but now was just a blank white circle, as it had been for several years.

Large pieces of crushed and mangled machines, which once serviced us with drinks and hot hogs, were seen lying under metal beams and sheets of metal.

What can be said of a building that sits in an area where it can not thrive and survive? When a flower is placed among weeds, it too will get smothered and die. At one time, the Kon Tiki Theater had sat in close proximity of Georgie Rudin’s Tropics on Main Street that had been torn down for a pharmacy years ago.
Along Salem, driving back towards downtown Dayton, similar architecture can still be admired in a Pancake house and an abandoned Burger Chef restaurant...but none compaire to the splendor of the Kon Tiki Theater.

The creaking of the heavy yellow machine continued and the rain became heavier, I could watch no longer.

As I drove out of the Kon Tiki parking lot for the last time, I received a respectful nod and wave from the single salvage worker walking the mountain of destruction. He looked as heartbroken as the many faces I had watched drive through the lot to view the spectical. I looked back and thought that the uninhabited Kon Tiki was not so much of a community eye sore as it was a depressive daily reminder, to those who drove past, of what has become of our society, our suburbs, our treasures and our memories.

[ Edited by: the75stingray on 2005-01-05 14:49 ]

Oi yoi! What a depressing report.. Tell us you took some pics of the destruction stingray - we'd love to see them....

Here's a cut and paste of the Dayton Daily News article, as per BigBro's request......

Grass has been growing up through the blacktop at the old Kon-Tiki theatre on Salem Avenue, which is slated for demolition Tuesday.

Kon-Tiki theater ready for last action move
Bulldozers coming Tuesday to raze theater

TROTWOOD | The Kon-Tiki movie theater, once home to Blazing Saddles, The Godfather and Jaws, closed in 1999, but its biggest hit will arrive at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

That's when a wrecking ball is scheduled to demolish the big-box theater known for its South Pacific decor at 4100 Salem Ave.

Dignitaries and residents from Trotwood and Montgomery County along with the theater's previous owners and founders, the Samuel Levin family, are expected to be on hand for the blockbuster event.

Tickets are not required.

"The city believes that the Kon-Tiki has outlived its usefulness," said Michael Lucking, Trotwood's interim city manger. "We believe it is in everyone's best interest to land bank this site, clear it for redevelopment and create open space that will significantly improve the appearance and image along this section of the Salem Avenue corridor."

The city approved a contract last month with B&B excavating of Cleveland to demolish the theater in an amount not to exceed $103,200.

The money will come from federal Community Development Block Grant funds the city received from Montgomery County.

The site will become temporary green space until a developer shows interest.

The Kon-Tiki — noted for its giant conch shells for restroom sinks, illuminated Tiki faces on the facade, volcanic rock and abalone shells built into the walls — opened in 1968.

Operated by the Levin family, it changed its name to Lowes Salem Avenue in the late 1980s and closed for good in 1999.

The Levins turned the property, including the 27,000-square-foot theater and several acres, over to the city as a charitable donation.

[ Edited by: Tangaroa on 2005-01-05 17:14 ]

On 2005-01-05 14:45, the75stingray wrote:
I looked back and thought that the uninhabited Kon Tiki was not so much of a community eye sore as it was a depressive daily reminder, to those who drove past, of what has become of our society, our suburbs, our treasures and our memories.

Well put...progress is a wonderful tragedy - sure it's nice to replace those things that are no longer useful or relevant in our communities with things that are supposed to make our lives easier but in the end we lose a reminder of who we were. Convenience is the proverbial dagger in the back of charm and history. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the acres of free parking and reasonable prices your dime a dozen Target's and Home Depot's provide but every time I see a Ma and Pa establishment, with even an ounce of distinction, brushed aside for the next cookie-cutter Mega store it really depresses me. I guess no one can stand in the way of progress but it really sucks when you have to witness it firsthand! At least most kids today will only know modern society's appetite for convenience and generic bargains. With reminders of “how it used to be” giving way to the wrecking ball on a daily basis, the next generations won't know what they’ve missed and probably won’t get to experience that sense of heartbreak we feel when we witness America losing another vestige of its past.

JohnTiki

Aloha from the enchanted Pi Yi Grotto in exotic Bel Air Maryland!

[ Edited by: Johntiki on 2005-01-05 22:17 ]

From the Dayton Daily News article "The site will become temporary green space until a developer
shows interest." In other words a weed feed vacant lot! I betcha!!!

Stingray, that photographer that you talked to, was he taking pictures? I realize that rain is probably the worst weather and light to do so, for large exteriors, but if he did, do you have his contact info?
And does the Daily News have pictures of the place other than the one I put in the BOT?

I think you should send in your post, I love the reference to the larger picture, of what America once was. If they don't print it as an article, at least as reader's letter.

Is there anything else of tiki interest in Dayton or points nearby? I may be going there this year to visit some of the g/f's relatives.

BigBro, thanks for the encouragement. The photographer I spoke with said he worked for the City of Trotwood. He was driving a white Chevy van and should not be hard for me to find. I'll see what I can do.
As far as old news stories, I had looked at one of the public libraries in the Dayton area and found nothing. I had actually been looking for articles or adds for The Tropics and any reference to a Tiki Too Lounge on Brandt Pike. Nothing found. But I honestly didn't have the time to really invest those days. I'll try again. Certainly someone, somewhere has some pictures of the theater. AND, since the Levins are obviously still around, (as mentioned in the news article) I would be interested in contacting them as they would certainly have some pictures, if not some artifacts.

Tikialope- Unfortunately, there is nothing tiki left in the Dayton area. When you come up, I can show you the Pancake House which has the A-framed architecture that the tiki style is often associated with...that is on Salem Ave as well. I can show you the empty pharmacy and lot on which the Georgie Rudins Tropics once stoof on main Street. Or an hours drive east and I can show you where the Walgreens sits in place of the beloved Kahiki in Columbus.
Short of that, everything is gone. There are no bars with the theme, no buildings, no hidden tiki's lurking in the bushes like in California. It's a tiki wasteland. There is no evidence that tiki ever existed here in the Dayton area.

Tangora- Thanks for posting the article. I tried and it locked up my damn computer! Damn Dayton Daily News! Personally, I think the building should have received a better, bigger article, more information, more attention. But in that area, no one really cares.

Tikijackalope,
Not tiki, but definitely a ton of mid-century design inspiration at the Air Force museum at Wright-Patterson AFB. After all, the USAF put the Atomic in the Atomic Age.

JTD

edited for spelling

[ Edited by: JTD on 2005-01-06 06:17 ]

P.S. Johntiki, you said "I appreciate the acres of free parking and reasonable prices your dime a dozen Target's and Home Depot's provide but every time I see a Ma and Pa establishment, with even an ounce of distinction, brushed aside for the next cookie-cutter Mega store it really depresses me."

Believe me brother, they aint gonna put any mega store or Target in that area. It's surrounded by empty shopping plazas, pawn shops, car washes (where you can get a little extra in your trunk, if you know what I mean) and decay.
Hell, they can't even keep a thrift store in that area!

Don't get me wrong, it's not like South Central LA...but many of the residents in that area like to THINK that it is.

It's just sad.

Some Kon tiki pics ...

Some Tropics stuff ...

the75stingray ... we need to hang out & kick back some rum! Are we the only members from Dayton?

[ Edited by: Hotrod Hut on 2005-01-25 09:35 ]

[ Edited by: Hotrod Hut on 2005-01-25 09:39 ]

[ Edited by: Hotrod Hut on 2005-01-25 09:42 ]

Hey Hut! Thanks bro! I havent had the time to get my video into snippets and post them, so I really appreciate the pictures. (The Tropics was a nice touch too!)

There are a very few folks like us here in Dayton...but I'm definately up for a rumtainted drink!

Check out Ahu's Fraternal Order of Moai site - I have been amaized to find some tikifolks, like ourselves, in the local areas.

Shoot me a PM or e-mail and we'll sit down for a drink.

UPDATE: Informatively, if any of you are interested...a friend of mine called me last Sunday about some 'new items' that had arrived at a large antique store. I went to check em out and low and behold, I saw these two 9 foot tiki poles that reached the ceiling.
They claimed to be from the Kon Tiki Theater and the guy is asking like $495 a piece.
They can best be described as dark wood, with carved African looking tikis...the ones near the bottom of the pole were actually kinda aynotomicly correct, if you know what I mean.
They appeared to be in good shape with exception to some scuffs that looked recent and probably made by the metal straps that held them into the wall.

If anyone is interested, I'd rather one of US get them than someone else. I simply don't have the money or the room for a huge carving like that. But if YOU are, then drop me a line and I'll point you in the right direction.

Later!

I just joined another great message board called CinemaTreasures.org. As if Tiki wasn't enough to be obsessed with, I also have a big fascination with movie palaces and the cinema system of yesterday and today.

They have some more photos of the demolition of the KonTiki. You can see them here:
http://cinematreasures.org/news/12583_0_1_0_M2/

hey stingray.
next time you are searchin' at the library, look for anything on the pooka pooka lounge.
it was in huber heights on old troy pike i think. ( i could be wrong). chiselslinger has a matchbook and last time i was in dayton i went lookin' for it. it is now a dollar general store in what looked like a pretty old shopping center ( at least from the sixties) the matchbook said it had "polynesian" decor,"exotic" cocktails and the best feature, a glass dance floor with water under it.

Hoffa! How the hell are ya?! Where have you been?

I found a drink stir from the Pooki Pooki Too at 5606 Old Troy Pike (Huber Heights), but have not been able to find anything on it.
I even looked into the old phone books and came up with nothing.

The only thing I can think of is that it was a short lived business.
But if I find anything, I'll sure let you know.

Hey, hope you can make it to the Hula Hop up there in Columbus on May 28th.

Later.

ahhh the POOKIE POOKIE. I knew it was
somthing like that. I'm gonna try, I have
to go to columbus around that time to pick
up my caddy. hopefully i can time it to the same weekend.

On 2005-04-07 08:48, theARTFINK wrote:
hopefully i can time it to the same weekend.

Hopefully? Hopefully?!?

Is there any other option here?

Heh heh heh!

Ahu

Hoffa...I see the "now Ft. Lauderdale" under your name...

Oh, Did I mention that YOU SUCK? Leaving me up here in this anti-tiki infested hellhole?!
Couldn't you have just let me tag along with you as a body guard or your personal videographer or something?

Seriously, drop me a PM or an e-mail sometime and I really REALLY hope you can make it to the Hula Hop. I'm sure your 'celebrity status' would encourage the local mob to be more involved.

Glad to see you back among the living.

a "donation," huh?!?

Why didn't they donate it to Tiki Central?!?
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

not purring,

tikivixen