1958 pics Waikikian / Tahitian Lanai

I was looking through my paper collection this weekend and found these pictures in a House Beautiful magazine dated September 1958.

One of the articles is titled "A simple roof is the whole building". An excerpt from the intro paragraph reads "...Polynesian inhabitants were living open shelters consisting of a roof. Built of poles and thach, this traditional form served their simple way of life very well. Today this native form, built with present methods, finds wider application."

"An adaption for hotel cottages. In 1956 this predominant roof form, somewhat modified by the addition of the flat side roofs covering balconies, was used by Wimberly & Cook, architects, in the design of the Waikikian Hotel."

"Skylighted-pierced roof for an interesting light pattern is important element in Canlis's Broiler restaurant, designed by architects Wimberly & Cook."

"Like so many modern Hawaiian buildings, the Tahitian Lanai restaurant in the Waikikian Hotel is so smooth an integration of Western, Oriential and traditional tropics colonial architectural elements that it amounts to a style itself."

"Jalousies, immemorially part of hot-country colonial buildings, are translated into a moveable wall of adjustable shutters. See how flexible they can be manipulated to control light, shade and air."

"The Samoan longhouse so impressed Edmund Fitzsimmons, himself a builder, that when planning to build his own home he asked his architects, Wimberly & Cook, to adapt it to the needs of his family. As you can see, the Fitzsimmonses didn't affect a bamboo and thach roof for a "South Seas" look. But they did build into their house the basic ideas that make the longhouse tropical in character."

One of the last articles in the magazine is titled "How to give a lulu of a luau". Most of the article is spent presenting food and drink recipes, but it contains one picture.

"The begining of a fabulous luau given at the home of Francis Brown, in Pebble Beach, California. A tent in motor court makes the dining room." Notice not one person in the picture is wearing any aloha attire, it's all formal wear. The article even recommends "...Guests should be asked to wear sun dresses, fiesta dresses, or true muumuus and holikus. Men should wear sport shirts - the gayer the better, or "lava-lava", the true South Sea island attire for men."

Finally, just a few interesting ads that were spread throughout the magazine.

And finally, a man shouldn't put on a formal diner jacket without one of these.

Edited by: ZuluMagoo on 2003-04-22 00:48 ]

[ Edited by: ZuluMagoo 2006-07-21 23:00 ]

Great Pix!

sweet.

Nice pix! Very cool...

" Notice not one person in the picture is wearing any aloha attire, it's all formal
wear. The article even recommends "...Guests should be asked to wear sun dresses, fiesta dresses, or true muumuus and holikus."

The woman in front towards the right appears to be wearing a holomuu, and it looks like some Hawaiian fabric peeking out way in the back, but yeah, in general, this luau looks a little stiff. The limbo contest must have been a riot...

I thought I'd add in some color shots from my postcard collection for comparison. This was was really a COOL place before they shut down.

Don't these pics make you long for a trip to Waikiki in the 1960's? You would of had a chance to visit this place along with Trader Vic's, Don the Beachcomber and Davy Jone's Locker.

Zulu

[ Edited by: ZuluMagoo 2006-07-21 23:10 ]

ZuluMagoo, I was in Waikiki in the 60s...I was just too young to go boozing, alas.

Awesome pics and postcards, but I still can't get around the idea of a Polynesian bow-tie.

:) emspace.

Posted: 2003-04-22 16:53

Here's the last older picture of the Tahitian Lanai from the magazine

I thought I'd add in some color shots from my postcard collection for comparison. This was was really a COOL place before they shut down.

Don't these pics make you long for a trip to Waikiki in the 1960's? You would of had a chance to visit this place along with Trader Vic's, Don the Beachcomber and Davy Jone's Locker -----

I rememeber being at a place that I think was called Davy Jone's Locker in Honolulu when I was a kid. I remember being on the second floor eating lunch and that the floor was covered in peanut shells(which I thought was pretty cool). Am I remembering the name of the place correctly, anyone? Does this vague description sound about right.

Thought I'd resurrect this outstanding thread, to add a relevant article I just came across, from a 1962 Waikiki newspaper. Check it out, "Tiki Bob" Bryant left the mainland (and Tiki Bob's, I guess) to be the manager here at the Tahitian Lanai.

Also, since Canlis was mentioned above, here's an ad for the Canlis from the same newspaper.

-Randy

I rememeber being at a place that I think was called Davy Jone's Locker in Honolulu when I was a kid. I remember being on the second floor eating lunch and that the floor was covered in peanut shells(which I thought was pretty cool). Am I remembering the name of the place correctly, anyone?

Close. The actual name of that place was "Peter Tork's Locker".

-Randy (j/k)

Beautiful pics and architecture. Thanks for sharing. It's almost like going back in time, especially on that color photo looking down on the sunny lawn with the wooden roof on the side.

Thanks for resurrecting this, Aquarj! Very cool photos. That shirt Spence Weaver is wearing is pretty amazing...

...and I always wondered what happened to old Bob! I bet that Tiki Bob's Mainland flop tapped him out financially and he decided to bail SF, leaving his corner joint to Florence. I'd taken the job!
It really seems like the Waikikian/Tahitian Lanai complex was the nucleus of Tiki modern in 50s Hawaii (I am just working on the chapter where I have four pages reserved for it):

1.) Pete Wimberly, its architect, was THE tropical modern architect of Hawaii. He designed Don The Beachcomber's and the International Marketplace, Canlis, and Tiki Tops, Kau Kau Jr, Coco's for Spencecliff restaurants. Also the Hotel Taahara in Tahiti, home of the giant OA Tiki.
2.) Edward M. Brownlee, a sculptor who did lots of great Honululu mid-century modern public and commercial art, did all the carvings, Tiki posts and outriggers for the complex
3.) Barney Davis' Leeteg gallery was located on the mezzanine of the hyperbolic paraboloid lobby
4.) Spence Weaver and his Spencecliff restaurant systems who ran the Tahitian Lanai was THE Tiki modern restauranteur of Waikiki, operating all the above mentioned restaurants, plus the South Seas, Hawaiian Hut (see Puamana's thread from yesterday) and Trader Vic's
5.)Stanley Stubenberg, my favorite Tiki modern graphic designer in Waikiki, did the Menu cover for the Tahitian Lanai, and probably also the design for the carved Tiki panels behind the bar
And now Bob Bryant joins that illustrious gang, wow. I gotta squeeze that in there somehow!

I feel so fortunate that I got to stay at the Waikikian before it closed, and walk through its torchlit Tiki gardens to the Tahitian Lanai, to listen to the old timers play their Hapa Haole tunes, stand up base and all.
And despite not being able to make it to the closing auction, I ended up with a Tahitian Lanai Marquesan Tiki bar stool, a set of Shoji screen Tiki masks and a desk handle carved with the Lobby A-frame for my collection.
I even saw with my own eyes the original rendering of the complex as seen in the famous postcard above, the wife of the contractor who tore the place down keeps it in her house, not willing to sell it. Luckily there is an original brochure with a fold out reproduction of it which is fine for reprinting it large in my book.

I too was fortunate enough to visit that place when the polypop craze was in its roots and made the Tahitian Lanai my new favorite watering hole. I remember first mentioning it to a coworker and he said it was a nice place, but bring your friends with you because everyone there will be at least 30 years your senor. I had no trouble with this since I was so tired of this alternative music that was everywhere at the time. Everyone there was very welcoming and I even got the pianist to play Quiet Village several times with folks surrounded it humming along. The only tiki mug available then was a white coffee cup with the logo on printed on it, I still have mine. I liked the huts that dotted the swimming pool best where you could hear the music but not be assaulted by it.
It seemed almost every month the papers said it was going to be torn down and a day later the management denied this so even when the time came for it to close you could never sure.
But a few weeks before the auction I paid a visit to the front desk wondering if the tiki lamps (which each room had) were for sale and he led me to a room with a few left and told me the maids took most of them home. So somehow I balanced 7 of them on my moped and made it home. Like the building these were also in neglect and had the cheapest worn Woolworths lampshades on them, half of them had the original plugs and wiring that needed replacing. Later I found out I got there minutes before a dealer hit the place who bought the remaining 2 Ku lamps (At this time those desks were stacked up in the parking lot waiting to be hauled away.). He also snagged the tiki masks and I bought a set of them for $6, and showed some scones, shell lamps and a few Waikikian bags that were so old the seams came apart when you opened them.
This place maybe long gone but it certainly left behind a lot of artifacts.

BTW, here's the other related thread from 2003 where Gecko posted pics of what was left of the Tahitian Lanai after it closed.

-Randy

Thanks aquarj & bigbro for the historical updates. Here's another old photo to add to the archive:

Sabu

This Tahitian Lanai napkin is one of the more favorite items in my collection:

I'm really into the hand lettering used for old logos. These days, computers are almost always used in place of handcrafted work when creating logos like this. Today, this logo would probably be full of identical "A"s,"I"s,"T"s,"e"s and "a"s, and it while it would look "perfect," it would look relatively soulless. This is such a beautiful example of how just a small amount of handcrafting makes a huge difference -- not everything is better when done by computer.

We found this great postcard from the Waikikian yesterday, it has a nice view of the iconic lobby. It has no date on it, so it's a bit hard to peg. The cars in the lot can probably be dated right away by some of you lovely gearheads (how would we date our postcards without you?), but the way the photo has been cut into a picture of a sunset makes me wonder if the postcard is not as old as the photo.

As lovely a view as that is, the back is even better. It appears to have been used by someone as part of some sort of trip diary, rather than being mailed. The upper left corner has a numeral "2", as if it was one in a series describing her trip. I get the feeling reading it that she's trying hard to not have fun in paradise, but Hawaii is getting the best of her. It makes for much more interesting reading than the nearly-ubiquitous "the weather is great, having the time of our lives, don't want to come home!" stuff you typically see on the back of Hawaii postcards.

Here's my effort at transcription:

2/ And here is the Waikikian - built like the prow of a nature ship - where I spend my final week in a "jungle suite" + my "half gone native" room mate with her Hawaiian boyfriend hovering. Now that I've moved to the centre of tourist activity "on the strip" I begin to be glad of the Waikikian week - believe it is rightfully the best surviving proponent of old Hawaiian hospitality - despite the bell boys who persistently put an arm across my shoulder + an obsequious manager who persisted in addressing me as Miss Jones! The "Jungle" tapers off to a bay lost beyond this picture - to the right beyond the glaring electric sign. Lobby illumination so "full of atmosphere" too dim to even read newspaper headlines.

It must be fairly old. These days, most people don't have the language skills to use a word like "obsequious".

OK, this is a long post but the Waikikian / Tahitian Lanai holds a special place in my and Mrs. LowKat's hearts.

We spent a two week honeymoon at the Waikikian in November of 1973, then a 2nd honeymoon there in 1990. We had planed on celebrating our 30th anniversary at the Waikikian but discovered the closure so stayed in Maui again. We did book a couple nights at the Royal Hawaiian for nostalgia purposes but it just didn't have the romanticism the Waikikian offered so haven't been back to Ohau since.

For our 1973 trip we were 19 years old but looked like we were 15 or 16. The legal drinking age was 18 so some of the trip is a blur thanks to abundant Mai Tais, Chi Chis, Daiquiris and Pina Coladas. One night at Trader Vic's and too many Fogcutters later had me spending an hour or more talking to the caged macaw parrots outside near the door.

We stayed in the two story garden section of the Waikikian and every night would receive a Hawaiian serenade from the strolling muscians if we were in our room at the correct time. The maid would come in sometime during the day and fold the bed back then place an Orchid flower on each pillow. It was the most beautifully amazing place I'd ever seen, heard or smelled. Being from Oregon I was amazed with no windows in the room, only shutters on the openings.

We'd hit the Tahitian Lanai almost every morning for breakfast by the pool. Then we'd spend the day doing tourist stuff and come back to the hotel to get cleaned up for some night life. Also spent a few nights at the Tahitian Lanai and became the center of attention for the locals since we were such young honeymooners.

Hawaii became a part of us then. The culture, music, food and people make me think I was born wrong. Should have just moved to there in '73 when we talked about it then. Still talking about it now but looking at the Big Island.

Since I learned the fate of the Waikikian 2002 I began looking for memorabilia while on vacation in Hawaii. I've scored a few goodies including a Hawaiian shirt but I don't have an uploaded photo of it.

A few more notes about our 1973 trip:

The legal age for renting a car was 21 so we had to find a rent-a-wreck. Our rented wreck was a Mercury Comet that had 4 missmatched tires, no hubcaps, no air conditioning, a flapping headliner and had severe wobbles if you went over 51 miles per hour. (I think that was the "locals" speed governor)

One day we traveled to the North Shore for the "Smirinoff"?? surfing championships and being stupid tourists, stashed all of our cash in the car's trunk. You can guess what happened. I'm sure 'da local boys partied hardy later. Luckily I'd kept 20 bucks in my pocket. We had Thanksgiving dinner that night at Kobe's Japanese Steak House and the bill was $18.

The next day we had wired money "wired" to us. We took the money order to the Bank of Honolulu but it had come in my wife's new married name (because I thought it would be cool) and she didn't have any identification to support that. We explained this to the bank teller but she still turned us down. On the way out, we stopped in the lobby to figure out what to do. Then I noticed the building directory and the bank President's location on an upper floor. Up we went to the President's office but were stopped by his secretary. As luck or loudness had it, the President came walking out and wanted to know what the problem was. He told us to ride the elevator down to the bank with him. Then wanted me to point out the teller and told me to go to her window. After chewing her butt in front of everyone he stood behind her while she cashed the money order.

A couple days later we were standing close to the boats that shuttle out to the Arizona Memorial trying to figure if it was in our budget to visit. Well, we couldn't afford it and started to walk away when the "Captain" asked if we were going. I said "no money" and he says in his best Pidgin "Dis tine iz free"

I'm gonna have to look for the old photos from that trip. I do remember seeing one with a windsurfer. Photo was titled on the back with "Skiing with sails on a surfboard"

EDIT Mrs LowKat just reminded me that about the 3rd or 4th day of our stay at the Waikikian we were left a note in our room to check with the front desk. When I went up to the desk they asked "how would you be paying for your stay?" so I said "I'll pay for the previous days and the rest of the time in cash" The clerk then told me "a couple days of advance payment would be fine" I inisisted on paying for the entire stay and it was a good thing because it was the day before our car was broken into.

[ Edited by: LowKat 2006-07-22 14:39 ]

(Arriving late to this thread as I just found it during a Don The Beachcomber's Search)

Posted: 2003-04-22 16:53

I remember being at a place that I think was called Davy Jone's Locker in Honolulu when I was a kid. I remember being on the second floor eating lunch and that the floor was covered in peanut shells(which I thought was pretty cool). Am I remembering the name of the place correctly, anyone? Does this vague description sound about right.

There was another "Davy Jones" in Waikiki that was mainly a rib joint. But if you were in the infamous "Davy Jones Locker"...I think you'd remember it for another reason.

Davy Jones Locker was underground at the main pool of the Outrigger Reef Hotel. It was famous (and infamous) for having one of those great 60's huge windows behind the bar looking in at all the swimmers as if they were in a giant aquarium. Like a lot of those old Florida Coco Beach hotel/bars had in the early NASA Mercury days. :)

Long gone to the public (I believe it closed in the mid '80s), but it's still down there beneath the small poolside "Chief's Hut" restaurant/bar. Sadly, the window has been long ago plastered over on the pool side. I had a nice Security Manager take me down there for an "old times sake" nostalgic visit. Some of the bar stuff is still down there collecting dust, and it's just used as a storage room now with boxes and equipment piled everywhere. The Security Manager and I swapped some great stories of our "adventures" down there in it's hey-day. I bet if someone put the window back, and reopened it as a new-age-retro bar, it would be a huge hit with the younger crowd.

Here's a couple of postcard shots of it:

As you can sorta tell...it was not so much of a "Tiki" place as it was a general "Nautical" place...although they did have a few Tikis. Mainly glass balls and fishing nets and dive equipment and that sort of thing.

Swimming girls (and I'm sure a few guys) were always exposing themselves to the bar patrons (voluntarily and sometimes involuntarily with an "assist" from a friend), which may have lead to it's eventual closure in the later "PC" years.

A shore leave excerpt from a Submariner's diary (USS Tunny), that pretty much sums up one of the attractions of this once famous, but still infamous bar:

Briefly, the story about pig is that he got some gal naked and took her in the swimming pool at the chief's hut bar. The side of the pool that he backed her up against was glass...In the bar downstairs (Davy Jones Locker) the back of the bar was a glass looking into the swimming pool...need I say more...

:wink:

Regarding the Waikikian and it's Tahitian Lanai Restaurant...both were favorites of mine in the 60's and 70's, and we stayed there and dined there often. That was such a great place. True Hawaiiana at it's best! :) I was there during it's last days when the staff was still holding out hope that it would be kept open. They taped a Miss Hawaiian Tropics contest there that year, and somewhere I've got it on VHS tape. It has some great video shots of the hotel and restaurant on it (not to mention the ladies!). Hope I come across it someday.

A lot of the Tahitian Lanai "regulars" relocted to the La Mariana Sailing Club after TL closed. It was another really great Tiki Bar:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2001/Jul/16/il/il01a.html

Don't know if it's still in business or not. Last time I drank there was in 2003, I think.

Here's a web site that's been around for a long time on the Waikikian and Tahitian Lanai:

http://members.tripod.com/gregg-n/waikikian_tiki_gardens.htm

Miss all those old haunts of mine. :(

[ Edited by: PremEx 2006-08-24 14:00 ]

Swimming girls (and I'm sure a few guys) were always exposing themselves to the bar patrons (voluntarily and sometimes involuntarily with an "assist" from a friend), which may have lead to it's eventual closure in the later "PC" years.

I use to go there semi regularly in the late 80s for a drink after swimming off Waikiki beach and the management was good natured about the underwater flashing and the bartender (Who looked unnervingly like Sonny Bono) kept a Polaroid camera behind the bar and took snapshots of any unsuspecting cheeks happened to swim by. They even had a thick photo album of these exhibitionists you could leaf through on request. I wonder where that book is now?

On 2006-07-10 12:37, Humuhumu wrote:
It has no date on it, so it's a bit hard to peg. The cars in the lot can probably be dated right away by some of you lovely gearheads (how would we date our postcards without you?), but the way the photo has been cut into a picture of a sunset makes me wonder if the postcard is not as old as the photo.

The two cars, as I can make out, are a mid 50's Chevy and I believe a 1960-61 Mopar station wagon. :D

To add to the collective knowledge of the Waikikian, here is a pix of a matchbook (top right) I picked up at a flea market some months back.

I really enjoyed reading LowCat's description of his honeymoon in Hawaii.

Here are some photos from the April 1957 issue of INTERIORS magazine which had a small article about the Waikikian:

:up: The Waikikian is by willful intention the soul of the Song of the Islands. The 9-building, 100-room compound swirls with Pan-Polynesian decor and pivots around a hyperbolic paraboloid structure reminiscent, according to architects Wimberly and Cook, of the sway-backed roofs of "half the grass shacks in the Pacific."

:up: It houses lobby, offices and a series of balcony shops reached by a staircase that wraps around a tiki god by sculptor Edward Malcom Brownlee.

:up: A restaurant and bar adjoining this unit is enclosed on two sides by Paul Heinley's custom made shutters that open into an awning, close to form a solid wall in inclement weather.

:up: Interiors of this building, by Decorative Services, borrow basketry fish traps for lights...

:up: ...and are dominated by a copper clad broiler area that has a hood faced with carved redwood, a counter faced with sculptured lava rock and limestone, also by Mr. Brownlee.

:up: Guest rooms all have their own lanais and are furnished in rattan, bamboo and Philippine mahogany. Heinley shutters here are inset with plaques of Polynesian gods and masks. Flooring is rush squares, and beds convert to punees by day. A palette of lime, pumpkin, cocoa, and turquoise complements the dark-stained cathedral cielings. Guest room interiors were all done by Mrs. Fred Dailey, wife of the hotel's general manager. The Waikikian's luxuriant gardens were designed by landscape architect George S. Walters.

Sabu

Nice pictures Sabu, I think the beauty of that place is even before it was torn down it look nearly identical as it was 30 years ago with all its Polynesian glory and kitsch, unlike surrounding Waikiki.

I was wondering if anyone has any photos of that fountain that is depicted on that common stylized drawing that you usually see on the matchbook covers and postcards. I don’t remember it in person and have never seen a photo of it. Maybe it was part of the illusion.

bump

Here's a photo of the lagoon behind it taken last month, I'm not sure if it's going to be renovated or built on but it sure is strange seeing it drained.

Damn, where is my time machine ?

I think the Waikikian is probably the coolest example of MCM / TIKI Architecture ever built. Hands Down.

I wonder if we should have a poll of best Tiki architecture building. If someone has the photos, that'd make a great thread.

I'd most likely vote for the Waikikian.

I remember my urban archeological foray of wading through that lagoon (the water was that shallow) with Doug Miller to get past the construction fences into the closed down Lanai/Waikikian compound, only to be surprised by a guard that escorted us out emptyhanded. It was several Hawaii visits later that Doug found some of the lamps and door masks from the rooms at a used furniture store...not in Honululu, but in Hilo on the Big Island. I got to take some home to LA.

Waikikian screen door masks:

Tahitian Lanai bar stool:

One of the last articles in the magazine is titled "How to give a lulu of a luau". Most of the article is spent presenting food and drink recipes, but it contains one picture.

Has anyone posted the recipes in the food/drink section? (....please!!)

[ Edited by: Shindeco 2007-10-28 23:14 ]

On 2007-10-20 21:37, bigbrotiki wrote:
I remember my urban archeological foray of wading through that lagoon (the water was that shallow) with Doug Miller to get past the construction fences into the closed down Lanai/Waikikian compound, only to be surprised by a guard that escorted us out emptyhanded. It was several Hawaii visits later that Doug found some of the lamps and door masks from the rooms at a used furniture store...not in Honululu, but in Hilo on the Big Island. I got to take some home to LA.

Ah, you mean these:

... from Doug's house. Interesting, either you or he has the little one mounted upside down.

I got a bootleg of the Made for TV film "And The Sea Will Tell" (1991) and one of the opening scenes has a woman being chased from the beach side of the Tahitian Lanai and Waikikian. Here are a few stills

The pool with the Island chain in the bottom

Umberellas and a hut in the back

The bar with woven hanging lamps

Waikikian bungalow waterfall, tiki torches and a hiding pooch

Caught in the act with a tiki witness

[ Edited by: naugatiki 2007-12-06 21:22 ]

[ Edited by: naugatiki 2007-12-07 06:49 ]

I am so happy that I could secure the Waikikian/Tahitian Lanai its proper place in Tiki history with the two double pages in TIKI MODERN! I kept them out of the BOT, because in order to demonstrate that Tiki Style was an American mainland invention, I made sure that all BOT material was 98% mainland made (x-ept the few cool Coco Joe's wall hangings), to not water down and confuse the issue. But the place was an inspiration to the mainland style for sure.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2007-12-06 23:46 ]

On 2007-12-06 23:44, bigbrotiki wrote:
I am so happy that I could secure the Waikikian/Tahitian Lanai its proper place in Tiki history with the two double pages in TIKI MODERN! I kept them out of the BOT, because in order to demonstrate that Tiki Style was an American mainland invention, I made sure that all BOT material was 98% mainland made (x-ept the few cool Coco Joe's wall hangings), to not water down and confuse the issue. But the place was an inspiration to the mainland style for sure.

Hey bigbro, can others toot your horn too, or just you? :P :P :lol:

The colorful picture of the Waikikian is what I've been using as my computer wallpaper for awhile. I'm in love with it.

Here's a puzzle: Try to create the shape of that roof with a sheet of paper.

I can't make it work... guess ya gotta be an architect to figure it out.

Here's a puzzle: Try to create the shape of that roof with a sheet of paper.

I can't make it work... guess ya gotta be an architect to figure it out.

..or have way too much time on your hands....

No Tipsy... it's kinda fascinating. Such a dramatic roof. I think you need a square of some stretchable material. Anyway, I imagine the roofers shook their heads figuring out that project.

Here's a Waikikian Hotel/Tahitian Lanai/Papeete Bar matchbook I bought at Tiki Oasis last month.

It's really too bad that most of the old photos have either shrunk or gone away. Maybe Zulu and Sabu can find the time to re-post some of his originals that started this thread.

I picked up a brochure from the Waikikian with some nice images.

Here is the cover, which is a painting by Hawaiian artist Lloyd Sexton that used to hang in the lobby.

The Ravi Lobby in and out.

Tuesday Mai Tai happy hour under the Banyan Tree

Torch-lighting ceremony.

One of the hotel rooms - check out the Moai lamp.

This one is great, you can see the Tiki masks on the screens and not one but two of the Tiki lamps.

Also and oversized postcard I have.

One of the all time great Tiki hotels of Hawaii.

DC

[ Edited by: dustycajun 2010-04-09 04:32 ]

Great brochure DC, this place looks like paradise!

I also would love to see all the photos that disappeared. hint hint!

Would be great to resuscitate the image links at the beginning of this thread! How about it, Zulu, can you revive those?

Here are some more pics of the Waikikian from various sources. Some of these may be familiar views, but this thread seems a reasonable place to post em.

The iconic view of the Waikikian hyperbolic paraboloid lobby (is that what you call that shape?). I believe some of these classic images were taken by photographer Robert Wenkam.

This looks the same as the last shot, but if you scrutinize it, it's slightly different (look at the bending girl's posture and arms).

Closeup of part of the last shot

Another view, rotating around the side

Yet another view, looking outward from the grounds

Another closeup, on some tikis from the preceding image

Inside the lobby

Closeup from the previous lobby photo

View of a guest room - nice tiki guardian outside on the left

Kinda grainy pic of the walkway, from the 80s

Beachbum Berry has a couple more nice shots in his Ed Brownlee chapter of Sippin Safari, including a wider shot of that photo inside the lobby and also a closeup of one of the tikis (also referenced by Sabu on this Canlis thread, btw).

-Randy

True greatness! The mother of all A-Frames.

With my next 10 million, I'm building a house just like the Waikikian lobby!

It’s always a treat to see that place in its flower. In the early 90’s most of the time a few of the signature neon “Tahitian Lanai” sign letters were burnt out and neglected. Also that Canlis tiki in the gardens looks like a more stylized version of the ones that adorned the windows of the more abstract “tire tread” variety, great pictures.

Randy,

Those are some great images! This is the thread they belong in. In the spirit of updating the thumbnail photos of yore, I scanned my Waikikian postcards.

Another shot of the the lobby.

This one has the Tahitian Lanai sign for locational reference.

These cards show a glimpse of the Tahitian Lanai by the swimming pool.

This scene shows the cool hotel building next door with the sculpture work and balcony treatments.

And, there was Jill's Gift Shop nestled in the Tiki Gardens.

DC

Man, I don't check the "locating" thread for a few days, and I miss the photo paydirt...

I always look for photos of the Waikikian and Tahitian Lanai online but can never find any...

Man, look at that gift shop !

Thanx guys !

And yes, like Sven said, The Mother of ALL A Frames.

Do you have your TIKIYAKI ORCHESTRA CD YET ?
http://www.myspace.com/tikiyaki
http://www.tikiyakiorchestra.com

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2010-09-06 11:40 ]

bumping this up front for easy reference

[ Edited by: Sophista-tiki 2010-10-13 11:28 ]