Eli Kai Apartments, Torrance, CA (apartments) - Image Heavy

Name:Eli Kai Apartments
Type:apartments
Street:3845 W. 226th Street
City:Torrance
State:CA
Zip:90505
country:USA
Phone:
Status:operational

Description:
A two story apartment complex chock full of tiki goodness.

[ Edited by: Tiki-Kate 2008-04-28 19:49 ]

What...No photos ?

Boris and I were out on another urban archaeology expedition yesterday. Our mission: Torrance.

Armed with Zulu Magoo's Tiki Tour of Southern California, we set out for the Eli Kai. You'd think that having grown up in Southern California we'd both be rather blase about coming across these places for the first time, but no. Okay, Boris is always calm and stoic. I'm just a big spaz.

The Eli Kai was actually covered in a 2002 Pre-Locating Tiki post = Tiki in The South Bay that Sabu had started but the links are dead and it was time for an update. Whenever I get to one of these places obviously I wonder if there will be Tiki’s inside? This one had so many I just started laughing.

I liked this guy.

For you mural lovers and you waterfall lovers they offer this combination. :o

Doesn't look like anything has changed since my last visit. Glad you guys are getting some use out of that Tiki Tour Booklet, it's about time for an update. I have about another 40ish entries to add to the tour since I published that version.

Zulu

ZuluMagoo,

I would love to get a copy of the new (or old) booklet when you get some more. Let me know. Thanks

WHOA !!!!

AWESOME Shots guys !

Hey BigBro...This looks an awful lot like the PolynesianVillage Apartments in Playa Del Rey, that met the fate of a very sneaky and evil developer, who levelled the place and put up the Taco bell Tuscanny nightmare that's there now.....

The MANY carved Beams is really reminiscent of that...

Any idea if this is done by the same architects ?

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2008-04-29 07:37 ]

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2008-04-29 10:07 ]

Uh Jim, it was Kate and Boris that took the pics not Sven.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

On 2008-04-29 09:10, bigtikidude wrote:
Uh Jim, it was Kate and Boris that took the pics not Sven.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

I know that...I was directing my question at Sven because he knows alot about the Polynesian Village Apts....

I'll rephrase the post....

Thank you. Great to know it's still there. The Playa Del Rey Polynesian Village was the only Polynesian apartment complex ever done by fabled Googie architects Armet and Davis. The Tikis there are a little more modernist and elegant than at the Eli Kai, which presumably got its name from Eli Hedley doing its decor...maybe only delivering those carvings. Since the stylistic similarities to the Polynesian Village/Kona Kai/ Kona Pali are indeed there, he might have sub-contracted that carver.

You can see the Marquesan post in Tiki Modern on the Tiki post collage page, with my son's blond head peaking out behind it. As a time reference as to when that shot was taken: he is now my height! :)

Good to see those shots, thank you Kate and Boris. This is the only A-frame in the neighborhood where I am right now:

Here are a few more pictures. I definitely need to go back when the sun is in a better position.