Tur Mai Kai Kalamazoo MI.

The ads i posted above range from 1969 through about 1977. One ad mentions the "mystery girl" and another the "fortune cookie bowl" I would love to know what that was. Here are some more from the early 70's.

New years 1976

The Front Page was attached to the Tur Mai Kai and owned by the Lums. It later became the Warehouse Bar and remained through the change over to the Peking Palace and closed i believe when the Peking closed.

Now the best find. The Hidden Village Kalamazoo. Seems that the Peking Palace came to be after the Hidden Village. The Lums sold the Tur Mai Kai to their son Tommy in 1979. Redecorated with a new menu, better service and "more South Seas atmosphere". The Hidden village would have been a fantastic place but it came along as tiki was going into the setting sun. It lasted only a year and then came Peking Palace. Too bad.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2007-10-11 18:10 ]

Here are two ads from 1979 for the Hidden Village.

On 2007-10-11 16:37, uncle trav wrote:

Could it be? The same girl from page 147 of Tiki Modern

Could be the same girl I guess. Maybe? The photo in Tiki Modern was from the Chin Tiki in Detroit. Detroit is only about 125 miles from K-zoo so it could be. Maybe? Heres a close up of the Hidden Village interior. Looks to be one of the waterfalls in the back ground. Not sure if it was there as the Tur Mai Kai or added to the new place.

Here's another New years piece from 75 or 76 and a little description of rhe TMK. Thanks

A couple more finds. The first is a cover of a local business guide featuring the opening of the Tur Mai Kai dated 1969.

This is kinda fun it appears Mr. Lum the owner of the TMK was also president of the local chapter of the Michigan Restaurant Association. Mr. Lum (far left) seen during a demonstration of the new "Tenderometer"!!! Wow, science in action!

WORKERS AT TUR MAI KAI GO ON STRIKE!!! JUNE 1971.Trouble in paradise

How about a nice fashion show to calm every ones nerves. 1974

The TMK sign and Hidden Village sign side by side.

Great work, trav, Tiki history told thru press clippings. Wonder what happened to the poor son who got the inheritance at the wrong time in history.

On 2007-10-15 18:44, bigbrotiki wrote:
Great work, trav, Tiki history told thru press clippings. Wonder what happened to the poor son who got the inheritance at the wrong time in history.

Thanks Bigbro. I spent many hours digging through newspapers, microfilm and magazines. A fistfull of dimes for the photocopier went fast too. Great fun! My favorite find was the pic of the sign for the Hidden Village. I'll try to get a better copy to post. As for the son Tommy ? Called every Lum in the book. No luck. I'll keep digg'n. Thanks

A couple of interesting finds. Two inventory forms. One form for the two OA tikis that stood guard out in front of the TMK and a form for the front door. Apparently the door and tikis were inventoried by a local author (Fay L. Hendry) for a book on outdoor sculpture in the area. The fist form in two pages just says "two polynesian? figures" but has measurements. The big one 11' 6" and the smaller one 9' 6"


The second form shows the original carved doors. The form states that the doors have carved figure door handles and Tur Mai Kai craved on both doors above the carved figures. The door frame appears to be OA tiki poles. Painted "red ,brown, and green. This door was gone when the Piking Palace was up and running. The form also mentions Two seated figures in the landscape. Wonder what those were. Here's the form and pics of the two doors.


Here are some closeups of the first door and the later "detikified door". The color photo I borrowed from Boutiki's original post on the TMK. I wonder if the original door was by OA as most of the decor came from them?

The original in 1969.

The original carved door showing the OA tiki poles, overhead trim, and tiki door handels

The later door 2004.
I'am on the trail of the negitives of the original pics to see if I can get a clear copy. Thanks

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2008-01-25 06:01 ]

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2008-01-25 06:02 ]

Found this photo recently and it has become a bit of a puzzle. It is the same sign as the Tur Mai Kai but reads Southgate Inn. I'm not sure if this is pre TMK ca. 1968 or post Hidden Village ca. 1979 just before the Peking Palace moved into the building. I'm not sure of the year of the station wagon in the pic. That may help narrow down the year a bit. This maybe Tikidevolution or pre Tiki googie architecture in Kalamazoo. I hope to have some answers and some better photos soon. At any rate you can get a feel for what the sign looked like at night. Sorry for the bad quality of the color photo but it's all I have to work with at the moment. The close up sucks but can be compared to the TMK sign. Thanks.

uncle trav,
I have a postcard that shows an ariel view of the Southgate Motor Inn Best Western and on the back the folks who picked up this card wrote 3 dates at the end of May in 1971 (when they stayed there?). It says "Midway between Chicago and Detroit. 126 rooms, color TV, telephones, heated pool, shuffleboard, pitch and putt, picnic grills, children's play area. Banquet rooms, Convention Hall, Executive Suites. Continental breakfast." and also "Adjoining Tur Mai Kai restaurant offers finest American-Polynesian cuisine".

I included an image of the postcard in a piece I did for the next Tiki Magazine as well as some other fun stuff. I don't want to spoil it for Nick, so you'll have to check out the magazine when it comes out. I think you'll get a kick out of it.

-Duke

Ok. I think I have the progression building up to the Tur Mai Kai kinda pinned down. The first pic shows the Southgate Restaurant from 1961. This is the same building that would later house the TMK the Hidden Village and finally the Peking Palace. Note that the googie sign is not yet up.

The next pic is a better quality photo that I posted earlier. From 1965. The Southgate Inn sign is in place. This sign would latter become the sign for the TMK in 1969.

Two ariel photos both from 1965. Good pics of the building and what was called the "Southgate complex" The sign can bee seen in the photos as well as the modern shape of the building. Still pre-TMK.


This last pic maybe the photo for the postcard that Duke mentioned. The date is 1971, about three years into the TMK's run. Thanks

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2008-11-06 18:54 ]

Great pictures Uncle Trav. I'm starting to wonder when the heck that little building was added in between the major section of the hotel and the Tur Mai Kai and what it's purpose was. I never could figure out why there were two places so close on the same property that served beverages.

I also enjoyed seeing the old neighborhoods, one of the ariels shows the street Aunt Pauline lived on. I only remember because I was at her house when Elvis died so the whole experience is like imprinted on my brain.

Amazing how it's all changed, yet not so much, if you get what I'm saying.

What do you think the building to the right of the Tur Mai Kai was, looks like a darn chicken house with a windmill!

Keep digging, one day you are gonna hit pay dirt, I just know it.

..it's a sunoco gas station (or shell station)......what looks like a windmill is the actual sunoco gas sign....which makes sense when shown next to the highway....

..gas....food....lodging.....

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2008-12-08 05:41 ]

Hi. Sissy. I keep on looking and hoping. As to your questions I'm not sure what that small structure is or was between the buildings but I'll try to nail it down. As for your other question, Tipsy had it right. The Shell gas station. It sat in front of the Holiday Motel for years and was torn down. The pic is from 1959 and shows the Southgate and the Shell station along with the small sign for the Holiday Motel. Just for fun I'll post pics of the old Holiday Motel sign. R.I.P 2006 and another with a shot of the motel and Shell station that you asked about in the back ground from the Vanished Kalamazoo website. Enjoy

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2008-12-08 14:40 ]

Finally found a couple of the Zombie glasses from the Tur Mai Kai. They are huge. Great graphics. Also found an OOH volcano bowl about one hundred yards from the site where the Tur Mai Kai once was.

Great score!!! I'm jealous.

Thanks for posting this man. I'm a W.M.U. alum, never heard of the place, but now I'm obsessed with scoring on of those glass's!

Nice score on the Zombie glasses trav!!!!! :)

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Thanks guys. Tur Mai Kai items are rare even in it's hometown.

Just thought I'd post these images that I tried to get a bit better resolution out of on one page. I had a talk with some folks last night who remember the Tur Mai Kai as a true paradise during the winter months. My aunt remembered her twenty first birthday at the restaurant an her introduction to her first cocktail. She said that she was blown away from the moment that she walked through the door and walked over a bridge while looking at the fish swimming underneath on her way to be seated in a booth in the village. Always the same thing is mentioned at the end of the stories as people look away like they are back to that place again....."I wish that old restaurant was still here".

Artist's rendering of the exterior.

Rendering of the interior.

Photo of the village.

Photo of the front doors. Note the restaurant name carved into the top of both doors and the Tiki handles.

This is the first time I have seen this thread and I'm very impressed. Uncle Trav, you have done outstanding archaeological research on this Tiki temple. I especially like the two inventory forms you found. These types of artifacts are very rare, one of a kind and I hold them in high regard. Great work.

Love the updates and information. Three years... time has just flown by. Keep up the fantastic work.

The mystery of the contents of the Tur Mai Kai and Peking Palace is finally solved. It's all gone. This word comes from a friend of my sisters who was an employee and friend of the family who opened the Peking Palace after years as the Southgate Coffee Shop, Tur Mai Kai and the Hidden village. From what I understand the property needed a major clean out before the Peking Palace opened and much of the interior decor went into the dumpster. What elements that survived through the years finally met the same fate as the interior of the restaurant was gutted just before the building was torn down. If I had been a little bit more on the ball back then some things could have been saved but you just never know. At least we have Tiki Central to keep the torch lit.

Looks like a new Tur Mai Kai postcard has come to light recently! Here are a couple of great interior images of the restaurant. Sorry about the quality but these images are from an auction that I did not win. As I stated before the whole interior was designed and supplied by Oceanic Arts in 1969. The other image shows a bad closeup of the larger of the two outdoor OA tikis placed near the front entrance. It is pictured on the right in the black and white image from when the tikis were placed close to Westnedge Ave. If anyone has any of these postcards that they would like to sell or trade please let me know in a PM. Always good to see new images of these places still turn up.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2011-03-12 14:26 ]

"Tur Mai Kai: one of the most fascinating and beautiful restaraunts in the Midwest"

If only that were still true.

To bad it's a just a memory now. The above interior shots show the bridge with OA caved poles that lasted through until the end. The stone fireplace with the carved face also was still in the restaurant but was partially covered when a plain white drop ceiling was installed after it became the Peking Palace. I am still hoping that my wife's mother can find some photos of a b-day party held at the restaurant about 1970. During it's run the Tur Mai Kai was the place to be when dinning out in Kalamazoo.

Trav,

Every time I look at this thread I marvel at your research tenacity!

I SCORED one of the oversized Tur Mai Kai postcards that Bigbro posted from the OA archives, so I thought I would post some close up shots for you.

The card in minty fresh condition.

Close up of the large OA tiki at the entrance. You can see another one on the wall above.

Another Tiki on the wall.

Check out the tiki on top of the A-Frame.

The sign.

DC

Yes, this was Trav's pet project. I recommend to anyone to read the whole thread to see HOW MUCH can be found out about a vanished Tiki Temple!

Offered in evidence for the significance of serendipity to the urban archaeologist: while plodding through local news archives, I unexpectedly stumbled onto the rest of the story of Seit and Turmy Lum after they left the Tur Mai Kai... time to transition from Kalamazoo, Michigan to the Space Coast of Florida...

Florida Today April 26, 1985

-Tom

[ Edited by: TikiTomD 2011-04-30 07:23 ]

Wow....just a few years after Moon Lueg sold "Moon Islander" and moved back to Ft. Pierce. Too bad they didn't take over the "Moon Islander".

howlinowl

A few additional items dredged from the local Space Coast news archives on Seit and Turmy Lum and Jason's Cafe in Cocoa Beach...

Florida Today March 24, 1985

Florida Today July 12, 1985

Florida Today August 23, 1985

Florida Today September 1, 1985

Saw numerous references to various club luncheons at Jason's Cafe, but I expect this one featuring the Brevard County Sheriff speaking on "pornography control and cooperation" quite excited the local Citizens League...

Florida Today September 11, 1985

-Tom

Wow ! just when you think you have a place all wrapped up some new info comes to light. Great job on the research Tom. I see that the Lum's also owned a Jason's on Merritt Island in 1985 as well. No wonder I couldn't find any of the TMK Lum's in Kazoo, they moved where it was warm. DC thanks for the closeups of the card. Really great to see some clear images of the exterior from back in the day. I looked for that card this weekend at a local antiques market but came home empty handed. Thanks for all of the new info and the images. As Sven noted this is my pet project, mainly because it's hometown Tiki. I'll keep digging for more clues here in Kalamazoo.

I'm pretty excited!!!! I found this in a thrift store today for .99.

Other then my fingerprints, this is in pristine condition. It's the first piece of local tiki history that I have ever come across. Gotta make a special place for it in my lounge.

Great find Erk. That logo is still one of my favorites and anything from the Tur Mai Kai found in the wild is rare!

Nice score!!!!! :)

I never posted a proper image of the back of the menu for the Tur Mai Kai. The modernist image is a great piece of artwork on it's own. Sven included and image of the menu on page 156 of BOT and a closeup of the mask on page 318 of Tiki Modern. The mask is also featured on the back of the matchbook.

Here is a closeup. The heavy textured card stock adds to the image
.

The back of the matchbook. Thanks for taking a look.

Yup! - one of my all time favorite modern primitive renderings, no doubt!

On 2013-07-22 16:44, uncle trav wrote:
I never posted a proper image of the back of the menu for the Tur Mai Kai. The modernist image is a great piece of artwork on it's own. Sven included and image of the menu on page 156 of BOT and a closeup of the mask on page 318 of Tiki Modern. The mask is also featured on the back of the matchbook.

Here is a closeup. The heavy textured card stock adds to the image
.

The back of the matchbook. Thanks for taking a look.

I thought I'd beat this dead post some more. I'm posting some photos orginally posted by boutiki back in 2004. Unfortunately duke's photos have been lost on TC over the years so these are low grade photos that I was able to save. These pics show the change that happened after the TMK changed to the Peking Palace and shots from a vintage postcard to show the change. The first pic shows the fireplace god and how it was covered up by the drop ceiling.

And the devolution

Next is a shot of the bridge over the stream and the OA carved poles.

And later in its life.

The original front doors with OA posts. I'm not sure if the doors were by OA.

And the later doors.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2014-12-20 19:45 ]

My wife and I were doing some research at the university archives at WMU this weekend. Let me say that these archives are a valuable source for anyone who is digging for info on classic Tiki in any given location. They didn't have much on the TMK but had a couple pieces of info I had not seen before. The first was a newspaper article about the grand opening in 1969 with a nice photo of the exterior.

I will post the text of the article later. The research librarian was very friendly, knowable and helpful. These folks are in the know and love local history. We were the only ones there this Saturday so we had one on one help. Newspapers on microfilm, city directories, local maps and databases that go on and on. I urge anyone with a bit of time to dive into these resources and take a swim in local history. Good fun. Thanks for taking a look.

Here is the article. Give a good description of just how impressive the Tur Mai Kai was for being in Kalamazoo in 1969.

Good sleuthing there detective trav. I completely agree with you on researching the archives suggestion. More of us should dive in locally to unearth this stuff. I have been gathering a lot of new info from the Kansas City establishments and hope to post more details soon. If Spring ever gets here Silverline and I will be hitting the trail for more fact finding again. You keep up the hunt there in the Northland!

On 2015-03-01 08:13, 8FT Tiki wrote:
Good sleuthing there detective trav. I completely agree with you on researching the archives suggestion. More of us should dive in locally to unearth this stuff. I have been gathering a lot of new info from the Kansas City establishments and hope to post more details soon. If Spring ever gets here Silverline and I will be hitting the trail for more fact finding again. You keep up the hunt there in the Northland!

Thanks 8FT. I look forward to seeing what you turn up. I'm waiting for the big thaw here as well. Here is another article with more descriptions of the interior of the TMK. I would love to have seen it in it's prime.