Santa Barbara Polynesian Pop Expedition

Inspired by Uncle Trav's thread on urban archeology, I set out on a Polynesian Pop expedition in my home town of Santa Barbara. Researched phone books at the local library and perused Tiki Central for info.

In preparation for such a grueling expedition, I had Mai Tais and steaks at Chucks of Hawaii the night before.

Tiki Torches and the sign out front.

Nice carved front door - reminiscent of a Trader Vics door.

Alfies Restaurant - started the morning here for a cup of joe and quick bite. Nice little tiki coffee shop, subject of several threads on TC.

Pit stop

Checked the apartment listings. Found several in Isla Vista (next to UCSB).
The Mono Kai. This building has been listed before on TC. Nice sign remaining and a cool look with the four A-frame features.

The inside courtyard is still very lush - amazing considering the rigors of the college crowd in IV.

Looked out back of the Mono Kai and saw this building.

Went around the block and found The Makaha. Nice sign and some architectural details on the building.

Was about to leave and saw this great A-frame at the entrance to an apartment building down the street. This is a very cool feature.

Saw another A-frame peaking through the trees as I was driving out of IV.

An amazing church with a hyperbolic A-frame design that reminded me of the Waikikian Hotel.

Looked for a few more apartments in the Ellwood Beach area, not much to report. These three buildings did have a nice set of matching "Palms" signs.

Next stop was the Beachside Cafe at Goleta Beach.

Thirsty - must get a Mai Tai.

A little bit of tiki out front.

The bar area with a bamboo drop ceiling and a really big old sea turtle.

Some menu art

As a fisherman, I love these fighting chair bar stools for the counter area.

Checked out the art deco Hawaiian tiles in front of the Sears store.

This tiki stands guard in front of a house on Shoreline Drive.

Went to the Surfing Museum, it was closed (only open on Sundays). You can check it out on their web site.

Last stop, the Kalyra Winery which boasts a tikified tasting room.

Now, for the phone book research.

The Polynesian Motel - phone book records show that this place existed from 1968 to 1994. Here are a few ads from the phone books showing the tiki that was out front.

I also have this postcard and matchbook from The Polynesian Motel.

Just won this postcard of the tiki at the Polynesian Motel - have not received it yet, will post a better pic when I do.

Is has been remodeled Spanish/Mediterranean style like everything else in Santa Barbara.

Don The Beachcomber - Phone book records show that it operated from 1977 to 1989. That surprised me as I thought it was much shorter lived. A somewhat disappointing phone book ad. The only paper item I have seen for this place.

Tropicana Motel - a nice little ad from the phone book. Remodeled and now Spanish/Mediterranean in theme.

Tahitian Motel. Saw listings in the phone book, not much tiki.

I have this matchbook.

A couple of postcards from ebay.

The motel is still there, here is a current photo.

Aloha Restaurant - phone book ad. I used to live down the street from this restaurant and went in for take out. They had great Hawaiian murals on the walls. Been remodeled numerous times.

All in all a fun day in Santa Barbara.

DC

Awesome work DC.

Great fun! Reminds me of my early valley apartment expeditions. The church is amazing! I wanna be inside to see the stained glass window...must come up sometime to photograph.

What about the Mercury Lounge in Goleta?

Any pics of that place? I heard its a tiki/atomic styled bar.

Great post and photography DC! How about taking a now pic of the DTB former site? I'd like to see where it was then.

Fantastic job DC!

The Brown Pelican had a tiki about 8 years ago. I know because I carved it. I remember seeing the Polynesian when I was a kid with the colored landscape lighting.

[ Edited by: tiki diablo 2009-04-27 23:12 ]

Excellent thread, DC. Very entertaining. Thank you for sharing.

DC...Awesome.

Didn't know there was that much tiki up there in SB....

Another reason to take a day trip up there.

If y'all ever make it to the SB mission, my dad's photo (dressed as a missionary priest) is in one of the displays there. Has been there since about 1976.

On 2009-04-28 07:59, Tiki Diablo wrote:
If y'all ever make it to the SB mission, my dad's photo (dressed as a missionary priest) is in one of the displays there. Has been there since about 1976.

Cool...Does it bug him that you refer to yourself as tiki"diablo" ? :)

Amazing, and what a photodocumentary!

I love the Kalyra tasting room on State!
Tiki and good wine, two of my favorite things.

Kalyra:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=28973&forum=2&start=last&1

[ Edited by: christiki295 2009-04-28 15:30 ]

Fascinating post!

I wonder what "The Pool With The Singing Water" (Tahitian Motel matchbook) meant.

Great report Dusty. Glad to see the research paid off. Nothing better than a weekend expedition and mai tai or three. Keep up the good work and thanks for posting.

On 2009-04-28 07:59, Tiki Diablo wrote:
If y'all ever make it to the SB mission, my dad's photo (dressed as a missionary priest) is in one of the displays there. Has been there since about 1976.

Your dad's a priest?
Nice!
I trust you are in the express lane to heaven!

[ Edited by: christiki295 2009-04-28 15:22 ]

Great thread! I was just thinking about doing this kind of thing in my neighborhood while riding my bike around on saturday. Not much in the way of classic old tiki, but some cool architecture and private poly-pop is to be found. Awesome idea!

Thanks to all for the messages. As you can probably tell, it was a tough day and I struggled to have fun!

Sven - If you come up to shoot the church let me know and we'll hook up.

Tiki Diablo - The Brown Pelican is now the Boathouse Restaurant. Completely remodeled. A friend of mine knows the contractor who did the work and I asked him to inquire about the tiki. I will let you know if I hear anything.

Here it is:

Leleliz - been a while since I have been to the Merc. Not really tiki but 50's cool. A thatched outdoor smoking patio and bamboo DJ table. Here are a couple of pics.

Ojaitimo,

Sorry to have missed you at the Lobster Trap on Sunday, had to leave early for a previous engagement. Here is a photo of the Santa Barbara Inn looking in from the ocean. DTBs was on the top where all the big windows and green awnings are. Great views. Believe it or not, it is currently empty.

There are some more spots out there, will explore and post round 2 some day.

DC

[i]On 2009-04-28 17:50, Dustycajun wrote:

Here is a photo of the Santa Barbara Inn looking in from the ocean. DTBs was on the top where all the big windows and green awnings are. Great views. Believe it or not, it is currently empty.

The Santa Barbara Inn is my favorite hotel to stay at in SB as it offers nicer rooms; cost-effective ocean view rooms and the view of East Beach is much nicer (in my opinion) than one would have at the Best Western & less expensive than the Oceana or the Harbor View.

There is a free continental breakfast at the former restaurant upstairs, which most recently was Citronelle.

Is there any Tiki at Longboard's Grill at Stearn's Wharf?

thanx.........for such a nice site
it's really gr8

pharel
Motel Reservations

Wow...what an amazing venture. The pics are wonderful and the postcards and match books too. I've lived in Ca all my life and have never been to Santa Barbara...but that picture from the coast makes me want to visit...that is gorgeous. I look forward to more...THANX

Those fishing chairs at the bar were a neat idea!!!

On 2009-04-28 15:20, christiki295 wrote:

On 2009-04-28 07:59, Tiki Diablo wrote:
If y'all ever make it to the SB mission, my dad's photo (dressed as a missionary priest) is in one of the displays there. Has been there since about 1976.

Your dad's a priest?
Nice!
I trust you are in the express lane to heaven!

[ Edited by: christiki295 2009-04-28 15:22 ]

Hell no, ha! He was going to UCSB at the time and his friend/classmate was the photograper on the project. He asked him to pose for the project cause he had "that face". My pops has no problem with the ole name. As a matter of fact my grandfather(mom's dad) said he would "baby sit all 8 of the grandkids at the same time , but take Danny. Es el hijo de Satanas!" trans.... son of the devil!I told the story to Suiicide Sam who is OLD SCHOOL TC and he named me " Tiki Diablo" . I used to carve under the name Chiki Tiki.

Dustycajun, tiki is all gone. My wife's uncle ordered it for the Pelican, but his employees were to careless with it and would leave it out sometimes overnight. Somebody tried to rip it off and damaged it. He gave it back to me . Wife's family doesn't own the place anymore but had a really good and long run.
I have family on both side there and my mom's family has been there for over a hundred years. Some have been converted to tiki!

[ Edited by: Tiki Diablo 2009-04-28 19:25 ]

On 2009-04-28 19:03, pharelfajera wrote:
thanx.........for such a nice site
it's really gr8

pharel
Motel Reservations

Aloha, Pharel!

My wife's uncle Jim Bozorgmehr built the Brown Pelican back in the early 80's. He saw the location and decided to build his restaurant there. The Brown Pelican was my first paid tiki job . Jim was a unique great man and passed away at the beginnig of the year. He developed a casino and country club on a lake in Iran . He remembered going to a tiki place in Hollywood the 40's I think. He was an old school sportsman and was the first to water sky in the old country.

Sorry for the OT story but I will always be thankful for my first tiki job and the man who hired me.

[ Edited by: tiki diablo 2009-04-28 20:10 ]

DC thanks for the pics . I was under the impression that is was a bit more tiki-fied/atomic than that.

Really appreciate all the research and information you post on this forum and this thread is no exception.

:)

I did an art show in the Mercury Lounge in 2002 or so and left a wall hanging Witco style tiki playing the drums on the wall. I guess its still not there?

Nice photo-travelogue, DC! I love spending a whole day doing urban archeology when I get the chance. I agree- that's one of the best A-Frames I've seen on a modernist church. I'll have to post pics of one in Torrance that looks like a giant Hershey's Kiss.

Here are some interior shots of the Santa Barbara Surfing Museum from the Feb/Mar 2009 issue of "Surfer's Journal". A really nice article about the founder James O'Mahoney with lots of drool-worthy photos. The layout of his museum gives me all sorts of ideas of how my tiki bar might change in the future to incorporate some glass cases for my collections.

:up: on the far left is what looks like a tiki pole, but what I think is actually one of those Korean protective-spirit totems.

:up: James Cook artifacts from the estate of Helen Ward, including Cook ring & seal; koa officer's chests; photo of cousin Sanford Dole; ancient maiden skull with shell halo.

:up: Nice giant clam on the floor and an Indonesian "tiki" mask on the wall.

:up: If anyone ever opens a Tiki Museum, it should look as cool and cluttered as this.

:up: Famous ukuleles, including Bing Crosby's, Mickey Rooney's, & Marilyn Monroe's uke from "Some Like It Hot"

:up: collection of Trader Vic's Honi-Honi cups. "Rell Sunn Dress - Kamhemeha - Holoku - 1 of 2 in existence."

Pick up the magazine if you can find it (last month's) - lots more photos than what I've posted.

Great research DC. Surfers Journel article and photos are worth checking out. Sabu, didn't the article also say that half of the collection went to Hawaii for a Jimmy Buffett project in Waikiki?

I went to U.C.S.B. and can tell you that there are dozens of apartments there that have the Polynesian style extended apex roof beam on the gabled roofs. Most of the apartments in Isla Vista are just cheap boxes with no redeeming architectural value, but yet they have that roof beam - most of which are rotting in the sun.

I went to some services in that A frame church back in the '80s. It was a Methodist church then. There is nothing South Pacific about. It just has a neat roof that creates the feeling of a cathedral. But it, like a lot of those A frame churches of the '60s, costs a fortune to heat because of the room height and the lack of insulation. I remember midweek events there where they didn't turn up the thermostat and you weren't too comfortable.

On 2009-04-30 11:27, Okolehao wrote:

I went to some services in that A frame church back in the '80s. It was a Methodist church then. There is nothing South Pacific about. It just has a neat roof that creates the feeling of a cathedral. But it, like a lot of those A frame churches of the '60s, costs a fortune to heat because of the room height and the lack of insulation. I remember midweek events there where they didn't turn up the thermostat and you weren't too comfortable.

Architecture Geek Thread Jack

Methodist..that makes sense to me now. I'm almost positive it must be a Warren Weber designed church. He was a Portland Architect and has done several Methodist churches very similar to this one. I have started cataloging them and will have to research this one. Thanks for posting this! Here are 2 examples of his work near Portland.

On 2009-04-30 15:03, sputnikmoss wrote:

Yowzah! They can use that one as a ski jump in the winter! OK, now that Jim T-yaki wants to do the bowling alley book, who will do the mid-century church one? :)

...but back to Santa Barbara Tiki archeology

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-04-30 15:26 ]

Dang ! That's an ambitious design.

Beautiful.

Lobby card from the Polynesian Inn, Santa Barbara Beach. No signs of the tiki though. This looks like it was probably just before the remodel.

The Polynesian Inn is now the Inn by the Harbor, which is more in the traditional Santa Barbara Mission-style architecture:

http://www.innbytheharbor.com

I always thought it would be funny to sit out front of one of these A-frame churches with an easel and canvas so it looked like you were painting the architecture but painting it as if it were a giant A-frame Hut from 200 years ago in Papua New Guinea with islanders dancing around a fire, and skulls on poles. I'd love to see when the nice people walk up to see the church painting, only to realize it was a little off. I'm sure some could appreciate it! We have quite a few of these big A-frame churches in Ventura County.

Hi Dustycajun-

Here is a thread I posted about the 1940s 7 Seas Cocktail Lounge in Santa Barbara. I will ask my friends from Vintage Roadside what the address was so you can see what if anything is still there.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=32358&forum=12&2

Sputnikmoss,

I am going to have to get one of these great shirts! Let me know what you find out about this place.

DC

On 2009-04-27 19:48, Dustycajun wrote:
Inspired by Uncle Trav's thread on urban archeology, I set out on a Polynesian Pop expedition in my home town of Santa Barbara. Researched phone books at the local library and perused Tiki Central for info.

In preparation for such a grueling expedition, I had Mai Tais and steaks at Chucks of Hawaii the night before.

Tiki Torches and the sign out front.

Nice carved front door - reminiscent of a Trader Vics door.

DC

Where is the best place to have a steak in Santa Barbara, aside from Ruth Chris - or the best place to have a steak with an ocean view?

Awesome thread. As a UCSB alumni, it was a great seeing pictures of Tiki is Isla Vista. For those who head up to Santa Barbara, make sure you also check out Kahuna Grill - a great surf shack burger joint with a few tikis.

A Santa Barbara Tiki update.

I was reading Tiki Road Trip II last night and noticed that there was a listing for Lei Lani room at the Californian Hotel on lower State Street.

Did some research and found this photo of the hotel with two signs advertising the Lei Lani Room.

Also found this old photo showing the interior of the Lei Lani room with tropical bamboo decor.

Here is a matchbook from ebay.

The bar later became Rocky Galenti's where I squandered a great deal of my mis-spent youth. I think I missed the Lei Lani room by just a few years.

DC

Great finds, DC! This. like the Riverside Mission Inn find...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=33640&forum=2

...proves again that there was a time when having a Polynesian Lounge was almost a must for hotel that wanted to be current.

On 2011-03-08 01:17, bigbrotiki wrote:
Great finds, DC! This. like the Riverside Mission Inn find...
proves again that there was a time when having a Polynesian Lounge was almost a must for hotel that wanted to be current.

Right you are. I just remembered about another Californian Hotel located in Fresno that had a Polynesian Room and a Bamboo Room. Wonder if this was a sister hotel?

DC

A few summers ago, I was bike riding along Cliff Dr., and noticed several ocean-facing homes with Tikis in front.

On 2009-04-27 19:48, Dustycajun wrote:
Inspired by Uncle Trav's thread on urban archeology, I set out on a Polynesian Pop expedition in my home town of Santa Barbara. Researched phone books at the local library and perused Tiki Central for info.

In preparation for such a grueling expedition, I had Mai Tais and steaks at Chucks of Hawaii the night before.

Tiki Torches and the sign out front.

Nice carved front door - reminiscent of a Trader Vics door.

Alfies Restaurant - started the morning here for a cup of joe and quick bite. Nice little tiki coffee shop, subject of several threads on TC.

Pit stop

Checked the apartment listings. Found several in Isla Vista (next to UCSB).
The Mono Kai. This building has been listed before on TC. Nice sign remaining and a cool look with the four A-frame features.

The inside courtyard is still very lush - amazing considering the rigors of the college crowd in IV.

Looked out back of the Mono Kai and saw this building.

Went around the block and found The Makaha. Nice sign and some architectural details on the building.

Was about to leave and saw this great A-frame at the entrance to an apartment building down the street. This is a very cool feature.

Saw another A-frame peaking through the trees as I was driving out of IV.

An amazing church with a hyperbolic A-frame design that reminded me of the Waikikian Hotel.

Looked for a few more apartments in the Ellwood Beach area, not much to report. These three buildings did have a nice set of matching "Palms" signs.

Next stop was the Beachside Cafe at Goleta Beach.

Thirsty - must get a Mai Tai.

A little bit of tiki out front.

The bar area with a bamboo drop ceiling and a really big old sea turtle.

Some menu art

As a fisherman, I love these fighting chair bar stools for the counter area.

Checked out the art deco Hawaiian tiles in front of the Sears store.

This tiki stands guard in front of a house on Shoreline Drive.

Went to the Surfing Museum, it was closed (only open on Sundays). You can check it out on their web site.

Last stop, the Kalyra Winery which boasts a tikified tasting room.

Now, for the phone book research.

The Polynesian Motel - phone book records show that this place existed from 1968 to 1994. Here are a few ads from the phone books showing the tiki that was out front.

I also have this postcard and matchbook from The Polynesian Motel.

Just won this postcard of the tiki at the Polynesian Motel - have not received it yet, will post a better pic when I do.

Is has been remodeled Spanish/Mediterranean style like everything else in Santa Barbara.

Don The Beachcomber - Phone book records show that it operated from 1977 to 1989. That surprised me as I thought it was much shorter lived. A somewhat disappointing phone book ad. The only paper item I have seen for this place.

Tropicana Motel - a nice little ad from the phone book. Remodeled and now Spanish/Mediterranean in theme.

Tahitian Motel. Saw listings in the phone book, not much tiki.

I have this matchbook.

A couple of postcards from ebay.

The motel is still there, here is a current photo.

Aloha Restaurant - phone book ad. I used to live down the street from this restaurant and went in for take out. They had great Hawaiian murals on the walls. Been remodeled numerous times.

All in all a fun day in Santa Barbara.

DC

Dusty Cam, your post may qualify as one of the best ever on Tiki Central.

I had posted this menu from the Oceania Room at the Santa Barbara Inn in the Don the Beachcomber thread. The menu was ripped from the Tahitian in Pasadena.

The inside of the menu is the same as the Tahitian menu only with the name Oceania added.

I found this article from 1973 confirming that the Oceania Room was in fact a Polynesian Pop place located in the Santa Barbara Inn.

Don the Beachcomber took the place over in 1976.

I also picked up a postcard from the Californian Hotel.

With another photo of the Lei Lani Room

And finally, I found this image of another postcard showing the cool sign at the Polynesian Motel.

DC

Nice analysis, DC.

What a great post.........Thanks for sharing.......
I'll be heading up to SB soon and I'll make sure stop at some of Tiki locales.

It won't be to hard to convince my wife to check out the Tiki Themed Winery.

This is awesome!! I work in SB and Goleta every thursday. I have a customer in IV and I always noticed the apartments had a tiki style but I have never seen those apts that you took photos of. Im on a fixed route so I never really explore there. Now I have too. Mahaloz for posting this.