Mauna Loa, Detroit, MI (bar)

Nice find Tiki David ! Looks like a close match. Do you have any info about the piece.

On 2009-01-03 14:37, uncle trav wrote:
Nice find Tiki David ! Looks like a close match. Do you have any info about the piece.

no. other than i am pretty sure it came from the KON-TIKI in Cleveland.

not even close if you think this is from mauna loa....there are no carving details on it like the details on the mauna loa.....i count 4 swirl patterns on the blades in the mauna loa pic....none on the one from tiki david...probably from the O.A. tiki mill.....

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2009-01-04 10:04 ]

Here is another image of the Mauna loa piece with some more detail pulled out. I mentioned it was a close match, not spot on. Tiki David said it was from the Kon-Tiki. Good for comparison in anyway.

I found an Aug. 1968 article with a couple of photos:

Not much in the article, mostly descriptions of the food, but here's what they had, cocktail wise:

"There's the Coco Aku, rums in a coconut milk base; the Polynesian Pigeon, the Tiger Shark, and, of course, the Zombie. Several of the drinks re flower kissed with gardenias or orchids, and a long list is divided for mild, medium, strong, or hot tastes. Under mild, there's the Banana Cow and the Missionary's Downfall. Under medium, Rain Killer and Hawaiian Sunset are billed. For those who can take it strong, Cobra's Fang is listed."

Yo ! Post the food descriptions too. Tiki Food is Good Food !

Great post Mo-Eye. Fantastic picture of the interior. Where did you find the article? I'd like to get a copy of it for my Michigan archive. Anything new on the Mauna Loa is rare. Thanks.

This dinner menu just sold on eBay.Hope someone here on TC won it and will post some good scans.. I did save the auction pics to post here on the off-chance it ended up outside the collecting world..
Sorry about the image quality but it is what it is. Fantastic colors and graphics for this menu.

On 2009-07-12 09:09, uncle trav wrote:
Great post Mo-Eye. Fantastic picture of the interior. Where did you find the article? I'd like to get a copy of it for my Michigan archive. Anything new on the Mauna Loa is rare. Thanks.

I think it came from a Toledo Newspaper. I'll see if I can confirm and get back to you.

Picked up these four glasses today. Anything from the Mauna Loa is rare but four glasses at one stop is a treasure trove. Sorry about the milk cocktail but it shows off the name well. I also messed around with one of the pics on the thread and brought out some great background detail. Thanks.

Here is the before pic.

And the after. Note the large carving next to the woman seated in the background. And the large capiz shell globe lamp in the upper right.

Very nice Uncle Trav! I wish Wisconsin was as fruitful as Michigan, but more than likely your just better at digging.:)

Wow Trav, congrats on the great find.

Sometimes the milk cocktail is the best may to show off those clear glasses, it looks way better than the rolled up paper approach.

DC

Thanks guys. I was having milk with my breakfast anyway so it worked for the photo shoot. In the photo I posted that capiz shell globe light is the same as one shown in the Stockton Islander dinning room photo.

I scored this mug in the Spring, but it has the words Concordian Heights accross the bottom of it. It doesn't appear to be paint, but perhaps a glaze that was fired on. It definitely looks like a hand-painted afterthought. I wonder if the mug manufacturer sold off excess inventory, to other reataurants, after the Mauna Loa closed? Anybody have any other ideas?

Big Kahuna, That's a question that is tough to nail down. As far as I know this design of mug for the Mauna Loa was marked "DESIGN BY MAUNA LOA DETROIT" on the bottom. If these were left over stock they would have had to grind this off of the mug and put on the R.A.M. mark. The case may be that the manufacture had the mold and made a small production run of the same mug with the R.A.M. markings for general sale. Mauna Loa mugs are often found with an "HF" sticker on the bottom also. The HF is linked to "House of Favors" which appears to be a distributor for restaurant supplies and supplied the swizzles for the Mauna Loa. No one is clear if HF actually made the mugs or was just the distributor. Not sure if we have tracked down what or who the "DESIGNED BY R.A.M." stands for. I guess it's another case of the Mauna Loa giving up little in the way of it's secrets.

Here is a nice description of the Mauna Loa from the inside cover of the small mailer menu. Wish I had one of these but I have not found one yet. These images are from an eBay auction a while back. Sorry for the poor image quality but I thought they needed to be saved and added to the post. These descriptions really set the mood. They sure could paint a beautiful picture with words. Thanks

Iside of front cover.

Inside of the back cover.

Like all good things in Michigan, they burn out far to quickly. I heard stories of this place from my Grandfather but never got to see any pictures of it until now. Thanks!

I posted the following on another topic:

"I surf the web from time to time looking for any information that may have been posted about The House of Favors, Boston. This was a company started by my Grandfather who was in the restaurant supply business. My father joined the company in the 1940's and traveled extensively to Hong Kong, Tokyo and later Seoul where he designed and then imported plastic and china novelties. One of our accounts was the Mono Laua chain and the mugs and bowls were all created for the polynesian restaurant business. My father also designed party goods items for birthdays, baby and bridal showers and weddings. After the jobber/wholesale business ran out of steam we concentrated on retailing. The first location was at 89 Chauncy Street, downtown Boston and we branched out to several stores in the suburbs. The last store was sold in 1993. I spent many years as a child working for my father, learning the business from the shipping room to the accounting books. I still have the last catalog we produced. It was a real joy seeing this post about the mugs and the HF logo which my father designed. Favor-It brand was the trade name for the importing business. Is there a real value for these mugs and bowls? I had a bunch of them years ago, but tossed them when we closed the store."

The fact that you discovered an "R.A.M." imprinted on the mug is unbelievable. This would be my father, his name was Raymund Arthur Mann and he was responsible for supplying all the "Tiki Port" and Polynesian restaurants with these products. I thought he designed them as well, but it seems credit for that has been given to someone else. I know, however that The House of Favors, Inc. (my father's company) was the sole importer of these products into the States in the 50's and 60's.

Regards,

Manndrew

Welcome again Andy. WOW!!! the long mystery of the R.A.M. markings is solved. Would love to hear some more stories. Do you know if your father or grandfather had a hand in designing any particular mugs?

A great development in the historical record of this Temple. Mahalo Manndrew for this.

Now we're talkin!!! Very cool!!
Thanks for the info. Manndrew!!

It is great when people like you, especially family, take the time to come on here and add information or memories about these places or collectibles! Solving the "RAM" question on these mugs is a pretty big deal here to us collectors. How cool to see your fathers initials (name) on these collectibles!? Also, the HF logo stickers we see is also a another great point.

Thanks again and please do post any pictures you may have of your family at work (in factory/warehouse/showroom) or play in anything you think may interest us here. Would also be great to see a scan or copy of the catalog you speak of if it features any of these mugs or any other Polynesian decor items.

Thanks again!!
A Big Mahalo, TabooDan

Figure I post this here, (I saw a picture of it earlier on this thread). I did post this under Collecting Tiki after I found it a few weeks ago. I got this at a thrift store for $3.00.

Marked Mauna Loa Detroit on the bottom.

I was born in Detroit and grew up in the suburb of Livonia. My father was an exec at Chrysler in the late 60's, and I remember that when the Mauna Loa opened up it made quite an impact. I remember my dad really talking the place up, and my being intrigued by what he said greeted patrons when they got inside. Well, My father finally decided that he would take me there for dinner. This was about 1968 (when I was around 9 years old). This was not long after the riots of 1967, and I remember my father telling me to keep the doors of the car locked on our way there. It was very unusual for us to go downtown at that time. We traveled about 15 miles to get to there from Livonia. When we arrived it was dark out, and I remember driving past the front of it before we parked, and being awed by the multi colored lights on the waterfall, and the flames of the tiki torches lighting up the night.

It wasn't often I went to a place that I had to dress up for. But this sure was one of them. We checked out the exterior for a minute before going in. It seemed like the ultimate playground for adults, very suit and tie. On the inside it was ultra plush Polynesian, foliage, bamboo, tikis and cool lights hanging from the ceiling - almost mysterious - but very cool. I remember there were many streams and interlocking pools of water. There were numerous multi level waterfalls, some big and some small. And they were all lit with subtle colored lights. I remember that the bar was amazing as it had a wide and beautiful waterfall behind it too. We were taken to our table, and we had to walk across a couple of wooden bridges over deep pools of blue colored water to get there. I remember thinking the pools were big enough to swim in.

The inside of the Mauna Loa was like a man made lagoon with all the interconnecting pools - just amazing. The lighting was subtle and really set the mood, not too bright. It made the lighted pools, waterfalls and the bar really stand out. I don't remember what I ate, but I do remember I was the only kid in the entire place. I recall asking if I could have some coconut milk, it wasn't on the menu but the waiter came up with some anyways, and boy was it good. I remember that the bill came out to $35 for the both of us, an amount that I gasped at. As I only got about 50 cents a week allowance. Well, that's my story about the only time I had the pleasure of dining at the Mauna Loa restaurant in downtown Detroit. Good memories. The place made quite an impression on me.

I have my parents swizzle stick collection, so now I have to check it again to see if there are any Mauna Loa stirrers. I know I have some from Trader Vics, so hopefully?

To everyone, thanks for posting the photos and memories. I appreciate it.

John Brain

[ Edited by: johnotak 2010-09-12 07:08 ]

Aloha and Welcome to Tiki Central John. Very nice personal story, thank you for sharing it with us. Stories such as yours are very important to the recorded history of such temples.

Damn...$35 for 2 people in 1968 ?

That's like a $200 check for two nowadays....You're dad really splurged on you. Great story...you never see too many pics of the inside, so it's nice to hear what an amazing place it was once you get through that awesome entrance.

Thanx !

On 2010-09-12 09:14, tikiyaki wrote:
Damn...$35 for 2 people in 1968 ?

That's like a $200 check for two nowadays....

$219.26 to be exact! (Well, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics anyway.) I'm guessing Dad had a few rums drinks on that bill. :wink: Then again, they were only a couple dollars each back then...

Good description of the place John. I'm amazed you remember so much considering it was 42 years ago.

John, Thanks for sharing your memories with us. Do I remember someone obtaining the blueprints for the Mauna Loa from George Nakashima? Maybe my memory is going. Sure would be great to see a full spread layout of the interior.

On 2010-09-13 09:07, GatorRob wrote:

On 2010-09-12 09:14, tikiyaki wrote:
Damn...$35 for 2 people in 1968 ?

That's like a $200 check for two nowadays....

$219.26 to be exact! (Well, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics anyway.) I'm guessing Dad had a few rums drinks on that bill. :wink: Then again, they were only a couple dollars each back then...

Good description of the place John. I'm amazed you remember so much considering it was 42 years ago.

It's funny what you remember, and I hope my memories of the place are fairly accurate. The Mauna Loa made a real impression on my young mind. That's why after all this time I decided to look for information on it through the Internet. My older brother says our dad took him there too. Strange how I remember what I drank that evening, but I can't remember what I ate. Probably because it was the only time I had ever had coconut milk. You remember those jungle shows on TV you saw as a kid?- where they chop off the top of a coconut to get a drink, maybe that's why I wanted to try it. I seem to remember that the drink came in a real pineapple, they chopped the top off the pineapple - hollowed it out - and put the drink in. My mother (who is still alive) remembers finding a pineapple in the fridge - probably because we never bought pineapples for anything back then, so it was memorable. And yes, I'm sure my old man kept the bartender busy that night (and then drove us home!) The good old days??

I kind of remember the Mauna Loa in the same way as I remember highlights of going to Disney world, or Expo '67 in Montreal. My Mauna Loa excursion remains one of my most cherished memories, like a dream you never want to forget. I have never experienced anything quite like it again. The Mauna Loa was a mind-blower, It still captures my imagination after all these years. Its my never ending obsessive memory. I wish things (and times) were that cool again so places like the Mauna Loa could still exist.

I remember coming home from Expo '67 with my parents and not being allowed over the border into Detroit, as the city was on fire and the riots were going on. We had to stay in Windsor Ontario for the night, when we did get over the border I remember seeing military vehicles with guns and guys who looked like they were in the army. Weird times for my young eyes.

It is funny what you remember. Its not the common place stuff, its the unusual things that stick out. The Mauna Loa being one of them, and I mean that in the most positive sense.

That's interesting about the price, and the modern valuation. I seem to remember that my Schwinn Stingray cost my dad around 50 or 60 dollars?

Uh oh! I think I see a new obsession coming on with these Mauna Loa memories and the cool stuff on this site! Next time I go to Livonia I'm going to check out Chins on Plymouth road. My own Tiki room and bar? Something to think about now for sure.

Thanks

John B.

[ Edited by: johnotak 2010-09-13 21:11 ]

[ Edited by: johnotak 2010-09-15 05:32 ]

On 2010-09-13 11:24, uncle trav wrote:
John, Thanks for sharing your memories with us. Do I remember someone obtaining the blueprints for the Mauna Loa from George Nakashima? Maybe my memory is going. Sure would be great to see a full spread layout of the interior.

It is my pleasure tell the story, thanks. Why did my one visit to the Mauna Loa stay in my head as such a vivid memory? I can't figure this out exactly. Oh to have a time machine. I still think that the Mauna Loa was my greatest restaurant experience of all time. That must sound crazy?Lol.

I would love to see a layout or blueprint of the Mauna Loa, to see how accurate my memory is about the way it was set up. And I would especially love to see a color photo of the bar with the waterfall behind it. I seem to remember lots of waterfalls in the place.

Cheers

John B.

Newspaper clippings about the Mauna Loa in Detroit. The one story says that it started in 65/66, but I don't think this is at all correct. You can't believe everything you read in the paper as they say. But all this stuff does give a better idea of the financial difficulties going on in the city at that time, which of course affected all businesses in Detroit.

From 1970:

From 1971, the end. How long had it been closed before going into receivership I wonder?

I was surprised I found these

John B.

Ok, I see how to post photos now.

[ Edited by: johnotak 2010-09-14 10:41 ]

I don't know why that clipping from 1970 came out so small? Sorry. I will try and repost it later.
John B.

[ Edited by: johnotak 2010-09-14 10:49 ]

On 2010-09-14 10:43, johnotak wrote:
I don't know why that clipping from 1970 came out so small? Sorry.

John B.

When using TC to host images, they are automatically resized to a height of 640 pixels. I suppose there might be a limit for width too.

On 2010-09-14 10:49, Hakalugi wrote:

On 2010-09-14 10:43, johnotak wrote:
I don't know why that clipping from 1970 came out so small? Sorry.

John B.

When using TC to host images, they are automatically resized to a height of 640 pixels. I suppose there might be a limit for width too.

Thanks, I will get it figured out, I can probably lessen its width by rearranging the text.

On 2010-09-14 10:51, johnotak wrote:

On 2010-09-14 10:49, Hakalugi wrote:

On 2010-09-14 10:43, johnotak wrote:
I don't know why that clipping from 1970 came out so small? Sorry.

John B.

When using TC to host images, they are automatically resized to a height of 640 pixels. I suppose there might be a limit for width too.

Thanks, I will get it figured out, I can probably lessen its width by rearranging the text.

Just cut that first image into two parts and it should read fine.

Ok, lets see if this helps:

1970:

Ok, one more - an early one. I think it took quite a while for the whole thing to come together.

1965:

John B.

Just when I thought I had seen all there was from the Mauna Loa mug wise, along comes another!

With the notch on the side of the lid like that, I'm guessing sugar bowl instead of drinking vessel. Beautiful piece!

Interesting....& a GREAT piece!! Looks a bit Westwood inspired, too

Eric,

Great find! I've been on the 'look out' for one of these ever since tikifish let me in on an ebay listing she saw many years ago. The version you found is slightly different; I agree that it definitely has a "Westwood" look to it with the angular facial features.

The version I've been searching for is has more flowing facial lines and a more detailed design of it's lid:

Chub,

Did you win that? If so congrats, that is a great piece.

DC

Thanks everyone for the kind words on the piece. Yes, I was high bidder on this one. Looks like a condiment jar to me too. I thinks it's the most I've ever had to pay for a single piece. I usually only buy in the wild and stay away from the eBay, but I couldn't help myself this time. Ha ha....
And wow Kohalacharms! I had no idea there were three different designs. How cool is that! Hope we can find all three at some point. I think I'd have a much easier time finding them in the wild if I was still living in Detroit. Oh well... L.A. will have to do for now.

[ Edited by: Chub 2010-10-15 20:55 ]

On 2009-10-27 11:54, uncle trav wrote:
Picked up these four glasses today. Anything from the Mauna Loa is rare but four glasses at one stop is a treasure trove. Sorry about the milk cocktail but it shows off the name well. I also messed around with one of the pics on the thread and brought out some great background detail. Thanks.

Here is the before pic.

And the after. Note the large carving next to the woman seated in the background. And the large capiz shell globe lamp in the upper right.

I have an unopened case of these glasses. I would like to sell them either by the piece or the whole case. I do not know what they are worth, so please send me offers if you have any interest. I am in the Detroit area. please email me at [email protected] Thanks

Although the cover has been posted earlier, I thought I'd add a couple shots of the inside...

Tattoo,

Nice menu, I have always wanted one of those.

Here is the illustration of the Mauna Loa along with the recipe from a 1968 Ford Times book that I posted on another thread.

But wait, there's more. I picked up this news wire photo of the architectural rendering of the Mauna Loa. A very cool piece.

Here some text from the back of the photo.

And the news article that was taped to the back that lists the sports star investors.

This place burned so bright but for such a short time.

DC

Execllent find DC! That rendering is great.

Who is the artist, I can't make out the signature?

Can we see the rest of the type text on the back of the photo.

Zulu

On 2011-09-18 16:47, ZuluMagoo wrote:
Execllent find DC! That rendering is great.

Who is the artist, I can't make out the signature?

Can we see the rest of the type text on the back of the photo.

Zulu

Thanks Zulu,

Interesting thing about the architectural rendering is that it depicted graphics on the front of the hut structure similar to those you would find on a traditional Polynesian meeting house.

But the finished project did not have these. Maybe ran out of money?

The signature on the rendering is S. D. Neilson, maybe the architect?

I could not get to the rest of the typed message on the back of the photo as the newspaper article is taped over it and I did not want to damage it.

DC