Apartments in LA

hey guys
so iv'e recently become interested in polynesian architecture from the 50s/60s and stuff
i also started noticing apartments from that era as i drive by..

im not sure what some of these apartments would be classified as

i snapped a pic of this one yesterday..
would this one fall under polynesian/tiki inspired apartment?

it has that A roof and the rocks that cover up the walls.. but im not sure

this is another ive seen as well, not an apartment though

i also come across other apartments with similar characteristics and themes, like with tropical names and such .. were they influenced by each other?

also what type of apartments are these?^ they're from the 50s/60s too right?

alot of them seem to have those rocks on the wall too and the fancy cursive name

[ Edited by: knickerbocker 2012-05-23 20:45 ]

Hello Knickerbocker,

Most of the buildings you posted are called Dingbat Apartments and sadly for most of those the exotic atmosphere usually stops after either the name and or the fonts.

For a lot of the Tiki Apartments in Los Angeles check out Zulu Magoo's Tiki Tour of Southern California it's great.

Indeed, one of the all time great TC threads, it should be pulled up here on a regular basis for all newbies to see. The step to apartment architecture (and Motel and bowling alley) was THE crucial point when Tiki became a design genre in its own right, not just restaurant and bar decor.

And yes, an A-frame does not necessarily denote a Tiki establishment, it was a mid-century modern design phenomenon that simply fit in beautifully with Polynesian pop - as it also mirrored the jet age design of the 50s and early 60s:

There even is a book out on A-frames...

http://www.amazon.com/A-frame-Chad-Randl/dp/1568984103/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337840333&sr=1-1

...in which the author actually completely fails to show the for us most compelling aspect of the A-frame trend, the Tiki temple!
(which proves how much non-Tiki A-frame architecture was around then)

A good rule of thumb for if an apartment is Tiki style would be the existence of Tikis around it :)

...but unfortunately, at this point in time, there are very few of those left. Rock walls were in general use in the 50s and 60s, you would have to look for LAVA rock walls to be sure...

Outrigger beams are a good sign...

...but no guarantee - and often sawed off nowadays.
Waterfalls were used in some non-Tiki places, but were more extensively used in Tiki architecture...

....so they are a good clue.
The best sign are Hawaiian/Polynesian names on the apartment front, or anything with "Island" or "Isle":

Yet they are no guarantee that any of the baroque-primitive splendor of the original design is left :cry:

One more tip: I used to scan the cityscape for extra-tall palm trees...

...since these places were landscaped in the early 60s, by now the palms are taller than any 70s/80s stucco box trees.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2012-05-24 00:14 ]

On 2012-05-23 21:13, Bora Boris wrote:
Hello Knickerbocker,

Most of the buildings you posted are called Dingbat Apartments and sadly for most of those the exotic atmosphere usually stops after either the name and or the fonts.

For a lot of the Tiki Apartments in Los Angeles check out Zulu Magoo's Tiki Tour of Southern California it's great.

oh okay, so thats what theyre called...
i originally thought dingbat apartments had to have parking on the bottom half of the structure
sweet, ill be sure to check out the tour link
thanks!

On 2012-05-23 23:26, bigbrotiki wrote:
Indeed, one of the all time great TC threads, it should be pulled up here on a regular basis for all newbies to see. The step to apartment architecture (and Motel and bowling alley) was THE crucial point when Tiki became a design genre in its own right, not just restaurant and bar decor.

And yes, an A-frame does not necessarily denote a Tiki establishment, it was a mid-century modern design phenomenon that simply fit in beautifully with Polynesian pop - as it also mirrored the jet age design of the 50s and early 60s:

There even is a book out on A-frames...

http://www.amazon.com/A-frame-Chad-Randl/dp/1568984103/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337840333&sr=1-1

...in which the author actually completely fails to show the for us most compelling aspect of the A-frame trend, the Tiki temple!
(which proves how much non-Tiki A-frame architecture was around then)

A good rule of thumb for if an apartment is Tiki style would be the existence of Tikis around it :)

...but unfortunately, at this point in time, there are very few of those left. Rock walls were in general use in the 50s and 60s, you would have to look for LAVA rock walls to be sure...

Outrigger beams are a good sign...

...but no guarantee - and often sawed off nowadays.
Waterfalls were used in some non-Tiki places, but were more extensively used in Tiki architecture...

....so they are a good clue.
The best sign are Hawaiian/Polynesian names on the apartment front, or anything with "Island" or "Isle":

Yet they are no guarantee that any of the baroque-primitive splendor of the original design is left :cry:

One more tip: I used to scan the cityscape for extra-tall palm trees...

...since these places were landscaped in the early 60s, by now the palms are taller than any 70s/80s stucco box trees.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2012-05-24 00:14 ]

wow thanks bigbrotiki!
very important helpful info..sad that many have been altered :/
ill be sure to look around for these characteristics all around when roaming the streets of LA
its like a scavenger hunt haha

On 2012-05-24 20:45, knickerbocker wrote:
...ill be sure to look around for these characteristics all around when roaming the streets of LA
its like a scavenger hunt haha

It is also referred to as "Urban Archeology", sometimes. :)

Hey Sven,

Where was that Samoa Apartments pictured ? Is that the one on Rosemead blvd ?

Knickerbocker, in case you did not know, "Big bro tiki" also is the author of two books that should be considered the "bibles" of tiki.

The Book Of Tiki

Tiki Modern

They are expensive, and perhaps out of print at this point, but are super important to tiki in that they clearly spell out what tiki is, and even better, have photos that really document the whole thing.

I love that picture of the gas station! Totally fantastic!

I'm tired and lazy but is that gas station the same model building as the Palm Springs Visitors Center? I actually thought it was the same bldg. until I saw the row of trees in the background.

On 2012-05-23 21:13, Bora Boris wrote:
For a lot of the Tiki Apartments in Los Angeles check out Zulu Magoo's Tiki Tour of Southern California it's great.

I love that Tiki-Kate thread. I stumbled onto it when I first started on Tiki Central. Something I've never had any luck finding though is the actual Zulu Magoo's Tiki Tour of Southern California. Is this document on Tiki Central somewhere, or obtainable anywhere? I like Critiki but the Zulu Magoo tour supposedly listed something like 50 places -- way, way more than Critiki. Thanks!

I'd send him a PM here or on his own cool site Tiki Architecture.

Here is another thread, although I don't know how to shorten it:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=3325&forum=1&start=0&hilite=apartments

Is that gas station by Albert Frey??

Where is it? Awesome!
Robertiki

On 2012-05-25 13:38, Bora Boris wrote:
I'd send him a PM here or on his own cool site Tiki Architecture.

That is an excellent blog.
Here is the link to one by Roadside Architecture:
http://www.agilitynut.com/tiki7.html