Palm Beach Hawaiian Inn to be bulldozed

Heard on the radio this morning that the old Palm Beach Hawaiian Inn (now named the Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn) had closed and has a date with the bulldozer.

Tried to find the thread on the Palm Beach Hawaiian here on TC, but was unable to find it using the search box....

Found this link to an article about a couple who had their wedding scheduled there in October and now has to find another place.

http://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/west-palm-beach/bride-to-be-forced-to-find-a-new-hotel-for-october-wedding

howlinowl

edit: found another article

[ Edited by: howlinowl 2014-09-25 05:10 ]

Too bad... that Paddle Licker mug was a favorite.

On 2014-09-25 10:18, Freeland wrote:
Too bad... that Paddle Licker mug was a favorite.

That's from the Hawaiian Inn in Daytona.

On 2014-09-25 10:29, Swanky wrote:

On 2014-09-25 10:18, Freeland wrote:
Too bad... that Paddle Licker mug was a favorite.

That's from the Hawaiian Inn in Daytona.

Whoops!

Another one bites the dust, sad news but not totally unexpected. There is quite a bit of info on the Palm Beach Hawaiian in my Florida thread Here

DC

Posted: 2013-01-14 7:24 pm Permalink

Here's some (good) breaking news on the Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn, posted online today on PalmBeachPost.com:

South Palm Beach oceanfront hotel sells for $8 million
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/business/real-estate/south-palm-beach-oceanfront-hotel-sells-for-8-mill/nTwsH/

By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

SOUTH PALM BEACH — The iconic Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn, known to locals as the Hawaiian, has been bought by new owners for $8.25 million.

Palm Beach County court and property records show the 50-year-old hotel on South Ocean Boulevard was purchased in November by the limited liability corporation 3550 Palm Beach Holdings.

PNC Bank had filed for foreclosure in February 2011 against the previous owner, Kosova Realty Corp., which bought the inn for $3.3 million in 2002. PNC released that mortgage in early November.

“We look forward to a new era for this Palm Beach landmark and appreciate the outpour of excitement and support from the locals,” said Gary Cohen, a representative of 3550 Palm Beach Holdings, which has a Connecticut mailing address.

The Coral Gables-based hotel management company Trust Hospitality will manage the property.

The hotel was originally called the Palm Beach Hawaiian Ocean Inn and was designed in a Polynesian style. Its winged roof is a standout among the neighboring condominiums that line South Ocean.

Cohen said physical and operational improvements are planned for the inn and that a long-range “vision” will be announced in the near future.

The hotel has 58 guest rooms and the oceanfront Tides Bar & Grille.

The previous owners had wanted to raze the structure and rebuild it as a 14-story condominium hotel. They were willing to build the town a public safety building and new town hall to sweeten the deal.

Despite several plan modifications, no reconstruction efforts made their way through the town and state regulatory process. Kosova Realty Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March.

"Cohen said physical and operational improvements are planned for the inn and that a long-range “vision” will be announced in the near future"

Heard that before, we will build a new Kahiki.............
There must be an upside money wise to buying then trashing this place a bit over a year of ownership.

Sadly, the inevitable has happened ...

Former Palm Beach Hawaiian Ocean Inn to be razed for six-story condo
http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/business/real-estate/former-hawaiian-inn-to-be-razed-for-six-story-cond/nhTZH/#7cfe0029.257728.735502

By Susan Salisbury - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

SOUTH PALM BEACH — The Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn, known to locals as the Hawaiian, is slated to be torn down and be replaced by a six-story residential condominium.

Operated as the Palm Beach Hawaiian Ocean Inn for years, the Polynesian-style hotel and restaurant that opened in 1964 in the town of South Palm Beach was considered by some to be one of the last vestiges of old Florida along A1A.

It closed Sunday along with its on-site Tides Bar & Grille known for its beach-side patio bar, tropical drinks, and even breakfast. Along with the 58-room hotel, it attracted locals and tourists, but had become run-down in recent years. The landmark at 3550 S. Ocean Boulevard was distinguished by its sloping, winged roof amid a line of condos, and has been the only commercial building in South Palm Beach.

This month the town’s Architectural Review Board approved Delray Beach-based Paragon Acquisition Group’s plans to build 33 units.

Town Manager Rex Taylor said Wednesday that because no variances were requested or needed, the project does not have to go before the council.

“It basically had its best days behind it,” Taylor said of the facility across the street from town hall.

An ultra-modern design by Kobi Karp Architecture and Interior Design of Miami calls for the residential units to be built above a one-story parking garage. The building will be the first condominium built in South Palm Beach in more than 20 years, Taylor said. A new seawall will also be included.

Taylor said he has not been given a date for when the demolition might begin.

Gary Cohen, Paragon’s CEO could not be reached Wednesday. Cohen, also represents 3550 Palm Beach Holdings, which purchased the property for $8.25 million in November 2012.

Over the years the 1.1 acre site’s future has been controversial. In 2007 a 14-story condominium hotel was proposed.

In its heyday the Palm Beach Hawaiian hosted such famous guests as Tiny Tim, the singer and ukulele player. Television anchorman Chet Huntley booked a room when he was doing a story on Belle Glade, after his Huntley-Brinkley Report days ended. Former New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre spent time there with his family and other relatives years ago when he managed the Atlanta Braves.

It was also a favorite spot for victory parties by South Palm Beach officials.

The Inn’s name was changed to the Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn around 2002.

It appears that last year's sale did nothing to revive the hotel. As the photos show, the new owners apparently let it fall into disrepair. Considering that the CEO of the group that plans to build the condos also represents the group that bought the property in 2012, bulldozing the hotel could have been the plan all along.

Here are a couple of the previous Palm Beach Post stories with some more photos:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/business/real-estate/south-palm-beach-oceanfront-hotel-sells-for-8-mill/nTwsH/
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/business/real-estate/palm-beach-oceanfront-inn-on-the-market-for-1295-m/nL3cS/

I'll try to make it down there to get some final photos.

Aloha, Palm Beach Hawaiian.

A couple re-posted vintage postcards ...

And here are some links back to a previous thread with lots more info and photos ...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=29385&forum=5&start=15

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=29385&forum=5&start=30

I wonder if I could salvage any wood from the demolition site for some tikis...

hmmm.....

A crying shame. It must have been a great place in its heyday:

Being wedged in between condo high rises, it reminded me of the Waikikian in Honululu, dwarfed by the Hilton and Ilikai towers - a place from another time. With that much money spent for the property, they never planned to to renovate. No way to get that kind of return out of the existing place.

When I was putting together the Tiki Pop exhibit, I was going through the Quai Branly museum archives looking for A-frame architecture examples. I was thrilled to find a picture of a miniature model of an original Papua New Guinea meeting house that matched the Hawaiian's sloping roof line:

I requested it, and was able to display it together with Hawaiian brochure. At least the place has now been documented in my Tiki Pop catalog:

A perfect tribute, Sven. Mahalo!

On 2014-09-26 09:36, pjc5150 wrote:
I wonder if I could salvage any wood from the demolition site for some tikis...

hmmm.....

As of late afternoon today, there didn't appear to be any work being done on prepping for demolition. Just a lonely security vehicle. I'll try to monitor the progress. Due to the close proximity to a building to the north, they'll probably need to be very careful.

Still no apparent movement toward demolition. I would think they would want to get it done before the winter season on Palm Beach. I've been trying to check weekly, and the only change has been the addition of fencing to keep out trespassers. And I have not seen a security vehicle during the day.

This past Wednesday, I thought I'd document the sad state of this former architectural icon ...

After sitting vacant for more than a year, the old Palm Beach Hawaiian is sadly about to endure the wrecking ball. It's clear that demolition is now under way. Here are some photos from earlier this afternoon ...

I plan to stop by again on Friday to see what's left.

Sad. From the photos, though, you can see elements in the architecture which are visible in so many other motels of the time, note especially the stair case. There was a handful of designs and layouts which were successful and were copied numerous times around Florida.

I've stayed in a few of these over the years and they have a unique old smell. More are destined for the wrecking ball, so I should start taking some photos of these and the interiors. Many have the skinny 1/3 width light switch right next to the door, built right into the window frame.

For example - similar but not identical:

The Palm Beach Post was able to get much better access than me and posted some exclusive photos of the demolition:

Browse the photo gallery:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/gallery/news/local/photos-iconic-hawaiian-inn-demolished/gCXgK/#829876

As noted in the story below, the beachfront portion is coming down first. The rest will have to wait until after the first of the year.

Aloha to good times; former Hawaiian Inn demolished

By Tony Doris - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

SOUTH PALM BEACH — Austin Corbett’s father used to wake him up at 6 a.m. every Sunday for breakfast at the Hawaiian Inn’s waterfront restaurant.

They watched the sun rise over the ocean, ate their steak and eggs and walked downstairs to the beach for the day. Other times, he and his friends would walk to the Hawaiian from Lake Worth Beach, rent surfboards from the concession stand built into the sea wall, or rent snorkels and explore the reefs 50 feet offshore.

“This is where it all was,” said Corbett, standing in the motel’s parking lot at daybreak Wednesday, as he oversaw the building’s demolition. “It puts you in tears.”

The Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn at 3550 S. Ocean Blvd., once a favorite hangout known as the Hawaiian Inn, bit the dust Wednesday morning.

The heavy metal bucket of a Volvo track hoe excavator smashed through the red-tiled roof, stucco walls and wood frame of the beachfront section of the building, which since 1964 served generations of tourists and local families. The rest will come down around the first of the year, after reconstruction of the sea wall.

In a spot that until recent years remained one of the few on the barrier island for an economical meal and drink, the work by AlliedBean Demolition and Craft Construction clears the way for an 8-story, ultra-modern condo with 30 3,000-square-foot units that sell for roughly $1,000 a foot — or $3 million, on average.

All the units will have ocean views and some will have views of both the ocean and Intracoastal Waterway, said Gary Cohen, a principal of developer 3550 Palm Beach Holdings LLC, which bought the 1.1-acre property in 2012 for $8.25 million.

Construction is scheduled to start in May or June and should be completed within 14 to 16 months after that, he said. The money behind the project is a “very private” family fund based in New York, he said.

The hotel was originally called the Palm Beach Hawaiian Ocean Inn. Its faux-Polynesian, swept-up roof is a low-slung standout among the taller, blockier condominiums that line South Ocean.

The previous owners, Kosova Realty Corp., wanted to raze the 58-room hotel and its Tides Bar & Grille and build a 14-story condominium hotel. They offered to build the town a public safety building and new town hall — the current town hall is directly across the street — but the proposal never won town or state approval and Kosova filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The old hotel had a measure of fame in its day, or at least enough to draw an odd combination of B-list celebs through its doors.

Tiny Tim, a singer and ukulele player who rose to fame on the 60s comedy show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, stayed there for a week. Anchorman Chet Huntley booked a room when he was doing a story on AIDS in Belle Glade, after his Huntley-Brinkley Report days were over.

Former New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre spent time there with his family years ago when he managed the Atlanta Braves.

It also held a place in the hearts of longtime locals like Boynton Beach-born demo-man Corbett, who noted poignantly that he’d torn down another local favorite spot, John G’s, at Lake Worth Beach, a few years ago.

“There’s nothing left around here,” Corbett said as he watched a worker spray water into the open maw of the Hawaiian to keep the dust down. “They’re all gone.”

http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/news/local/aloha-to-good-times-former-hawaiian-inn-demolished/nn7LS/

I posted a progress report on The Atomic Grog, pretty much the same stuff that's already been reported here:
http://www.slammie.com/atomicgrog/blog/2015/11/09/the-week-in-tiki-oct-19-nov-1-2015-the-hukilau-and-wreck-bar-news-halloween-recaps-nyc-cocktail-champ-vintage-hotel-demolished-and-more/#pbhawaiian

Then I stopped by to check on the status. As reported in the Post article, it looks like the waterfront building has come down, but they're waiting to take down the original structure containing the rooms until late 2015, early 2016. I'll keep checking. Sad to see the iconic roof in such distress ...

And yes, the Tikis on the front of the building are long gone. I'm sure the old owner took them when he sold it in 2012.

bump

Just drove by there today, and it seems to be in the exact same state. Talk about prolonging the agony.

Saw this image on Facebook:

howlinowl

This photo came across my facebook feed today:

howlinowl

Very sad ...

All that's left is a small pile of rubble.

Update: 17 months later and not a lot of progress. Hopefully some ghosts are haunting the property.