Hali Kalani, Whittier, CA (apartments)

Name:Hali Kalani
Type:apartments
Street:10041 Scott Ave
City:Whittier
State:CA
Zip:90603
country:USA
Phone:(562) 693-0935
Status:unknown

Description:
A two story stucco suburban L.A. apartment house with a Tiki flair.

[ Edited by: Grumbler 2008-04-24 13:28 ]

[ Edited by: Grumbler 2008-04-24 13:28 ]

I haven't been by the Hali Kalani since 2002 so I don't know if they are still operational. Here are some pics I took that summer.

The entrance is (was?) really inviting:

The carports are somewhat less exotic than the entrance. The lava rock wall is pretty cool. Or maybe that's accumulated smog soot.

The neighborhood exudes a tropical ambiance, don't you think?

A tiny bit of Waikiki, right there in Whittier. You can listen to the gentle clanging of the steel safety gate while sipping your MaiTai:

[ Edited by: Grumbler 2008-04-24 16:57 ]

Dang! Zulu Magoo, did you know about this one? That outrigger beam on the A-frame is cool, but the pool shack has the wildest outrigger extensions I have ever seen! Those pool fences be damned.

The pics are from 2002? Can somebody go by and check if its still like that?

The pics are from 2002? Can somebody go by and check if its still like that?

Yes.

My grandparents lived about 3 blocks from this complex on Carnell St., so I probably passed by it a couple-hundred times on my way to the Whitwood Mall back in the Sixties and Seventies. Can't say that I remember it real well. My aunt and uncle still live in that area, so I'll have to cruise by it next time I visit.

If you check the street-level view of that address on Google Maps, you can see it clearly. Looks like it's still intact.

This place is new to me. Have never seen those pool shack outriggers either, very cool.

It's not far from Oceanic Arts, would make a easy side trip to visit.

I grew up in the 50's/60's suburbs of eastern L.A. county. In those years I remember seeing many of these kinds of apartments, especially in the (then) newer areas.

My recollection is that the area bounded by the cities of La Mirada, Cypress, Westminster, Anaheim and Fullerton had a number of these places.

I believe that someone with spare gas money and a keen eye could find a few. Unfortunately I live far away and can't volunteer for that. But if I am ever back in that area I'll see if I can locate any more survivors.

Grumbler,

Excellent find.

Tiki Kate,

Let us know what's up.

Grumbler, meet Mr. Zulu Magoo, Tiki Apartment archeologist extraordinaire. He lives in Denver and has found more Tiki settlements in the L.A. basin than any of us....I probably come in second. We sort of believed to know of most of them, but as you just have proven, there is always one that slips by!

We both just went on a Apt expedition to Costa Mesa and Long Beach when Zulu was in town Monday, I will post pics of the mixed results later.

I am delighted at the positive responses you all have given my posting.

On trips I carry a digital camerea and take pictures of a variety of things. If it evokes nostalgia, or if it is an interesting thing that I am sure will never be made again, I'll probably take a picture of it.

For example, there is a sign at an old skating ring very close to Oceanic Arts with a skater girl on it that I like, and a really cool art deco elementary school hidden away in uptown Whittier. I like old neon signs too.

When I took the pics of the Hali Kalani I wondered if there was anybody else who would even be interested. So glad there is.

Interested? Hell, we COLLECT these buildings! :D

...and keep on photographing old signs and architecture, your shots might end up being the only evidence of something.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2008-04-24 20:18 ]

"there is a sign at an old skating ring very close to Oceanic Arts"

Sure is. I roller-boogied and Hokey-Pokey'd away many a Friday night there in my misspent youth.

The apartments are still there in these photos from Live Search Maps which are pretty current. The structure by the pool is also still there.

If someone makes a special trip over to the Hali Kalani or Oceanic Arts and is interested in finding more Tiki-inpired apartments, there is an area nearby that might have some. I emphasize might.

The uptown area near Whittier College bounded by Hadley St, Pickering Ave, Painter Ave and Whittier Blvd has a number of smaller apartment buildings of the right era. The area east of Painter Ave between the college and La Cuarta St might be worth a look.

Also, if I were looking I would drive the major streets south of town bounded by Washington Blvd, Whittier Blvd, Beach Blvd, I-5 (Santa Ana Fwy), and Norwalk Blvd. Almost all of that is 50's and 60' construction.

Good luck!

I lived in that area by the college for several years, Grumbler, and I can recall only one island-themed apartment complex, which was right along Greenleaf, near Beverly Blvd., IIRC.

On 2008-04-25 11:07, MrBaliHai wrote:
I lived in that area by the college for several years, Grumbler, and I can recall only one island-themed apartment complex, which was right along Greenleaf, near Beverly Blvd., IIRC.

You could be right about that. Most of those places uptown are pretty small and a lot of remodeling has been done over the years. But Whittier is such a rich trove of diverse styles you never know what you'll find.

For example, the big art deco inspired white building on the southeast corner of Hadley and Hoover (see it with Google Streetview) was a wonderful ice cream parlor when I was a kid, juke box and all. I think it was an ice house too, back in the day.

But regarding island architecture, I think the area south of town is a better area to look; the era is right, it's kind of run-down, lots of apartments, and it looks pretty much the same as it has for decades.

"there is a sign at an old skating ring very close to Oceanic Arts"

Sure is. I roller-boogied and Hokey-Pokey'd away many a Friday night there in my misspent youth.

That skating rink was Skateland. I used to go there as a kid & played roller hockey there for a couple of years. Unfortunately it is now gone. It had been slowly dying & driving by one day i noticed it was completely gone. All that remained was the concrete foundation.

As far as the Hali Kalani apartments go, they are still there. I drive by them just about everyday on my way to work. As far as I remember the front it still the same, but i haven't been into the complex to see the pool area.

I stopped by today and took some pictures. It's still delightfully A-framy and outriggery. Not quite as bold and lush as the first pictures posted though.

On a recent urban archeology expedition to Whittier I finally swung by the Hali Kalani, which had been on my list ever since the initial post had showed me THIS incredible rec room:

These must be the most outrageous, over the top "outrigger" beams ever on a Tiki building! (here partially obscured by pool fence) I mean Tiki-Googie if there ever was any! So totally out of proportion, I loved the nonsensicalness of them. Undoubtedly, the architect had slipped these design features by the developer/client, because they were REALLY BIG, and simply just in the way. I planned to explore them photographically, and find the right angles to emphasize the wonkyness of these wooden protrusions, to ad them to the unique vocabulary of Tiki style:

I was happy to find the A-frame and the lava walls outside still in good shape...

...and though the main A-frame front and back outrigger beams had been lopped of, the side gables still showed the elegant design they must have had:

But as I entered the courtyard, my worst fears were realized:

Gone were the man-high wings that once made these lava rock wedges fly, forever having eluded photographic documentation of their greatness! Sob, sniff!!!

My only consolation was that, though Grumbler had posted the pic in spring 2008, his photo was from 6 years earlier:

On 2008-04-24 13:47, Grumbler wrote:
I haven't been by the Hali Kalani since 2002 so I don't know if they are still operational. Here are some pics I took that summer.

...and that after interviewing some natives that had been at the village for four years and had never seen the rec room WITH the wings, I realized I never had had a chance to document them: They must have been lopped off way before 2008. Still, another great piece of Poly pop lost to time....