Tiki Apartments Duarte

A long while ago in a thread about the demolition of the Shelter Isle Apartments,

https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=7170&forum=1

I pondered about a complex I saw, but couldn't remember the location of. And the descriptions of places Sven offered didn't match my recollections.

So today I decided to do a third try at finding the location again. I had time to kill as my wife is out in NYC right now. So with the map I made out of several pages of a Thomas Guide, I set out. I drove and drove and drove eastward. Basically I made my first turn to begin the hunt, and I knew I had made the correct turn. Half a block up, and there they were. Keep in mind that we had tried to find this place once, and drove around for hours and came up empty handed.

So the place doesn't have a name on the side of the building. And the only reference I've been able to find on TC is to its general location under the name Tiki Apts. After looking in BOT I think this Refrence is to a diferent Tiki Apartments

But here are the photos I took.

From the street.

The first entrance with Tiki rail poles.

Looking up at some wonderful A frame carvings. It is also nice that the hangning lamps are still there unlike the apartments on Rosemeade.

A closeup of a section of an A frame carving.

Looking down from the A frame, you get a fine look at the first entry tiki.

Tiki Mail Boxes grace each entrance.

A now non functional fountain that sits just in front of the tall entry tiki.

The second entry.

A shot of one of the second entryway poles.

A detail of said pole.

The interior courtyard. The grounds are amazingly well kept.

The great thing was getting there at sundown and watching the place transform befroe my eyes into a lost polynesian paradise.

Even though the hanging lamps don't work, they are nicely backlit.

A fine day for apartment hunting.

TG

[ Edited by: Tikigardener on 2005-02-06 13:02 ]

TikiGardener,
This is definitely the coolest Tiki apartment building that I personally have seen to this day. Thanks for sharing it with us.

No problem! I seriously didn't think I would find it. I scoped my map for the right intersection configuration, and the first one I tried was it. I almost turned the other direction as I had a nagging suspicion it was more westerly.

I'm sure that they've been seen before, but I don't have BOT in front of me. I checked Critiki, and nothing came up. So I posted it here for now instead of Locating. I don't want to be guilty of posting on something that has been extensively documented elswhere on TC.

I've driven by the Kahlua ( spelling? ) apts on Rosemead everyday now for the last couple of weeks, and I think they're pretty damn cool.

TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

Great stuff, thanks so much for posting these pics !

Yeah! This is what it's all about! Thanks TG!
Hei-tiki mailboxes...too cool.

Wow! TG I am in awe!!!!! Nice going on not giving up looking for it.... That's a really great find - thanks for sharing....

Great find TG! How about the address/intersection or Thomas Guide map coordinates for this place. I love to tour these places when I get out to SoCal on occassion.

I'll post all pertinant info in a bit. But right now, I have a little secret mission with this place. I should know in a day or two if there is a greenlight or not. Once I know the outcome, I'll post all...

TG

Wow! Great job finding the place. It's hard to believe that there are still places like this lurking around out there under our radar. I wonder if ANYONE living there appreciates the decor for what it is.

On 2005-02-06 15:40, TikiGardener wrote:
I'll post all pertinant info in a bit. But right now, I have a little secret mission with this place. I should know in a day or two if there is a greenlight or not. Once I know the outcome, I'll post all...

TG

Kohalacharms and edgeoftexas are going to partner up and buy the place and turn it into a cheap tiki hostel for TC members to stay in when they visit California? Parties at the pool every night? No? I look forward to your follow up anyway. Outstanding. Where's Sven? I thought he would be on this thread by now. Maybe he's at Big Lots.

I think we should all buy one of those alien looking tikis. Then on a prearranged night, we all descend on Casa De Sventiki, and plant them in his front yard! Imagine how creepy it would be to have hundreds of those things staring at you when you first look out in the morning!

As to the apartments, the manager has lived there for twenty years! But his apartment doesn't show any tiki. I think they appreciate the quiet building, and the well maintained grounds.

I bet the tikis are invisible to the residents, or worse, some sort of discomfort. I know some people would find there living in a tiki apartment building some sort of signal that they had made some wrong life decisions.

Imagine if you ended up living in an owl themed apartment building.

And these owl freaks kept coming up and taking photos of your building. And gawd forbid someone capture your image in fornt of said owl aprtments, and posted them on the internet.

As Dr Smith often said;"Oh the pain. Oh the shame my dear William."

[ Edited by: tikigardener on 2005-02-06 18:39 ]

Dr Smith? Owls? I'm going to have nightmares tonight! Barren, dusty wind scarred planets inhabited by Owl People (filmed in black and white with soundtrack of a mournful oboe). Ack. Tiki...take me away!

You forgot about the fields of swaying alien tikis...

Wonderful stuff TikiGardener! What else is out Duarte way tiki or not to round out a sight-seeing visit?

Thanks!

Nothing that I know of, but given that these buidlings seemed to go up in clusters, there might be another one lurking out there.

There is some cool older architecture here and there, but I wasn't on that particular mission. When I head back, I'll try and note some of whats out there. I'm sure that a great deal of the developement that took place, was fairly recent, so lots of nondescipt boxes and warehouse. I have a feeling that lots of Duarte was undeveloped until the 70's. But I'm no L.A. area history expert.

TG

[ Edited by: tikigardener on 2005-02-06 19:51 ]

I pass by it twice a week havent gone in but its still very intact and kept up all the tiki,s are in good shape Great Post .

BINGO! A previously undiscovered Polynesian appartment building!
Believe me, I myself am tired of always coming on a post and saying "Been there, done that", especially because most of the time the places are in less good shape than when I photographed them, and I hate to be a downer.

How nice to see a new discovery, AND one in such good condition!:
A-frame with fishnet float lamp, entrance bridge with Tiki posts, Tiki hut mailbox, Tiki carvings, and all that in 2005, wow!

Was there ever a name on the building? Did you find out which? Anymore Tikis inside? Tiki torches?

I have a hunch O.A. might know more about this place.

It is really rare that the bridge railing and posts are still wood, I bet the concrete pathway once was a wooden bridge that had water from the waterfall going under it too. Usually the safety/easy maintenance oriented owners replace that stuff with iron railing, like around the pool.

Good discovery, and good luck with whatever you have planned!

No tikis or torches inside, although theres plenty of room for there to have been many.

I didn't ask the guy who is the building manager about that stuff. But I plan on going back soon and picking his brains more.

The place blew me away on just how well maintained it is. The rear sides of the building are non descript, all the show is on the street side.

TG

Went by today and theres a apartment for rent sign up about a month ago I was going by and some tree trimmers were there cutting a palm down I was atempting to stop cause I was gonna pick up a few logs and when I pulled over my windows were open and bamm bee,s everywere so I took off they must of been a hive in that tree and when it came down there went the hive .Bummer no logs these guys were nuts chain sawin away and bee,s flyin everywere.

Well tha cats out of the bag. I asked my wife if she would consider moving into this place, but its not a big enough gain of space, and savings.

So if ya want to live in a well maintained tiki paradise, this is the place. But it is in Duarte.

Where in Duarte is this place? My friends live there and I've never seen it??

Corner of Highland and Second.

http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=KcnINOp_0TpvGMp.ZF71IN8JtRs-&csz=duarte%2C+ca&country=us&new=1&name=&qty=

[ Edited by: tikigardener on 2005-02-08 18:47 ]

Hanford, should I do a new post over in locating tiki now that I know this place was never mentioned there? Or would just moving this thread suffice? Your call.

TG