Savage Renewal - San Diego Tiki Aptartment Tour

Just in time for Tiki Oasis VI. Here is a list of potential tiki/polynesian pop architectue style apartment complexes in San Diego. I dug up this information and posted it in the first round of Savage Rewnewal posts. I will be arriving in San Diego on Thursday evening, so I will be doing a little urban exploring on Friday at some of these sites before the fun starts over at the Bali Hai.

Here is a general map of San Diego, with the Hanalei and the Bali Hai highlghted. The individual apartment complexes are shown as a number, which corresponds to a listing below. As I mentinoed in my first post about these apartment complexes, I have no info about them, only a name out of a twenty year old phonebook. But that's part of the fun during the exploration. Happy hunting. If any of these sites turn out to be finds, post your photos back to this thread.

There are three general hot spots/concentrations for these complexes. Listed below are the individual addresses for the complexes, along with a maps.Google.com aerial photo to help with the hunt.

Those four very large palm tress trigger my tiki radar, there may be something here.

Here is a standard dingbat complex. It looks like there may have been a pool in the center courtyard that has been removed and replanted with palm trees.

Something about this place peeks my tiki radar.

OK, this place is a positive hit as evidenced by the peaked A-frame roofs (as seen in the shadows).

Haaaaaaha, Mike, you are insane! You are the shining light of urban archeology! Soon you will have your own GPS programmed so when you come into any town you're set.
THREE apartments alone that are named "Tiki"!? They're gonna have to re-route the bus tour...
But how do you tell an A-frame from the top? And how can you manufacture a TIPSI detector? A high sensitivity termite-heat seeker maybe?

By the way, I finally went down to Kona Village...sweet! You can bet there once must have been a big A-frame roof supported by those ten Tiki poles.
Also, have you seen that 3 story tall Ala Moana Apt A-frame in Costa Mesa yet? Courtesy of Kevin and Jody.

Awesome! Great arial photos! Don't forget Point Loma Villas Condominiums.... Insert arial photo here__________________

On 2006-02-08 07:55, hodadhank wrote:
Mahalo Zulu!

I wonder if you or any other SoCalites or my San Diego 'Ohana know anything about the history of Point Loma Villas Condominiums at 4444 W Point Loma Blvd?

It's a pretty large vintage complex just north of Nimitz Blvd. Its Nine Large A-frames can be seen above the it's palm lined parking area. As you drive in the main entrance there's a small planter with dock-type vertical wood pilings topped by what appear to be old rusty gas torches. Just beyond that is an A-framed main lodge with heavily carved door. Through a window a googie amoeba shaped pool and Polynesian trellis are visible out back (access form the sides is blocked by locked gates, dammit). No doubt it was merely an apt complex back on the day. I promise I'll go back with a camera.

...As I walked around the exterior of the A frame fortress my nostrils begin to twitch, there's something in the air, something from the murky past, yes, I am certain there were Tikis here!

On 2006-03-03 07:09, hodadhank wrote:

On 2006-02-08 07:55, hodadhank wrote:

... Point Loma Villas Condominiums at 4444 W Point Loma Blvd
...Through a window a googie amoeba shaped pool and Polynesian trellis are visible out back...

Eureka! A vintage photo of the locked pool area!!!

http://www.tikiroom.net/gallery/album03/afm?full=1

[ Edited by: hodadhank 2006-05-01 14:00 ]

Oh Zulu , you might also be interested this....

On 2006-02-12 11:56, hodadhank wrote:
... The Hawaiian Gardens in Imperial Beach. It's a Vintage mid-century Hawaiian themed Hotel less than a half mile from the beach and only a short drive from Coronado Island and downtown.

... double occupancy for a garden studio w/ full kitchen and complimentary light continental breakfast is only $99.00 per night. A 1000 sq ft suite with bedroom, kitchen & dining room is only $129.00 per for May 4-7th! It's definately seen better days but it's clean and friendly though it's owners seem completely oblivious to the joint's potential to lure Tiki lover's by boosting it's TiPSY factor.

Oh here's a link...
http://www.hawaiian-gardens.com/

I lived here for two weeks when I first moved to Cali!

[ Edited by: hodadhank 2006-05-01 14:10 ]

On 2006-05-01 13:59, hodadhank wrote:
Awesome! Great arial photos! Don't forget Point Loma Villas Condominiums....

Betcha they renamed that from an original Polynesian name in the 80s to "update" it. Quite a few Tiki apartments got generic tropical Spanish names because of that.

Point Loma Villas Condominiums...

My grandparents used to live there. I remember swimming in that pool. We thought it was so cool having an indoor/outdoor pool. We would swim under water under the glass partition....back and forth.....

I remember it was cool place..

Ya know what? It IS cool to swim indoor/outdoor...even as an adult. Little America in Utah has a rooftop pool that you can do that at; some friends of ours stayed there & invited us up, and , I'll tell ya, I'll always treasure that memory.
hmmm...maybe I have a dull life.......

On 2006-05-02 01:18, bigbrotiki wrote:
Betcha they renamed that from an original Polynesian name in the 80s to "update" it...

On 2006-05-02 06:53, Monkeyman wrote:
...My grandparents used to live there...I remember it was cool place..

Monkeyman, do you remember it being called something other than Point Loma Villa Condominiums and do you have any cool vintage pix of the Monkeygrandparents chillin' by that big A-frame?

Here are the Point Loma Villa Condominimums. They are located at the red star on the map (just north of location #15). I visited this complex last back in 1995 (I was following an old tiki tour of San Diego originally written by Bosko and published in an early issue Tiki News).

I really dont remember much about the place other than it definitely was polynesian themed and that cool pool. The indoor area of the pool was inside that cool A frame/clubhouse.

I will ask my grandma if she has any pics during the short time they lived there

Great thread (as always) Zulu, hopefully one day I'll have time to check some of these out.
By the way, I am taking Sven’s place on the Hanalei tour, for anyone that’s interested a copy of my San Diego Tiki tour (from Tiki News) circa 1996 will be available at our booth (while supplies last) just ask.

Bosko

I recently drove by the Tahiti Palms apartments on Wilson Avenue. They're pretty cool although could use a little TLC. No actual tikis that I saw from the street, but the two A-frame front just pops out (literally) from the rest of the buildings on the block.

[ Edited by: arriano 2006-09-01 15:31 ]

Great, Hopefully Sherry and I will see these when we are there in October

Does anyone have this tour anymore? None of the images will magnify. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.