City of Hawaiian Gardens, California (where's the tikis?)

If ever there was a local area ripe with opportunities for urban archaeology, you'd think a place with a name like "Hawaiian Gardens" would be it.

From the Hawaiian Gardens City Website: “The name is said to be derived from a bamboo shack refreshment stand opened at the corner of Carson and Norwalk boulevards in 1927 by an unknown businessman. The stand was said to resemble a Hawaiian Garden.” Sounds promising!

Some of the historic photos on the city website give the sense that a Hawaiiana/Tiki theme was definitely planned:

Lots of hawaiian shirts & leis, but not a tiki in sight. In fact, most of the old photos look more like this.

Fast forward to last year's "Anniversary Day" Parade.

So where's the "Hawaiian" in "Hawaiian Gardens"? Was there ever, really? I started looking into this with some romantic notion that the town was founded with a real hawaiiana/polypop theme, but there seems to be nothing much there. At least if there ever was, it seems to be long gone now.

Does anyone have info on this enigmatic city?

I drove thru there yesterday and there is a Volcano in front of the Hawaiian Gardens Casino.

Here are some photos from the Hawaiian Gardens Casino. When I took the picture of the volcano here, three security guards converged on me demanding to know what I was doing. "Well, I am a urban archeologist and it isn't everyday that you see a volcano in LA" They weren't amused and stopped me from taking futher pictures that day.

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-03-05 12:58 ]

That volcano rocks! Thanks for posting that, I will have drive out and see it in person sometime. Obviously you would not be able to get any photos inside the casino, but was there much TiPSY factor to the interior?

Hawaiian Gardens was incorporated in 1964 right in the middle of the tiki/polypop heyday. I've searched the TC and Critiki archives and come up with nothing in the vintage era back when the city was founded... Except for what you guys just posted (and the reference to the old "bamboo shack refreshment stand"). Just seems odd, but maybe there's nothing more to it than that.

Anyways, mahalo for the pics!

A-A

Actually I may be able to photograph inside. My girlfriend is competing in a ladies poker tournament at the end of March and I asked about photographing it which they may let me do with the right clearance. No tikis inside but there is some cool decor I can hopefully photograph while I shoot the tournament later this month.

On 2007-03-05 12:56, Ojaitimo wrote:
Here are some photos from the Hawaiian Gardens Casino. When I took the picture of the volcano here, three security guards converged on me demanding to know what I was doing. "Well, I am a urban archeologist and it isn't everyday that you see a volcano in LA" They weren't amused and stopped me from taking futher pictures that day.

"ummm, I'm a urban terrorist with intentions of terror, tell me where the tikis are or I blow up the volcano."
Ojaitimo P.I.

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-03-05 12:58 ]

The only tikis in Hawaiian Gardens are in the antique shop(s).....Lots of Palm Trees though! (Future Tikis???)

Gum's Mall Antiques & Collectibles is located on Norwalk Blvd. between Carson and Del Amo in H.G. and is worth a stop to check out the indoor pond/rain forest. I was told that a couple people from Disney originally built it to let the local children experience a mini-rainforest. I assume it is no where near the original condition, but still interesting!

I grew up in Orange County...there are no tikis in Hawaiian Gardens, no fountains in Fountain Valley, no gardens in Garden Grove...where's the love?

There probably aren't any more orange groves in Orange County either...I grew up in Buena Park and remember going to Anahiem when all that was there was Disneyland and orange groves. I also remember huge dairy farms in Buena Park. Gotta love surburbia!
Speaking of volcanoes, if you want to see a really cool one, go to Knott's Berry Farm...if you look around, you will see the devil controls the eruptions!

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am and I'm sticking to it)!

[ Edited by: Psycho Tiki D 2007-03-09 17:01 ]

Ditto PTD.....I remember driving from San Diego through fields and fields of orange trees and then the Orange drive-in on the right and then the peak of of the Matterhorn on the left....soooo exciting!!! :)

Hey all, I remember using a can opener to actually open a can of "RC soda" and watching my dad open beers with the "church key" . "Remember you made a big triangle hole on one side to drink out of and a smaller triangle hole on the other side to vent the can" and then......
1963 The Schlitz Brewing company introduced the "Pop Top" beer can to the nation in March, invented by Ermal Fraze of Kettering, Ohio. and then.....
1974 The stay-on tab invented. so....
That makes us all really old, but..... I'd rather have these memories in my mind as memories, than just as stories that we are told.

On 2007-03-05 12:05, Aaron's Akua wrote:
...

From the Hawaiian Gardens City Website: “The name is said to be derived from a bamboo shack refreshment stand opened at the corner of Carson and Norwalk boulevards in 1927 by an unknown businessman. The stand was said to resemble a Hawaiian Garden.” ...

I just found a photo of it!

From page 97 of the book "California Crazy & Beyond - Roadside Vernacular Architecture" by Jim Heimann, 2001:

"Hawaiian Gardens, Artesia ca 1926." Photo credit: Jim Heimann Collection

[ Edited by: Hakalugi 2010-07-30 17:58 ]

Nice find! Too bad the city didn't take the "Hawaiian" theme further on from there. Was there any text or explanation to go with the photo?

On 2010-08-02 21:05, Aaron's Akua wrote:
... Was there any text or explanation to go with the photo?

Unfortunately just the above caption and credit under the photo, nothing more.

Ahhh...Hawaiian Gardens. It had Mike's Prime Rib & Chinese restaurant which might have had a little bit TIKI in it, the bar was nice and dark. Bad gang problems (very not TIKI) create most of the pub the city gets these days.

I used to visit the giant Go-Kart track and also next door to what was probably the cities most famous institution, Plowboys Market. Plowboys had sawdust all over the floors and really great fresh produce. These places were all leveled in order to build that much needed Casino with the cool Volcano. You just can't stop the carousel of progress!

Plowboys reopened some years later, moving south down the 405 freeway to a city that doesn’t have any Fountains or Valleys, even though it’s named as such. But it took a little bit of its Hawaiian Gardens roots with it. If you stop in, you'll hear soothing Hawaiian music raining down from the ceiling while shopping for some of that good produce.