Mapping out tiki in Orange County, Calif.

Spike, Those are true A-Frame construction and very mid century
Here is where many of us get mixed up on the design aesthetic

Now when we see a house or apartment that looks Tiki to us (Actually Hawaiian to be accurate)
we see more often then not an A-Frame incorporated into the main structure (But not mandatory)
Usually there is a stone or rock element (Walls,entry, etc.)
In the case of Apartment Complexes almost always an "Hawaiian" name
Palms & Tropical landscaping
& the most obvious Tikis!

Recreating a Tropical "Hawaiian" resort village was obviously the intention of the builders/Designers
This fits in squarely with our idea of "Tiki" & you will get no argument from me.

But......Much of these design choices originate in Mid Century Architecture!

But those cross & support beams look Tiki you say?

I have talked to some of the still surviving carpenters & framers who worked in the 50s & 60s about this
and was told craftsman had more input back in the day & would incorporate more ornate designs
in plain & straight beams & overhangs,Because they like to add those little custom/Individual flourishes.
They added, Back then Tropical was what many wanted, It was by the beach, It was Southern California.

Not a particularly Tiki approach is it?

So my argument here is most of what we see & think may be "Tiki" inspired residences
are only Mid Century & maybe Tropical Hawaiian influenced, But you take all these elements
throw them together & you have a cool "Tiki" Home or Apartment.

So I say you need more then just an A-Frame & ornate crossbeam to assume that the building was using "Tiki/Hawaiian"
design intentionally.

Whoa, glad to see some serious discussion and respectful communication going on here. While we are still in the dark about the cultural link and first American appearance of the outrigger beam, and cannot pinpoint the exact source of the A-frame roof, we all agree that these are two of the main features of Tiki architecture. I think the big question posed here is: Are these two elements enough to make any building "Tiki"? How many elements does a building need to make the step from having "Tiki flourishes" to being "Tiki"?

I always liked James Teitelbaum's "TYPSY" (Tikis-per-square-inch) factor he applied to Tiki Bars, I would be easy to create something like that for mid-century tropical architecture:

***** = full fledged Tiki temple with Tikis, A-frame, outrigger beams, Polynesian name, entrance bridge, waterfalls, etc

**** = Tiki temple that has seen better days, but has some telling details left like lava rock walls, outriggers, A-frame, waterfalls

*** = clear Tiki influence, but could also be less specific mid-century modern tropical

** = has single elements of Tiki style, but was not specifically conceived as being of that style

•   =  has one feature that is also used in Tiki Style, so it shows that the style was influential in general
  

Looking back at what attracted me to Tiki in the first place was the fact that it was flamboyant, elaborate and baroque in the multitude of its style elements, and that more so than other theme concepts applied in architecture. So to me, when there are not enough of those elements in place, a place is not really "Tiki" in spirit and character.

This said, another main other aspect of Tiki that fascinated me is the juxtaposition of modern and primitive. So a very sleek A-frame with just ONE Tiki can be more interesting to me than a mansard-roofed building with a Hawaiian name and some tropical landscaping.

It can be quite rewarding for the urban archaeologist to find single STYLE ELEMENTS that show the influence of Tiki. Some elements can be traced back directly to Tiki because they clearly stem from Polynesian restaurants. Don The Beachcomber was the first again here with many original ideas.

Here his "Chinese tile", found built into a wall at the Outrigger apartments on Rosemead Blvd in L.A.:

And I would classify "outrigger" beams as a Tiki feature, even if they appear on buildings in California that are not specifically Tiki:

Nautical elements are also more often used in Tiki dwellings than anywhere else:

Now the above example, having not only pier pylon and anchor chain railings, but a huge A-frame and an elaborate lava rock waterfall and moat, would get a 4-Star rating from me:

But what about this one?:

It would only get a 3-Star, because even though it has several main style elements of Tiki style, there was no clear indication that it was intended to be Tiki. The differentiation I am making here is IS a place Tiki, or does it just use elements of the style. (Then again, this could be low-budget Tiki, the little house that would if it could. The only way to really find out is to talk the owners/builders)

And then there are OTHER themes:

:)

One more thing: I had not seen Zulu's post on the Dickey roof...

On 2012-06-20 21:11, SpaceAgeCity wrote:
The shape of the roof is a classic tiki design. Check out Zulumagu's well-researched article on the "Evolution of the Hawaiian-Style Roof" (http://tikiarchitecture.blogspot.com/2011/03/evolution-of-hawaiian-style-roof.html) and while reading, take special note of the photos of the Aloha Inn Motel, the Castaways Coffee Shop, and the Ports O' Call Lagoon. I also detect a bit of Indonesian design in this house's roof, but your milage may vary.

...and while it is a great find, I cannot agree with his enthusiastic comparison to other forefathers of American Poly pop:

......There are plenty of elements in Polynesian Pop culture that can trace their roots back to a single individual. For example, Ernest Bueamont Gantt (aka Don the Beachcomber) was responsible for creating the tropical cocktail as we know it today, or Les Baxter is credited with creating the 'exotic' sound in music. Tiki architecture is no different, one man set the tone very early on and it became accepted as the gold standard for all tropical design...

Very well put, Sven. So, in my examples, do you feel that they were created with 'tiki' or Polynesian influences? Or were they simply 'modern' in design? Remember that the first three pictures originally had lava rock where the stone is now.

I hold firm that the last image that I posted is undoubtedly designed with tiki influence.

A big part of the "is it tiki" answer lies in the intent of the architect. Unfortunately, we often can't determine that intent at this late date.

Sometimes, tiki-themed landscaping, light fixtures, decor, signage, etc, can help us detect that intent. On the other hand, a LACK of those features really tells us nothing, since those features are often stripped away over the decades.

That said, I think there's something to be said for asking, "Would a big tiki, if placed in front of this building, look perfectly at home?" It's certainly not a perfect test, but it's an indicator.

I like Sven's idea for a "How Tiki IS It?" guide. I'd like to see a visual guide of "Tiki Architectural Features," with a building getting a point added for each feature on the list, and perhaps two points added for certain features. Not that this stuff won't still be fairly subjective, but at least we'd have a semi-official system of classification.

Chris

On 2012-06-22 08:07, Luckydesigns wrote:
Very well put, Sven. So, in my examples, do you feel that they were created with 'tiki' or Polynesian influences? Or were they simply 'modern' in design? Remember that the first three pictures originally had lava rock where the stone is now.

I hold firm that the last image that I posted is undoubtedly designed with tiki influence.

My first 18 years were in the Shores. We had the house on the corner of 62nd and Canal. We had an A-Frame and Lava. Never thought of it being tiki but I guess it was. :)

Now everybody is thinking, Also I should point out the design style is more Hawaiian/Tropical
that we are looking at, And was the intention of the Designer/Builder.

Since Tiki Style pretty much co opted Hawaiian design elements I don't see any reason not to use it
in categorizing something as "Tiki".

I think that placing a Tiki in front of a classic Mid Century Modern dwelling is a beautiful thing!
add in tropical landscaping & rock features & your damn close to adding it to the could be/is Tiki list.

Also note that an A-Frame structure (an entrance) that is not structural
but is a design flourish, most likely was intended to reproduce a Hawaiian/Polynesian look.

Chris thanks for putting up with my arguments here, I hope this helps with your project
though I know it narrows down some of your entries on the map.

A little disagreeing and further investigating is nothing but good for this forum (as long as it stays civil and on point)!

Good notes in that last post, too, ATP!

What a great discussion. As kinda a newbie to tiki, I too wondered if A-frame stuctures had any tiki influence. I work around SB and San Luis Obispo county and I see A-frame buildings from time to time. I even have a cool one right near me in Pismo Beach. But this thread clears some things up for me on how to perceive tiki or not tiki. But of course I enjoy the A-frame if its tiki or not because it just looks cool. But as some have said. Not only do I enjoy tiki which is my #1. I also enjoy mid-century design and the Atomic-age so to speak. Which things were just designed with cool shapes and nothing is boring. Great thread going on here. Learning alot. :)

I think the line between Hawaiian/Tropical and Tiki is so blurry that one can't really separate the two. Clearly, it's all a reaction to the same Poly-Pop/Hawaii craze.

Chris

Now let's get a cocktail! see ya tonight Spike!!!!