Mauna Loa, Detroit, MI (bar)

Here is a fairly rare Mauna Loa spear swizzle stick I just got.

DC

I saw these two old newswire photos of ebay from the Mauna Loa.

The first is of the groundbreaking ceremony held on May, 1966.

The second is a great shot of the lava rock waterfall and pond area out front.

This place was a real shooting star.

DC

That was one swank joint. It's too bad it died such a quick death!

Man, I had missed the first posting of that architect's rendering - what a catch! I am so glad these items are not falling through the cracks.

On 2011-09-19 14:35, Dustycajun wrote:
Interesting thing about the architectural rendering is that it depicted graphics on the front of the hut structure similar to those you would find on a traditional Polynesian meeting house.

ANOTHER interesting thing is that the storyboard paintings on the front of the rendering are very similar to the ones on the Kon Tiki Montreal entrance:

Indubitably because both were designed by the same designer: George Nakashima :)

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2012-09-14 09:08 ]

I was researching this place since my dad (B.F. "Rickey" Enriquez) was the assistant manager and I had some items from there. He passed away a few years ago. I believe my mom still has some of the mugs/glasses. I'm posting the items I do have, which isn't much. He worked there before I was born. Also, it's interesting about the mention of the Kon Tiki since there was a cocktail menu from there in his things. The menu is signed by Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

[ Edited by: dangergirl 2012-12-16 22:13 ]

Love that smoking drink photo, thank you, Dangergirl. Hopefully you will unearth some more material and post it here, Mahalo!

On 2012-12-17 11:21, bigbrotiki wrote:
Love that smoking drink photo, thank you, Dangergirl. Hopefully you will unearth some more material and post it here, Mahalo!

Thanks! I will post more if I find it.

Dangergirl,

Thanks for posting, look forward to seeing more from your collection. Do you know where that magazine article came from?

DC

Dangergirl,
Post everything you have! It will be most appreciated here. Thank you for finding us!

On 2012-12-18 17:49, Dustycajun wrote:
Dangergirl,

Thanks for posting, look forward to seeing more from your collection. Do you know where that magazine article came from?

DC

I have no idea what magazine it was since it was a pull out and not attached to anything. I'll have to ask my mom and see if she knows.

On 2012-12-19 11:00, Hale Tiki wrote:
Dangergirl,
Post everything you have! It will be most appreciated here. Thank you for finding us!

I am flying back home for a few days next weekend, so I will try to scoop up more stuff. I found you while googling my dad's name. I was missing him and I'm glad he is remembered here.

Thank you for the information on the Mauna Loa, it was my favorite as kid in Detroit. I was working next to it in 1979/1980 (dont remember) after the fire that shut it down and I paid the wrecking guy $20 for two real very well carved tiki's which are now in my tiki room. Many of the carvings and decorations were piled on the street and had been purchased by a decor company...

On 2013-02-04 12:42, OrlandoBond wrote:
Thank you for the information on the Mauna Loa, it was my favorite as kid in Detroit. I was working next to it in 1979/1980 (dont remember) after the fire that shut it down and I paid the wrecking guy $20 for two real very well carved tiki's which are now in my tiki room. Many of the carvings and decorations were piled on the street and had been purchased by a decor company...

Hi- thanks for the info !! was wondering if you would be so kind as to post some pics of the tikis you have (and any other items) from the mauna loa ? - we like to document stuff on this site for future reference and it's always cool to track what vintage tiki bar items ended up where and to have a historical record of them, especially from places like mauna loa that were not in business very long and have a little to no record of their interiors and decor items. So many vintage tiki bar items were lost or destroyed when a place closed down. It's always encouraging to hear about things resurfacing years later. Thanks in advance !!

http://www.hourdetroit.com/Hour-Detroit/July-2013/Mauna-Loa-1967/

1967 During the 1960s, the popularity of tiki bars and restaurants exploded like a South Seas volcano. Carved masks, palm trees, beaded curtains, and rattan furniture became the décor rage, and exotic drinks laced with rum, pineapple, and coconut were merrily chugged down. Trader Vic's in the Hotel Statler and the Chin Tiki on Cass were well-known downtown Polynesian-themed restaurants, but for over-the-top exotica, no place matched the Mauna Loa. It opened in 1967 on West Grand Boulevard, across the street from the old General Motors building in the city's New Center. Palm trees and waterfalls set the tone outside, but the interior, divvied up into several themed rooms, was almost outlandish in its ambience. The 1970 book Detroit: A Young Guide to the City dubbed the Mauna Loa "the Disneyland of Detroit restaurants" and offered this vivid description: "Every inch of its enormous interior is splashed with colors and shapes … catamarans slung from the ceiling, palms, giant blowfish lanterns, streams gurgling past the tables … a pool where girls dive for pearls." A 1967 article in The Detroit News made note of the Mauna Loa's "lighted waterfalls flowing from nearly every corner" and "romantic lights glowing from stuffed blowfish." For all its spectacular adornments, the Mauna Loa lasted only a few years and was later taken over by a seafood restaurant that burned down. Today, the area where the lavish restaurant stood is part of the Hotel St. Regis property, and Detroit's slice of Polynesia, however kitschy, is just a glamorous memory — although Mauna Loa tiki mugs and menus sometimes turn up on eBay.

A picture of the building as it stood in 1976. I can't really make out what name on the building is... The Clam Shop? Glam Shop?

Great thread! Wish I had gone to the Mauna Loa; I worked in downtown Detroit when it was in operation. Guess it was too pricey for my paycheck. Scored this spoon today for my tiki collection, just a few miles from home. It's probably not rare but is my first Mauna Loa find.

Never personally seen any silverware from there--great find! Thanks for posting on here!

Definitely a good score. Welcome to TC, Coop!

Close up look at a vintage swizzle in my collection from the Mauna Loa featuring an image of one of the signature mugs.

The mug can be seen in this menu image posted by Sven.

Although the first page of the drink menu has been posted early in the thread by Sven, here is the rest of the drink menu (finally!). It was on ebay a month ago or so and I was hoping the winner would post some nice pics of it. Meanwhile, here are the ebay listing pictures which I thought I should post...

So it seems that the Mauna Loa also (like Trader Vic's) used the red Port Light glass from Imperial glass Company for their Port Light drink.

And here on the back page we see the famed drum mug used for the Mauna Coffee!

Quite a few more drinks on the inside back cover.

Surprisingly I don't see any communal bowl drinks. Not even the the classic Scorpion bowl for 2. Odd.

What, to me at least is the big mystery still, and a source of frustration frankly, is: what was the Cauldron Mug used for? Maybe it was used for a hot soup or something instead. Any thoughts???

What drink did this sacred vessel hold?

WOW !!!! I been looking for that menu for years. Thank you so much for posting the pics. Just amazing. Can you read what the description is below the Polynesian Pigeon? Thanks again for the pics.

Polynesian Pidgeon

Two or more will
stimulate you
enough to give
yourself away.
Watch out!!

Loved seeing that, Thank you! I am also still waiting to find out what the Cauldron Mug was used for. Only mug in my collection I don't know that for.

Thanks Tattoo. The Mauna Loa is defiantly one of the most mysterious of the legendary Tiki palaces. It was open for such a short time that the few relics that survive are truly rare. That lack of artifacts including paper items and photos only add to the allure of this classic location. Any found items help add to the story. Reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite movies "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend". Hopefully the facts will keep showing up and will keep the legend intact.

Finally scored a vintage Mauna Loa mini menu in mint condition. Beautifully printed with great graphics on heavy paper.

I love the ML branding iron graphic.

With my last mug find, I'm officially done with the Mauna Loa.
Not pictured: water glass still boxed away.

Thank God The Tiki Bar Is Open
Thank God The Tiki Torch Still Shines...

[ Edited by: Feelin' Zombified 2015-10-25 09:28 ]

WOW! What a great collection and the lamp is a real nice added bonus. You just need to buy a fitter and build yourself a new top. Congrats

I saw these Mauna Loa paper napkins up for sale on eBay awhile back. I have never seen these before. I thought I would save the pic as I lost the auction. Twenty paper napkins sold for $53 !!

Did the Mauna Loa have any signature drinks? It would be cool to recreate something from there for my home bar.

On 2016-03-28 12:26, Jeff Bannow wrote:
Did the Mauna Loa have any signature drinks? It would be cool to recreate something from there for my home bar.

Unfortunately the recipes from the Mauna Loa may be lost. The menu images and descriptions on page eight of this thread give a hint as to what they were like. I have said it before in this thread and it still rings true. The Mauna Loa is one of those places that has moved into the realm of legend. Opened for such a short time documentation and artifacts are rare.

That's too bad. I guess I'll have to do a tribute drink instead.

One of the lingering mysteries of the Mauna Loa is the cauldron mug. These mugs have been a puzzling relic of the legendary Detroit location for years. It has been speculated that these may have been used to serve soup as the mug doesn't appear in the cocktail menu. I believe these were actually drink mugs that never made it to the restaurant in time for the printing of the menu. Maybe delayed due to the elaborate construction of the mug. Many of the mugs that have been found in the past few years have included the original shipping box hinting to the fact they never made it onto the restaurant cocktail line. I believe these would have not been a good vessel to serve soup in a restaurant. The double walled construction of the mug may not have held up well to repeated banging with a spoon over time. Just a few thoughts that may be all wrong but I thought I'd throw out there for consideration. Here are a few pics of the mug I picked up recently. Thanks.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2016-05-01 08:47 ]

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2016-09-25 05:33 ]

I saw this small article about the Mauna Loa on the net and thought I would add it to the thread. It dates from 1967 and describes the elaborate interior. Girls diving for pearls in deep pools is mentioned and another rendering is pictured. Truly a legendary location. I'm trying to track down a better copy of the article.

Thanks Trav...love to see a another copy. BTW, Is that bird mug as stunning in person as it is in photos?

Here is another article on the opening of the Mauna Loa.

DC

Sixty different types of glasses and ceramic mugs! Whoa.

On 2016-05-01 08:16, uncle trav wrote:
One of the lingering mysteries of the Mauna Loa is the cauldron mug.... I believe these were actually drink mugs that never made it to the restaurant in time for the printing of the menu. Maybe delayed due to the elaborate construction of the mug. Many of the mugs that have been found in the past few years have included the original shipping box hinting to the fact they never made it onto the restaurant cocktail line.

I've wondered the same thing. But what makes the most sense to me is that these were part of an updated menu or "new for this year" concept that never happened. Here's why: There are 2 different salt and pepper shakers, both the same design but different molds. The originals are darker glaze and are imprinted "design by Mauna Loa Detroit" on the bottom, and are harder to come by. The newer, lighter glaze shakers are simply imprinted "Japan" on the bottom and are readily found on eBay, often in new-old-stock packaging. I would conclude that the small initial run was quickly pilfered by diners in the restaurant and a 2nd, bigger batch was ordered some time later, probably around the time the cauldrons were ordered, but they closed up shop before they could be used.

I'd like to know the drink recipes!

-Z

You may be on to something Z. Besides the differences in The S&P shakers the logo mug came out in two incarnations. The Baha Lana cocktail was served in the black glazed mug version shown in the cocktail menu. The mug is also found with a bisque finish in a tan color. I wonder if this was also a later version of that mug without the glaze as it may have been cheaper to produce and purchase for the restaurant.

I'm still not convinced that version of the mug was ever used at the Mauna Loa at all. The RAM stamp on the bottom is completely different than everything else. Every other ceramic piece has the name somewhere on it. The only mention anywhere that it was from the Mauna Loa is in Tiki Quest, which could be incorrect. With all of the Mauna Loa mugs that I've found in the metro area in 25 years, I've never run across the RAM mug. You'd think there'd be more out there locally if it's from Mauna Loa.

-Z

Thank God The Tiki Bar Is Open
Thank God The Tiki Torch Still Shines...

[ Edited by: Feelin' Zombified 2017-02-19 18:10 ]

On 2017-02-19 18:08, Feelin' Zombified wrote:
I'm still not convinced that version of the mug was ever used at the Mauna Loa at all. The RAM stamp on the bottom is completely different than everything else. Every other ceramic piece has the name somewhere on it. The only mention anywhere that it was from the Mauna Loa is in Tiki Quest, which could be incorrect. With all of the Mauna Loa mugs that I've found in the metro area in 25 years, I've never run across the RAM mug. You'd think there'd be more out there locally if it's from Mauna Loa.

-Z

---

I completely forgot about a post I did on that subject back in 2009.

Big Kahuna, That's a question that is tough to nail down. As far as I know this design of mug for the Mauna Loa was marked "DESIGN BY MAUNA LOA DETROIT" on the bottom. If these were left over stock they would have had to grind this off of the mug and put on the R.A.M. mark. The case may be that the manufacture had the mold and made a small production run of the same mug with the R.A.M. markings for general sale. Mauna Loa mugs are often found with an "HF" sticker on the bottom also. The HF is linked to "House of Favors" which appears to be a distributor for restaurant supplies and supplied the swizzles for the Mauna Loa. No one is clear if HF actually made the mugs or was just the distributor. Not sure if we have tracked down what or who the "DESIGNED BY R.A.M." stands for. I guess it's another case of the Mauna Loa giving up little in the way of it's secrets.

I'd say it was a stock design that Mauna Loa ordered with a custom black glaze, their name added to the bottom instead of the RAM logo.

I assume you've seen this post:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=4786&forum=2&vpost=550073&hilite=House%20of%20favors

I did recently find a tan RAM mug in the Detroit area recently whatever that is worth.

Found in the October 1968 issue of Ford Times, a 1/4 size publication for Ford owners...

-Z

Hello, I'm sorry to revive the dead like this, but I found a mug by RAM that I'm hoping to get some info on.

The closest I can find on Ooga Mooga is the "Mauna Loa Tiki" mug design, but from the Mauna Loa, but mine says "DESIGNED BY RAM" (really, spaced out like BYRAM) on the bottom.

Any help would be appreciated!!

On 2017-02-20 04:09, uncle trav wrote:

On 2017-02-19 18:08, Feelin' Zombified wrote:
I'm still not convinced that version of the mug was ever used at the Mauna Loa at all. The RAM stamp on the bottom is completely different than everything else. Every other ceramic piece has the name somewhere on it. The only mention anywhere that it was from the Mauna Loa is in Tiki Quest, which could be incorrect. With all of the Mauna Loa mugs that I've found in the metro area in 25 years, I've never run across the RAM mug. You'd think there'd be more out there locally if it's from Mauna Loa.

-Z

---

I completely forgot about a post I did on that subject back in 2009.

Big Kahuna, That's a question that is tough to nail down. As far as I know this design of mug for the Mauna Loa was marked "DESIGN BY MAUNA LOA DETROIT" on the bottom. If these were left over stock they would have had to grind this off of the mug and put on the R.A.M. mark. The case may be that the manufacture had the mold and made a small production run of the same mug with the R.A.M. markings for general sale. Mauna Loa mugs are often found with an "HF" sticker on the bottom also. The HF is linked to "House of Favors" which appears to be a distributor for restaurant supplies and supplied the swizzles for the Mauna Loa. No one is clear if HF actually made the mugs or was just the distributor. Not sure if we have tracked down what or who the "DESIGNED BY R.A.M." stands for. I guess it's another case of the Mauna Loa giving up little in the way of it's secrets.

On 2017-02-20 09:48, Feelin' Zombified wrote:
I'd say it was a stock design that Mauna Loa ordered with a custom black glaze, their name added to the bottom instead of the RAM logo.

I assume you've seen this post:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=4786&forum=2&vpost=550073&hilite=House%20of%20favors

Just saw this. Thank you, I posted images of one moments ago.

Howdy tiki people - thought I'd share a recent score. I found a woman who's mother bought a bunch of the unused mugs from Mauna Loa when they closed their doors. The seller said her mom was first in line for the liquidation sale. I purchased some of their signature mugs, still in their old-school straw packaging. I'll be listing some for sale if you are interested: https://www.ebay.com/sch/tradr_bill/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

Enjoy and thanks for looking!

-Trad'r Bill

Nice!

Tradr Bill,

Great score on the mugs! Here is another newspaper rending of the exterior.

DC