Tiki Apartments (originally Tongaroa), Tacoma, WA (apartments)

Name:Tiki Apartments (originally Tongaroa)
Type:apartments
Street:1111 South Highland
City:Tacoma
State:WA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status operational (no longer)

Description:
These apartments opened sometime in the 60's. There are 5 tikis still on site all of cedar and set in asphalt or concrete which is probably why they haven't rotted away.

Bigbro took this photo back in the mid 90's when he was shooting a commercial in the area.

This guy is over two stories tall.

Behind it in the entry way is this tiki protected from the weather still retains some of its finish.

Through the entry you turn around past the stairs and see these two.

On the the other side of the courtyard on a mound is the two faced idol (about 9 feet tall).


(The other side)

Now a little that is gone. Masks like this one, carved by Gale Haner, were on or beside the apt doors. I was told by the son of the managers in the 80's that most of these were torn off the walls by people who came home tripping or drunk in the 70's.

Then last year, when they repainted, these oddballs were swiped when off the building (just what are they anyway).

Lastly, these tikis and most of the others that had been in 6 different apartment complexes in the area look to be from the same mystery carver, with deep carved mouths, slanting eyes and many oddly showing the bottoms of their feet.

aloha, tikicoma

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2015-03-18 00:34 ]

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2018-04-16 21:42 ]

[ Edited by tikicoma on 2022-03-17 15:23:23 ]

Tikicoma,

Nice photos, when did you visit? Are these current?

DC

Dusty these photos were taken in 2011 and are all still there. The new apt owner and the manager have reset the one leaning tiki back upright. The large tiki out front had it's left hand knocked off when they painted but I convinced them to put it in the office until I can restore it. Fortunetly when the owner told the manager that he was going to paint the tikis she convinced him not to.

aloha, tikicoma

The good news is I've finally found out who carved these and most of the rest of the tikis around the South Sound. From around 1965 to 1971 Art McKellips was the designer and primary carver at Cheney Art Woodcarving in Tacoma WA creating their tikis and reportedly thousands of other objects.

Now the bad news. Renting an apartment in Seattle has become so expensive that Seattle area companies are now buying up Tacoma complexes, including the Tiki apartments, giving current residents 26 days to move and no response to what their plans are for the site!

http://komonews.com/news/local/families-told-to-leave-tacoma-apartments-its-so-scary-it-brings-tears-to-my-eyes

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2018-04-16 21:25 ]

Now the bad news. Renting an apartment in Seattle has become so expensive that Seattle area companies are now buying up Tacoma complexes, including the Tiki apartments, giving current residents 26 days to move and no response to what their plans are for the site!

http://komonews.com/news/local/families-told-to-leave-tacoma-apartments-its-so-scary-it-brings-tears-to-my-eyes

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2018-04-16 21:25 ]

Is the apt in this article the same as the ones in this thread?
I couldn't confirm via the vague address listed as "South 12th Street near SR-16"
(Google maps shows a 2-block long street that is downtown with high rises)

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/matt-driscoll/article209395059.html

Otto it's the same place. Many of the folks living there are low income and are really up against it, the apt market has become tight in tacoma. The report by the new owner of it being cockroach and rat infested seem to be BS to me and I've wandered in there every few months for years. For a wood building that old it seems to be in decent shape and was repainted only 2 or 3 years ago the same time they reset one of the tikis to make it upright... the new owner paid twice what it sold for about ten years ago we all think he's just trying to get out from under negative publicity now. That $900 moving payment is only for those who are kicked at the end of this month those who have until the end of May are only being offered $600.

I've been driving by daily to keep an eye on things and tried to contact him through his business website but haven't received any reply.

On 2018-04-22 23:04, tikicoma wrote:
Otto it's the same place.

I've been driving by daily to keep an eye on things and tried to contact him through his business website but haven't received any reply.

Oh man, that is terrible news. For the residents and for the historic site. It seems like it is time to rescue the artifacts from the hand of the destructors. There is no way they are saving any of that stuff. Maybe post a note on the property requesting they contact you or hand place a letter into the mail box onsite

I noticed this news report that shows two of the Tikis

http://komonews.com/news/local/no-where-to-go-community-trying-to-help-families-evicted-from-tacoma-apartment-complex

On 2015-03-17 23:43, tikicoma wrote:

Lastly, these tikis and most of the others that had been in 6 different apartment complexes in the area look to be from the same mystery carver, with deep carved mouths, slanting eyes and many oddly showing the bottoms of their feet.

Also, Crazy Al would be interested in seeing this comment and image. the bottom facing feet are an early signature of his style