Kona Pali, Alhambra, CA (apartments)

Name:Kona Pali
Type:apartments
Street:Rosemead
City:Alhambra
State:CA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:operational

Description:
As featured in Sven's BOT pp.222-223

I've got new pictures from the inside if you want to see them. I don't want to spoil anyone's own chance for urban archeology. Let me know if I should post them.

[ Edited by: Luckydesigns on 2003-10-15 00:56 ]

Post em!

Ditto - Do post the photographs.

Rosemead Blvd. is possibly the best street in Southern California for an abundance of tiki architecture. Bahooka's, several apartment complexes including the Kaplua, and other commercial structures are all gloriously tiki.

I believe this picture is in the BOT. Hawaiian islands mosaic. There are still huge koi fish in the pond under the bridge there.

This is also in the BOT but notice how some one came along and added color to the tikis.

The inside of the apartment complex. Pretty swank living if it's 1959. Nowadays....

Here's my big discovery. Call me a jerk if this has been reported before but this was the first time I had seen this tiki. I haven't been this excited about tiki for some time now. That discovery was the only tiki that I saw inside of the gates. Fun adventure.

Spike

[ Edited by: Luckydesigns on 2003-10-16 15:33 ]

I’m trying to make sense of this little lost thread from 10 years ago and I’m writing this post because I was, until now, confused about these particular apartment buildings. Perhaps this post can help any others who may also be confused. (And if not, well... I have kids so I'm used to talking to myself.)

The key take-away is that this thread refers to one of TWO possible apartment buildings. Because the pictures are gone, it’s impossible to know which. The title says Kona Pali but it has it on Rosemead Blvd so who knows.

Kona Pali Apartments

10520 Balboa Blvd
Granada Hills, CA 91344

See this thread: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=28344&forum=2

Kona Kai Apartments

6415 N. Rosemead Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91775

See this thread: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=27645&forum=2

These are two separate apartment complexes located in different cities here in Southern California. The apartments are nearly, but not exactly, identical. The Kona Pali is the larger of the two. It has more units and a bigger courtyard area including a tiki-decorated pool hut which the Kona Kai lacks. With the passage of time, the two properties have also been maintained in different ways. But both still exist and both look to be well worth visiting. I’ve seen one and, now that I know there are two, I shall do my best to visit the other.

The photos in this post are both by Tiki-Kate.

We should buy this place & kick all the old folks out
and only rent to "Tiki" people who shall decorate each apartment in immaculate Tiki style!

we could throw Luau BBQs every weekend, Have nightly cocktail hour promptly at six
Hawaiian dress or Suits, Ties & cocktail dresses required at all times

Pipe Martin Denny through out the complex all day long
and I could die happy there, so happy..........

Who's in!

Well, it turns out I have no excuse for being confused about these apartments. I was looking through the BOT and darned if they are not described in great detail (pages 222-224). I just hope big bro doesn't see this post.

I read something interesting about the Kona Kai recently on this web page:
http://lomo.architectureburger.com/?p=666
The author speculates that the entrance was originally completely open and that the glass wall and door were added later for security. I never thought about that before but I think he's probably right.