 |
Islander, Gardena, CA (apartments) |
Polynesiac
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 29, 2004
Posts: 2020
From: San Pedro, CA
|  Posted: 2008-05-01 9:08 pm Permalink
Name:Islander
Type:apartments
Street:1120 W. 155th street
City:Gardena
State:CA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:310 327 3543
Status:operational
Description:
Huge A-frame, well kept grounds, tikis and nautical decor abound. Obviously, the tenants and ground keepers take a lot of pride in their residence and keep it looking very nice.
|
Polynesiac
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 29, 2004
Posts: 2020
From: San Pedro, CA
| Posted: 2008-05-01 9:11 pm Permalink
Sabu referenced the Islander in this thread, but the pictures have vanished:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=892&forum=1&hilite=islander%20gardena
I thought there was a thread about The Islander, but I couldn't find it. If there is, please merge or delete this thread as needed.
A few years back, I was exiting my new dentists office with some clean teeth, hopped in the car drove a block and stumbled on this place. I'm still amazed everytime I come across a polynesian theamed apartment complex. Out of hum-drum LA apartment hell areas, comes a shining beacon of architechtual beauty (or oddity - depending on your perspective. Either way, it's different and that's a good thing). I find myself sometimes driving a little out of my way just to pass by some of them, so I can smile.
Anyway, I took these photos about 2 years ago, and it was one of the only rainy days that year. subsequent visits to the dentist have been without camera, but the complex looks exactly like these pictures - very well maintained. Also, the photo of the lava rock waterfall was taken on a day it was off. It is fully functional. I'd love to see this place at night - I bet it has some cool lights on the tikis.
Here they are:
The new Islander sign. Sven has a picture of the old sign on page 218 of BOT. Though not as cool as the other sign, they did try and incorporate a "beachcomber" feel to it with warn looking wood and the font:
Everytime I've passed by there I remember there being a place for rent. anyone want to call and see if they still have anything available? 
View of a-frame entrance and a frames of the side apartments from the street:
side view to show how far out the a-frame comes, good view of the well maintained grounds (I like mine a little more lush, but you can tell these grounds are adored):
A close up of the guardian tiki. He's been painted and moved onto lava rocks (you can see his left leg has rotted away and the top of his head too). I'm guessing the paint was a protective measure, or to hid the rot. At least it's a solid color and he doesn't look like a clown:
View from the other side, showing the entrance way tikis and anchor chain railings and the bridge over water:
Close up of the two entrance way guardians on either side of the bridge. Though a very simplistic style, I love how these tikis look. Note: the anchor chain attached to them:
IN the background of the previous pictures you can see a carving no the bridge, here's a close up. I also like how the bridge wood isn't straight, but torn and weathered looking. I'm guessing it looked more "aged" and has since had a repainting
The rock wall waterfall (not working that day, but I have seen it running):
Cool aged bamboo fence hiding electrical boxes or gas company stuff:
roof close up:
Anchor (details! still there!)
I was unable to enter the complex, but I did shoot a shot into the interior which also looks very well looked after. There really isn't anything too exciting that I could see (no lush gardens or massive tikis), but I do like the spear shaped awning holders over the apartment doors. If you look down in the back of the picture you can make out a building (might be a rec center?) behind a safety fence, which would lead me to believe there is a pool there. Maybe more tikis around the pool?:
extra pic:
_________________
Polynesiac - putting the "F" back in "ART"
|
ZuluMagoo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 26, 2002
Posts: 468
From: Denver, CO
| Posted: 2008-05-01 11:09 pm Permalink
Of all the apartment complexes I have hunted down in SoCal, this place is by far my favorite. Here are some shots I took back in 2003 before they changed the color scheme.
The spectacular clubhouse!
Notice it says 'Tiki Hut' on the sliding glass doors.
Waterall is running
|
bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10560
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-05-01 11:18 pm Permalink
Great update on the place, Thanks! You can see the original sign in the apartment collage in the BOT, and the entrance in the A-frame collage in Tiki Modern. Since then they must have had another L.A. danger to Tiki atmosphere visit the place: Mexican "Slash and Burn" gardening crews! Their idea of "trimming" is cutting plants down to their stumps, so this Tiki temple has been denuded of much of its lush jungle foliage since I saw it last. There is a very cool rec room in the courtyard, too.
|
bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10560
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-05-01 11:24 pm Permalink
Hey Mike, we just parallel-posted from two different continents! YESSSS! That's how I remember the place! Thanks for the thorough documentation!
|
Polynesiac
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 29, 2004
Posts: 2020
From: San Pedro, CA
| Posted: 2008-05-02 08:29 am Permalink
WOW! in the couple of years since we took our pictures, they really did tone down the tiki quite a bit. I'm glad there is (was) a cool rec center at the back, I'm curious to get in there now and see if it's still looks that cool. Seems the muted colors are the way to go now...
I love the bamboo covering for the metal poles on the a-frame. They look more like beachcombed ships masts giving the building more of a flotsam & jetsam feel.
thanks for reposting those images!
_________________
Polynesiac - putting the "F" back in "ART"
|
Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2011-09-21 7:13 pm Permalink
I found some old Southern California Edison photos of the Islander when it was new (Oct 1962). These are in one of the Huntington Library's archives, and you can order copies online:
http://hdl.huntington.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16003coll2/id/67042/rec/83
The photographer was Joseph Fadler, and these were taken on 10/17/1962. No indication who people are in the photos, but considering the source of the archive and the fact that they are holding up a "Live Better Electrically, Gold Medallion Home" placard, I assume they are probably the developer and some Southern California Edison VIPs.
_________________
|
Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3916
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2011-09-21 9:28 pm Permalink
Sabu,
Some nice finds at the Huntington Library archives, thanks for posting.
DC
|
abstractiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 29, 2009
Posts: 582
From: Lodi, CA
| Posted: 2011-09-21 10:00 pm Permalink
Great clasic photos!
|
christiki295
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3616
From: LA-2547 mls east Hawaii &5500 Easter Is
| Posted: 2011-09-21 10:40 pm Permalink
Quote:
|
On 2011-09-21 22:00, abstractiki wrote:
Great clasic photos!
|
|
Yes, they are excellent!
|
howlinowl
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jul 20, 2008
Posts: 67 | Posted: 2011-09-22 09:03 am Permalink
Time capsule!!! I'm guessing that this pic:
http://tikiroom.com/img/388x4e7a99b6.jpg
is probably of the cooking area inside the clubhouse.
howlinowl
|
Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2011-09-22 2:09 pm Permalink
Howlinowl - I'm sure you're right. I seem to remember a kitchenette inside the clubhouse last time I explored there.
This apartment complex holds a special place for me because it was the first one I "discovered" and explored on my own after joining Tiki Central back in 2002, (though I had photographed a few others back in 1999/2000). I had just bought a rattan sofa at an estate sale 2 blocks away, and loading it into my truck I could hear the faint sound of a babbling brook or a stream, a sound so at odds with the suburban neighborhood around me, that I immediately thought there must be a tiki apartment complex nearby. Sure enough, the slot-waterfall and stream were running in the middle of the day, creating such a pleasing, soothing sound for the surrounding neighborhood. The condition of the complex was so pristine compared to other ones I had seen, that you could tell the owners took pride in the place. I drove home, got my camera, drove back, and took a bunch of photos. Of course when I checked the "Book of Tiki", I could see that Sven had been there before me. Still, it was all new to me, and I definitely felt the thrill of discovery. Some months later, Doctor Z and I did some more exploration and met the manager of the apartments, who gave us a little tour of the gardens and showed us the lava rock nests where previous tikis had stood before before they rotted away.
That main tiki in the front is almost completely rotted away in the back. It would be nice if it could be stabilized and preserved.
You should also notice that the tiki in the front bears a striking resemblance to the one that used to be in front of the Tiki Tabu in Torrance:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=15199&forum=2&12
... as well as the ones at the Kala Kai in Lomita:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=15193&forum=2
That's because they're the work of the same mystery artist who carved tikis for dozens of places all over the South Bay. I even know of a few of his tikis at private residences. No one seems to remember who he was. His style is unique, but Bob and Leroy at Oceanic Arts came up empty as well. I'll have to start a thread devoted solely his work, so that maybe someone can I identify him in the future.
_________________
[ This Message was edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2011-09-22 14:10 ]
|
christiki295
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3616
From: LA-2547 mls east Hawaii &5500 Easter Is
| Posted: 2011-09-24 8:13 pm Permalink
Excellent thread!
|
|
