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The Polynesian Village, Chicago, IL (restaurant) |
Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
|  Posted: 2009-10-14 02:23 am Permalink
Name:The Polynesian Village
Type:restaurant
Street:Edgewater Beach Hotel
City:Chicago
State:IL
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct
Description:
The Polynesian Village in Chicago's Edgewater Hotel was apparently owned by the same individuals that owned the Polynesian Village in Boston, MA, based on the identical matchbook artwork.
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=4790&forum=2
[ This Message was edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2009-10-14 02:26 ]
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2009-10-14 02:25 am Permalink
Some photos from an Edgewater Beach Hotel brochure from the 60s:
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uncle trav
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 27, 2005
Posts: 1532
From: Kalamazoo
| Posted: 2009-10-14 04:52 am Permalink
Great cards Sabu. I have wondered about that matchbook connection as well. Here is a matchbook from my collection for the Edgewater location. The inside cover shows both hotels as being part of the"Hotel Corporation of America". And both matchbooks were made by the same company in Boston Ma. A definite connection.
Inside of front cover.
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"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3935
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2009-10-14 11:28 am Permalink
Great brochure Sabu. The brochures always have the best photos.
DC
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2010-02-22 12:58 am Permalink
Another image from one of those Ford Times cookbooks:
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10563
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-02-22 12:33 pm Permalink
Same artist as the Skipper Kent's interior, same-looking Marquesan Tiki:
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (8 years)
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2784
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2010-02-22 12:48 pm Permalink
bigbro - there definitely seems to be a connection between the two restaurants. I have the drink menu from the Polynesian Village at the Edgewater (need to find it and scan it). One of the drinks is called the "Skipper Kent's Grog" or "Skipper Kent's Downfall" or something like that.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3935
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-02-22 7:42 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-02-22 12:48, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:
bigbro - there definitely seems to be a connection between the two restaurants. I have the drink menu from the Polynesian Village at the Edgewater (need to find it and scan it). One of the drinks is called the "Skipper Kent's Grog" or "Skipper Kent's Downfall" or something like that.
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Sabu,
Another great rendering. Love those Ford cookbooks.
I think you are right about Skipper Kent. Here is the postcard I posted from the Polynesian Bar at the Somerset Hotel in Boston that advertised drinks from Skipper Kent.
I have that Palm Leaf shaped menu around somewhere I will have to check for a Skipper Kent reference.
Here is a photo of the menu from Critiki.
DC
[ This Message was edited by: Dustycajun 2010-02-22 19:56 ]
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TIKIBOSKO
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 17, 2004
Posts: 297 | Posted: 2010-02-23 09:07 am Permalink
There is more than a Skipper Kent reference, from what I am reading he “interpreted” (designed?) the décor along with food, drink and gifts, maybe the “famous Skipper Kent” was trying to compete with Don or Trader Vic in creating a restaurant chain or being a consultant? He certainly borrowed Trader Vic’s Tiki, unless it was the other way around which would be interesting? The image also should go in the Melanesian post Sven started as this is a very early example (pre 60’s) of the Covarrubias Tiki in Polynesian pop. On the menu page there is a small printing ID number 3-55-400 in the bottom corner, maybe the 55 is 1955? Judging by paper and print quality it certainly seems to be about the era of the menu?
If you can read the bottom paragraph it is poetry, sorry for the quality I've tried getting a better image up but it's not happening.
Bosko
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3935
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-02-23 5:14 pm Permalink
Bosko,
I dug my menu out and got a better scan. I also posted this over on Sven's Melanesia thread. Old Skipper Kent was definitely involved in these two locations.
Thanks,
DC
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bifcozz
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 17, 2004
Posts: 64 | Posted: 2010-02-23 9:52 pm Permalink
We have a large collection of correspondence of letters from frank and Lucille Kent concerning the Polysnesian Room at the edgewaterbeach hotel starting from June 21st 1954 up untill the grand opening on December 31st 1954.
Here is a sampling of some of the correspondences.
june 21st 1954
next is a correspondence between Mr Roger Sonnabend The Sommerset Hotel Boston Mass. concerning the name at the edgewaterbeach hotel.
here is a letter dated oct 26th 1954 discussing hiring conrad levoit and otto mammon
Here is a letter to mr conrad levoit in honolulu offering him the job as captain.
Here is a correspondence to Mr otto hammon santa barbara california. who I believe is skipper Kents #1 guy in san francisco
Here is one of many correspondences between Josphine (frank kents sister) and frank and lucille kent. she ran skipper kents while he was building the polynesian room at the edgewaterbeach hotel.
here is a cute letter from Mr otto hammon to skipper kent when it is getting near crunch time...
Here is the grand opening invitation
frank Kent started the skipper, 3253 adeline st south berkley california with frank bilek
He started the zombie village may 12th 1942 with hafe hafer.
he next started skipper kents we are not sure of the date.
He also started the West indies reno nevado.
next he started the polynesian room at the edgewaterbeach hotel dec 31st 1954
He also had correspondence with the Marmonte hotel chain in santa barbara california about doing skipper kents as a chain.
After he started the polynesian room at the edgewaterbeach hotel he went on to start the polynesian room at the sommerset hotel in boston.
a
After that we have cost analysis at 6 different sheraton hotels for doing a skipper kents resturants in the sheraton hotel chain which he ended up giving to steve crane.
beacause at the same time he was doing this His real estate agent in Hawaii contacted him and told him about a 14.65 acre piece of land was available on the kona coast on the big island of Hawaii.
He apparently decided to pursue his dream of the ultamate resort on Hawaii and passed on the sheraton offer. and concentrated on developing his land on the kona coast of which we have the original prospectus of the property.
we have blue prints of the polynesian room and a lot more information but unfortunately all this is in storage.
We can understand what happened to skipper kent and his dream. having lived on the big island with its laid back attitude.
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Trad'r Bill
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 14, 2008
Posts: 450
From: Hercules, CA
| Posted: 2010-02-23 11:48 pm Permalink
Bifcozz-
Thanks so much for posting those great letters, and providing so much amazing information about Skipper Kent and the Polynesian Room! The Steve Crane/Sheraton connection blew my mind.
Once you get your other SK material out of storage *please* post what you can.
-Trad'r Bill
[ This Message was edited by: Trad'r Bill 2010-02-23 23:49 ]
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10563
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2010-02-24 12:15 am Permalink
Wow!
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Or Got Rum?
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 29, 2009
Posts: 289
From: Wisconsin
| Posted: 2010-02-24 06:34 am Permalink
Bizzcoff, Incredible info...Thanks for sharing. Another little (compared to that info) about the spot...
"The Marine Dining Room was replaced in 1954 by what one employee referred to as “that chop suey joint”—the Polynesian Village
Les Waverly, bandleader:
They had huts and all the motifs of a Polynesian village. There was one act called the Pearls of the Pacific and they had Tahitian drum dancers with them. The Tahitian drums were actually fuel cans and they made a high-pitched metallic sound. It was a pretty ordinary stage but, instead of a curtain, they had something like bamboo crossed. You could see through it, but it still gave you the feeling of a curtain.
Martin Denny performed there. He was a very big act and he had records with bird calls on them. The Boyd Twins performed there. They were quite well known throughout the country because they were the Doublemint twins"
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3935
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2010-02-24 07:12 am Permalink
Bifcozz,
A treasure trove of history there, thanks for posting. To think, we could have had a Skipper Kents chain start here in Santa Barbara!
DC
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