I really enjoyed reading LowCat's description of his honeymoon in Hawaii.
Here are some photos from the April 1957 issue of INTERIORS magazine which had a small article about the Waikikian:
:up: The Waikikian is by willful intention the soul of the Song of the Islands. The 9-building, 100-room compound swirls with Pan-Polynesian decor and pivots around a hyperbolic paraboloid structure reminiscent, according to architects Wimberly and Cook, of the sway-backed roofs of "half the grass shacks in the Pacific."
:up: It houses lobby, offices and a series of balcony shops reached by a staircase that wraps around a tiki god by sculptor Edward Malcom Brownlee.
:up: A restaurant and bar adjoining this unit is enclosed on two sides by Paul Heinley's custom made shutters that open into an awning, close to form a solid wall in inclement weather.
:up: Interiors of this building, by Decorative Services, borrow basketry fish traps for lights...
:up: ...and are dominated by a copper clad broiler area that has a hood faced with carved redwood, a counter faced with sculptured lava rock and limestone, also by Mr. Brownlee.
:up: Guest rooms all have their own lanais and are furnished in rattan, bamboo and Philippine mahogany. Heinley shutters here are inset with plaques of Polynesian gods and masks. Flooring is rush squares, and beds convert to punees by day. A palette of lime, pumpkin, cocoa, and turquoise complements the dark-stained cathedral cielings. Guest room interiors were all done by Mrs. Fred Dailey, wife of the hotel's general manager. The Waikikian's luxuriant gardens were designed by landscape architect George S. Walters.
Sabu
