Downey, CA - Look for a getaway at a Tiki resort? Or at least a local tiki landmark?
Stop and pay a visit to the Tahitian Village. Complete
with restaurant and motel, there's no need to drive home late after the
Mai Tai's take effect.
Tahitian Village
Downey, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
A trip to the South Seas once began at Lakewood Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue in Downey. The Tahitian Village welcomed guests with bold rooflines, tiki decor, and a neon marquee that made this much more than an ordinary roadside motel. No passport needed to find a little Polynesian atmosphere at this corner.
Opened on July 11, 1961, the complex was designed by Armet & Davis, with tropical decor supplied by Oceanic Arts. The combination brought together two familiar parts of Southern California’s mid-century landscape: dramatic Googie architecture and an enthusiasm for island-themed surroundings.
Tahitian Village (Demolished)
Downey, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
With 183 rooms and a swimming pool, the Tahitian Village offered plenty of space for an overnight stay. The restaurant and bar added music, dancing, and Polynesian floor shows, giving guests a reason to spend the evening on the property rather than head back onto the road.
The neon tiki marquee carried the theme out to passing traffic. Along a boulevard busy with cars, its distinctive appearance gave motorists something to remember. The rooms might have been the practical reason to stop, but the entrance promised a little vacation before anyone reached the registration desk.
Tahitian Village (Demolished)
Downey, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
There was a Space Age connection behind the tropical scenery, too. The nearby North American aerospace plant worked on the Apollo spacecraft, bringing engineers and astronauts into Downey. Apollo crews stayed at the Tahitian Village, with Neil Armstrong and Gus Grissom among the names associated with the property. Quite a meeting of moon-bound travelers and island-style accommodations.
In the 1970s, rock music became another part of the scene. Early Van Halen performances joined the property’s entertainment history, adding a different sound to a place once known for its Polynesian shows. This corner had seen more than a few changes before its final curtain.
The Tahitian Village Hotel is complete with 183 room with a complex adorned by tiki torches, music and nightlife. Several astronauts have stayed at this polynesian themed hotel back in the 1960's since Rockwell International was nearby.
Tahitian Village
demolition
Downey, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The later years were considerably less inviting. After the Tahitian Village closed, the entertainment space operated as La Zona Rosa, a Mexican nightclub. By 1995, newspaper accounts described severe deterioration and hundreds of health and safety violations. The old resort atmosphere had become difficult to find beneath the neglect.
Well, like so many of the other mid-century treasures, the Tahitian Village
site is now a wasteland. Leveled during the Summer of 2000, the Southland
is now less another tiki treasure.
UPDATE: The Tahitian Village was demolished in summer 2000, and its neon tiki marquee was lost with the clearance. A shopping plaza, including Food 4 Less, replaced the complex at 13535 Lakewood Boulevard. The corner that once offered dinner, dancing, and a tropical overnight stay took on a very different look. 10-26
Tahitian Village
Tahitian Village
demolition
