The Waikikian - Part 5

Here's another interior shot of the Ravi lobby. Note the circular staircase that winds up the carved tiki center pole.







"Large tikis, carved by Edward Malcome Brownlee from old pilings, were placed at the entrance and throughout the hotel grounds." You can read more about Edward Brownlee in Jeff Beachbum Berry's excellent book, Intoxica. In the background you can see the small shack on the beach that acted as the construction office during the buildout.





"Brownlee also carved large wood ornaments for the high corner's of lobby's parabloid roof. When these heavy carvings were fixed to the roof, they began to deform the thin shell at those corners in an unattractive curve. The roof was sound from an engineering standpoint, but it was not envisoined with the architect's idea idea to add these heavy ornaments. The compromise solution, disliked by the structural engineer, was to strech a cable between the ends, although he felt it would be seen as a reflection or poor design."