Endangered

Updated: The Tonga Room Is Saved!

Photo: Courtesy of Chris Verplanck

…Sort of. This may be a rather anti-climactic and bureaucratic end to what felt like a long and dramatic fight, but Curbed SF finds that according to the draft EIR for the new Fairmont Tower, the Tonga Room has been deemed a “historical resource” that will likely be “dismantled, relocated and reinstalled” elsewhere within the new structure.

Breathe a sigh of relief all ye Tiki fans, all that beloved mid-60s tackiness you hold dear shall not disappear forever — it will only disappear for as long as it takes the developers to build this thing, and then return, likely reconfigured into something museum-like within the bowels of a brand new condo tower.

5/5/ Update: The city’s Historic Preservation Commission is meeting today to discuss the fate of the Tonga Room with the developers, including whether or not they’ll be “relocating” that big water feature and floating bandstand too. [Examiner]

New Residential Fairmont Tower Revealed. Tonga Room Saved? [Curbed]
Earlier: The Full Case for Saving the Tonga Room [Grub Street]

Updated: The Tonga Room Is Saved!