The difference between a house and a home

We are blessed again with pictures of Dr. and Mrs. H's family and home, courtesy of their wonderful family and to whom I am very grateful.

What moves me about seeing these, and I believe what is inherently compelling about these images -- is that we see the house being loved and cared for by a family. Seeing it as a home.

This resonates with me particularly at a difficult time when people are losing their homes. Let us all be thankful for what we have, reflect on the good times, and look forward to better times ahead.

Been on vacation with the family

We've been away on family vacation and busy with other things; just dropping by to share some snaps taken at the Mai Kai Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I'm serious about this tiki thing and can't get enough. Ever.

Built in 1956, the Mai Kai is a lot of tiki and a little bit of tacky -- just the way I like it! Based on a Polynesian theme, the owners purchased authentic artifacts from the islands and shipped them to Florida with the intent of recreating a Polynesian village.

If you are a big mid-century tiki fan you will love Mai Kai: one of the last of genuine tiki places left standing from the 50's. The sheer size and scope of this restaurant amazed me. I loved the way you can order your drink in one of four different strengths. I got the Zombie and it was strong, just like they promised.

The Mai Kai scored big on Humuhumu's Critiki -- for you tiki fans, that's a lot of tiki cred.

My kids had a blast hamming it up with the tikis and checking everything out. The bar was cool and had a rockabilly band playing. The pupu platter wasn't that great but my chicken with ginger peanut sauce was pretty good -- better than I expected! The show was very enjoyable: singing, dancing, fire sticks. Definitely as I remember similar shows in Hawaii from my childhood.

We had a great time at this true tiki joint from an era long past. If you are in town by all means go; before you know it places like this will be only a memory.

And now, with your Mai Tai in hand and as the sun is setting on this post, catch a glimpse of what the Mai Kai looked like years ago. Visit SwankPad's Mai Kai Postcards..... Aloha.

MCM architecture in Sacramento's South Land Park area

Vic's IGA - formerly Jumbo Market - designed by Sooky Lee

I recently wrote a very short article for the South Land Park Neighborhood Association's newsletter regarding mid-century modern architecture in South Land Park. I hadn't really given much thought about it before I was given this assignment, but after writing the article I realize that this is essentially what I love about our neighborhood -- how much of its original nature is still intact.

In our neighborhood, you just have to walk out your front door to find mid‐century modern (MCM) buildings and homes. MCM architecture (also referred to as "Post‐War Modern") is a style that rose from the post WWII suburban housing boom. Characteristics of MCM architecture include: clean and simple lines; walls of glass; open floor plans that incorporate outdoor space; emphasis on the horizontal plane, and; flat or wide‐angled roofs. Several MCM styles are prevalent in South Land Park.

MCM ranch homes are well‐represented in our neighborhood. Features of these homes often include: stunning grand double front doors with ornamental door knobs; large plate glass windows; extra wide eaves; and use of materials such as flagstone, brick, stucco and wood. Occasionally you will spot a large split‐level (think "Brady Bunch") MCM home. Custom homes designed by notable local architects such as Carter Sparks, Grant Caywood, and Dean Unger are sprinkled throughout the neighborhood.

Look no further than South Hills Plaza for examples of Googie architecture, characterized by bold geometric, parabolic and curvy lines. The roof at Vic's IGA (formerly Jumbo Market) with a zig‐zag outline and skylights that allow natural light to pour into the store and the US Post Office’s wavy arches are great examples.

Further south from the Plaza you will see a small group of Eichler Homes built in the mid‐1950s. Joseph Eichler developed neighborhoods in California with practical and affordable mass‐produced homes designed by respected architects. Eichler Homes were cutting edge in terms of their design and inclusion of unique features such as radiant heating and post‐and‐beam construction. The style of these homes was emulated across the U.S. Similar MCM homes built by Streng Bros., a Sacramento building firm, can also be found here.

The entire issue of the neighborhood association's newsletter is available in pdf format ("April.pdf") here.

Vintage Aerial Photo of the South Land Park Hills Tract!

Via Dane Henas, a wonderful aerial view of our neighborhood from 1955! See if you can spot your house :)

Larger version for download here (5.2 file "EichlerAerial300dpi.jpg")

Many thanks to Dane and Jim Saggs for sharing this.

New MCM links

Been a busy week but I've started a collection of MCM links here on the front page left margin -- if you happen to know of a great one feel free to submit here in the comments section!

P.S. the entire documentary, "The American Look" (1958) seen above can be viewed in its eye-popping, glorious splendor here.

Photos of our house from our friend and contractor, John

Lovely snaps at the house recently by our contractor (and now friend), John DiDomenico, who has a great eye and has been doing construction work on the Eichler and our MCM ranch (stay posted for pictures of the ranch remodel which should be completed in the next month or so). I can highly recommend John, who has a keen appreciation for MCM aesthetic. He specializes in custom remodeling, has excellent craftsmanship and pays great attention to detail. You may reach him at (916) 765-2002.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Part I

We currently live up the hill from our Eichler in another mid-century modern home. Every day our kids beg for us to move into the Eichler, which is indeed tempting and will likely happen at some point in the future.

But for now, we live in our 1961 half-Jetsons, half-Flintstones custom ranch designed by Sacramento architects Rickey and Brooks. We have been renovating it since 2000 and are making slow but steady progress.



I entered some pictures of areas we have renovated into Rejuvenation's "Make Your Home Your Own" contest Please cast your vote if you like my entry and thanks for stopping by :)

Update: Congrats to Morgan from The Brick House for winning the contest! Morgan is another MCM fan and featured a post about our found slides at the Eichler. Always nice to see fellow MCM fans!

Blast from the past -- Zombie Hut!

I am transfixed with all things tiki, so of course am very sad I never got to visit the Zombie Hut, which used to be so close to our neighborhood at 5635 Freeport Boulevard (before it was bulldozed and replaced with a strip mall.) I imagine this must have been quite the happenin' exotic spot.


Some great sleuthing has been done by Amadscientist, who has written a Wikipedia entry regarding the Zombie Hut's history and includes images from their business card.


The Zombie Hut lives on as a reincarnation in Brooklyn, NY per several Sacramento Bee articles written by R.E. Graswich:

August 14, 2002: "The Next Big Thing in New York might be straight from Sacramento. We are talking about the Zombie Hut, a long-gone bar on Freeport Boulevard that featured bartenders in Hawaiian shirts, plastic tiki idols, pink umbrella drinks and Ed Leeteg's sexy velvet portraits of Polynesian maidens. This week, amid much fanfare, the Zombie Hut reopens - 3,000 miles away on Smith Street in Brooklyn, N.Y. "I was born and raised in Sacramento and worked as a busboy at the original Zombie Hut," said Tod Bullen. "I decided the time was right to bring it back." Since moving to New York, Tod has become a mini-tycoon in the Brooklyn restaurant scene, having partial ownership in several establishments. The new Zombie Hut, which opens Friday, is in Carroll Gardens, a gentrified Italian neighborhood known for its mob connections (Al Capone was married there). If the Zombie Hut is a hit, it's only a matter of time before some smart operator brings the concept back to Sacramento."

A post on Tiki Central from Psycho Tiki D lists this enchanting painting, "Native Dancer" original oil on silk, by Burke Tyree, 1964, as having been hung on the wall at the Zombie Hut.


A really great and in-depth history, as well as other excellent examples of Burke Tyree's velvet paintings can be seen on Minnie's Restaurant & Bar's website.

Another painter, Ed Leeteg, reportedly had several paintings at the Zombie Hut. Per another Sacramento Bee article from August 25, 1999:

"The former Sacramento sign painter, whose velvet tropical maidens are craved by collectors in Los Angeles and Honolulu, has re-exploded onto the Sacramento scene. Leeteg died in 1953, but a mention of his name right here stirred readers who recalled him hanging around the old Zombie Hut on Freeport. "He had four or five pictures there. He would sell them for a bottle of rum..."

A great article regarding Ed Leeteg is posted on Barracuda Magazine's website.

Mary Z. Johnson was a waitress at many local restaurants including the Zombie Hut. Per her May 7, 2008 obituary in the Sacramento Bee, she had quite a following according to her sister, Josephine Bodda:

"Funny and charming, she loved meeting people from all walks of life. She teased politicians at Dick and Eddie's downtown, joked with fishermen and tourists at the Crow's Nest in Isleton and dished with gay men who gave her pet names and insisted on sitting at her station in the Zombie Hut.

"She had a big gay following," said Bodda, who managed the Polynesian-themed restaurant on Freeport Boulevard. "All her tables would be full, but they would say, 'We'll wait for Mitzie.' Sometimes they would leave her a hundred-dollar tip."

Does anyone have any fun stories, pictures, artifacts or mementos from the original Zombie Hut to share?

Napkin via mcclatchy1958.com
Matchbook cover via Psycho Tiki D, Tiki Central Forum post.

Built-ins

One of the things that we absolutely love about our Eichler is that most of the era-specific built-ins (thanks to the original owners) are preserved and in excellent shape.

I'm posting pictures of them here today and would love to hear from anyone about the state of their built-ins if you have them. Are yours similar or different? Do you know any more about them?

I found Waldo!

In my quest for grasscloth to refresh our original closet doors, Waldo Bowers came through with four sample books that they kindly let me take home and study. While I could have purchased grasscloth online, I wanted to see the color and texture firsthand as well as patronize a local retailer. I had tried hunting it down at several local stores here in Sacramento, even a store that specializes in environmentally friendly products. Then I remembered Waldo Bowers, an old-school floor and wall coverings specialty store.


I wound up choosing from Pacific Designs International's Han Ban Do IX book, Pattern HBD 9045. This grasscloth is handcrafted out of tightweave all-natural jute fibers and is environmentally friendly.

The above is the final result of my quest, expertly installed by John DiDomenico (see more regarding John here).

Speaking of which, Waldo Bowers carries several environmentally friendly products that would look great in any Eichler or mid-century modern home: Marmoleum, Ionique, bamboo, cork and natural wood floors. They also have an impressive variety of vinyl composition tile from several manufacturers.

The official store entrance is on the 24th Street side, but in case you get lost, the regulars at The Jointed Cue pool hall next door on the Fruitridge side will set you straight!