A landmark of San Francisco is under threat of demolition. Jimmy Buffett referenced the famous tropical bar during a spoken introduction to the song “Altered Boy” on his 2002 album “Far Side Of The World” (“…this particular song got it’s initial inspiration from a visit to the Tonga Room, in the beautiful Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco…”)
A grass roots preservation effort is under way, spearheaded by oddly enough, a competitor…
SAVE THE TONGA ROOM RALLY AT SMUGGLER’S COVE SAN FRANCSICO
650 Gough Street (at McAllister), San Francisco, California
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – To all concerned San Franciscans, Tiki freaks, Dionysians and Sybarites, mid-century fans, and rum aficionados; come one and come all to a gathering at Smuggler’s Cove (650 Gough St. San Francisco, CA 94102) on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 starting at 5:00PM to sign a petition opposing the demolition of the Tonga Room to make way for a parking garage and yet more luxury condominiums. After you sign the petition, stay a while and enjoy a fantastic rum cocktail or two while you mix and mingle with like-minded people and listen to Exotica under the soft glow of Tiki torches and beachcomber lamps. Around 6:00 PM, Chris VerPlanck and Erica Schultz of S.O.S. Tonga will provide a brief update on efforts to save the Tonga Room and exhort you to contact your local supervisors and the president of the Historic Preservation Commission, urging them to designate the Tonga Room as a local San Francisco Landmark. Mahalo!
For more information, contact Chris VerPlanck at cvp73@yahoo.com
For more visit Tonga Room.com