A hui hou, Kahiki

When I was a kid growing up in Ohio, we would make a trip to the big city (i.e., Columbus) every few months. Once every few trips we would drive past a huge Polynesian restaurant called The Kahiki, complete with giant flaming tiki gods flanking the entrance. For a kid who thought of going to Columbus as a glimpse into an exciting metropolitan world, this was pretty much the most exotic thing you could imagine, and I always wondered what kind of mysteries lurked inside.

Today I found out (via a Boing Boing post) that the Kahiki is no more, having been demolished in 2000 to make room for a Walgreen's. Luckily someone documented the salvage operation for posterity just before the final demolition, but honestly, what kid is going to have his curiosity piqued by the mysterious goings-on inside a Walgreen's?

p.s.: FWIW, the Kahiki lives on (sort of) at the Kahiki website, where they offer recipies and information about their frozen foods, but no flaming tiki gods.