{"nrhp_refnum":"97001461","name":"Kahiki, The","other_names":["The Kahiki Supper Club, Inc."],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3583 E. Broad St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbus","county":"Franklin County","state":"OH","lat":39.98144916600006,"lon":-82.90544062999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-12-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large A-frame Polynesian-themed restaurant at 3583 E Broad Street in a suburban area east of downtown Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, built in 1961 as a supper club, with a contributing site and a small contributing utility building.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the Kahiki is an exceptionally important example of theme restaurant architecture, built during the heyday of the Polynesian restaurant craze and possibly the most elaborate of its type. It is significant in the areas of entertainment and architecture, and its design and interior remain remarkably intact.","narrative":"Visible from several blocks along East Broad Street, the Kahiki is a Polynesian-themed supper club in Columbus, Ohio, opened in 1961. Its immense A-frame roof sweeps down in a curved shape resembling a ship or war canoe, covered in red, white and black shingles. Visitors cross a footbridge over a moat between two 20-foot Easter Island head replicas, then pass through a blacklit cave-like vestibule into a grass-hut foyer with a tiki mask fountain. The dining room is arranged as a village of huts, with an 80-foot tiki goddess whose mouth holds a working fireplace, aquariums, and a window onto an indoor rain forest. Designed by architects Ralph Sounik and Ned Eller with interior designer Coburn Morgan, it was listed as an exceptional example of theme restaurant architecture from the era of the Polynesian restaurant craze. Few alterations have occurred, and its original appearance remains largely intact.","period_of_significance":"1961","architect_builder":"Ralph Sounik - Architect; Ned Eller - Architect; Coburn Morgan - Interior Designer","architectural_style":"Other (Polynesian-themed A-frame theme restaurant architecture)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still operating as a restaurant at the time of nomination, with a high degree of integrity; only minor changes, such as removal of a piano bar around 1979.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.231361-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/97001461.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001461/e683dc1af9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97001461/e683dc1af9-1600.webp","licence":"No restrictions","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kahiki_postcard_02.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, <a href=\"https://www.flickr.com/commons/usage/\" rel=\"license noopener\">No restrictions</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kahiki_postcard_02.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988589","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahiki_Supper_Club","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q103982567"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/franklin-county/kahiki-the-97001461/"}