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original landscape planting plan for the Mai-Kai Restaurant
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Specifically, this drawing details a tropical garden layout situated between the main restaurant building and a separate storage building on the property.
Plan Details
The hand-drawn blueprint includes several key historical and architectural features:
Central Garden: The plan shows a U-shaped tropical garden designed to be a lush, immersive environment for patrons.
Water Features: It maps out various lagoons and walking paths that weave through simulated rock formations and waterfalls, intended to create a sense of "escapism" from the outside world.
Planting Strategy: Original designer Pat Wells used over 400 different species of plants, some flown in from Hawaii, to ensure guests couldn't see the nearby highway traffic.
Storage Building: The rectangular structure on the right side of the plan is labeled as a "Storage Building," which was part of the original 1950s site configuration.
Historical Context
Designed by architect Charles F. McKirahan Sr. and opened in 1956, the Mai-Kai is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Plans like this were essential for maintaining the restaurant's famous "South Seas" atmosphere. Recently, these original design intentions have been used to guide a $20 million renovation of the restaurant and its 2.7-acre grounds following a closure in 2020. |
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