Trader Island

San Bernardino, California, United States

Trader Island was opened by Lula Herrera in 1965. It was originally graced with large tikis around the exterior that were carved by Tahitian native and ex-pat Al Kalani (age 28). Al was also a featured dancer in the Trader Island dance ensembles that entertained there regularly.

By 1970, the site had become Edwin Tan's Chinese Gardens. Later, it became the Imperial Palace Inn. In the mid 80s, the location operated as Mandarin Garden. In 2008, the building housed the Scorpions Sports Bar & Grill. By 2013, the building was vacant and has remained so through 2020.

These photos below show the roof support beams when they still retained their irregular edges and before they had been planed smooth in later versions. Other than this and successive painting on the exterior, the building has remained remarkably the same over the years.