Tacoma-Pierce County Blood Bank was located on 726-28 Saint Helens Avenue in downtown Tacoma. The center opened in July 1946, in 1947 they were receiving blood donations for industrial plants throughout Tacoma. View of prisoner donating blood at Pierce County Jail, the jail was located on the first floor of the building; nurse from Tacoma-Pierce County Blood Bank is helping the patient with the donation.

Prisoners--Tacoma; Prisons--Tacoma; Blood donations--Tacoma; Medical equipment & supplies; Blood; Nurses--Tacoma; Pierce County Jail (Tacoma); Tacoma-Pierce County Blood Bank (Tacoma);

ca. 1913. This circa 1913 group portrait of the Pierce County Treasurer's staff was taken in the old Pierce County Court House at South 10th and G Streets during an inspection by the Washington State Examiner. Calvin J. Carr, seated in the center of the first row, was County Treasurer.

ca. 1892. This is an image of the Pierce County Court House under construction circa 1892. Stone masons are posed in front of the incomplete building with large heaps of stone in the foreground. It would eventually become a three-story structure with a 230-ft. tower. Wilkeson and Pittsburg grey freestone, finished with Tenino bluestone, would be used on the exterior. The massive Romanesque edifice would serve as the county's courthouse for over sixty years until its demolition in 1959. (Copy of original) Bi-Centennial Project # 75346-53; BU-10704

Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma); Progress photographs; Building construction--Tacoma--1890-1900; Stone cutting--Tacoma;

Employees and bicycle delivery boy on steps of the Pierce County Court House. The Pierce County Court House was built in 1892. The three story building was a copy of the Courthouse in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. The plans contained everything Tacomans hoped for in this elaborate structure, including secret staircases and a hanging room, and suited their grandiose plans for their city. The grand structure was demolished in 1959 due to its poor condition and replaced by a parking lot for the modern County-City building. Here employees pose with bicycles on the steps of the structure. The man behind what is believed to be a bicycle delivery boy or courier is holding a baby. The women on the left are most probably clerical staff, although two of them are posing with bicycles.

Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma); Historic buildings--Tacoma; Bicycles & tricycles--Tacoma--1890-1900; Clothing & dress--1890-1900;

On August 4, 1925, John B. "Kelly" Carlton was photographed outside the Pierce County Courthouse while enjoying a refreshing Orange Kist soda. "Kelly" was the "keeper of the key to the county cooler" as he was the county jailer. Orange Kist, a new soda manufactured in Tacoma by the Columbia Brewing Company, was introduced to consumers in August, 1925, with a barrage of advertising and promotional stunts, including a free giveaway of thousands of cases of the soda. Prohibition had driven Tacoma's breweries out of beer and into other product lines. On August 3rd a big truck with 3,000 bottles of the new soda for free distribution had backed up to the Courthouse and unloaded its cargo right into Kelly's waiting, and thirsty, arms. G33.1-065; TPL-6208 (TNT 8/4/1925, pg. 7)

Carbonated beverages; Eating & drinking--Tacoma--1920-1930; Carlton, John B.; Columbia Brewing Co.--Associated objects; Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma);

Illegal stills at courthouse. Theodore Mohrbacher, Joe Desmond and Jack Bodaylea, left to right, of the county dry squad examine confiscated stills at the county courthouse on January 19, 1924. These are just a few of the dozens of huge liquor stills that will be converted into junk by jail trustees in the near future. The stills are now piled up in the lobby of the county jail. Stills can range in size from small tea kettle types to huge commercial boilers capable of holding hundreds of gallons of mash. The manufacture of alcohol was made illegal by the passage of the 18th amendment and the Volstead Act, which went into effect in January of 1920. Prohibition was abolished with the passage of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution in 1933. (TNT 1-19-24, p. 1) G24.1-074; TPL-9895

Stills (Distilleries); Mohrbacher, Theodore; Desmond, Joe; Bodaylea, Jack;

Prohibition came to Washington State early, with its passage taking effect at 12:01a.m. on January 1, 1916. By 1920, local entrepreneurs were very savvy at brewing "moonshine" in homemade distilleries, or "stills." This pile was only the most recent installment of confiscated stills in Pierce County. (TDL 8/15/1920, pg B-5) G24.1-072

Prohibition--Tacoma; Stills (Distilleries);

The view around South 11th in downtown Tacoma has changed dramatically since this photograph of the Pierce County Courthouse, located at 1012 South "G" St., was taken in August of 1924. The lush trees are gone and the buildings altered or demolished, including the courthouse itself in 1959. The lawn on the left side of the street is now part of Bates Technical College and the wooden sidewalk directly across it transformed into ordinary cement. The wood building at the corner of South 11th & Altheimer remains but now houses the CJ Johnson Bail Bonds. Where the courthouse once stood is now parking for the County-City Building. TPL-3269; G17.1-081

Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma; Streets--Tacoma--1920-1930;

View of the Pierce County Courthouse in 1924 featuring the 230-foot stone clock tower. The massive Romanesque structure was built in 1892 and was patterned after the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania courthouse designed by Henry Hobson Richardson. At the far left is the First Presbyterian Church, 1001 South "G," which would be acquired the following year and transformed into Central Lutheran Church. Both structures and surrounding trees would be demolished with the courthouse falling in 1959 and the church in 1955. G17.1-078; BU-10,713

Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma; First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma);

Pierce County employees posed in the Auditor's office within the County Courthouse in March of 1898. The Auditor at that time was F.H. Gloyd, possibly the man seated behind the desk. W.D.C. Spike, sporting a large handlebar mustache, is seated near the center of the group. Mr. Spike would go on to defeat Republican A.P. Peterson on November 8, 1898, for the Auditor's position, 4,209 votes to 3,617. W.D.C. Spike was a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and came to Tacoma about 1890. He was a widely known businessman involved in the Pacific Coast Gypsum Co. and the American Coal Co. Mr. Spike would go on to serve two terms as County Auditor. He passed away on July 2, 1915, at home. (TDL 7-3-15, p. 11-obit.; Bonney, W.P., History of Pierce County Washington, p. 539-voting statistics)

Spike, W.D.C.; Government officials--Tacoma; Government employees--Tacoma; County government--Tacoma; Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma);

Judge Waldo Stone, center, is seated in front of the Auditor's Office in this sepia photograph taken on July 1, 1954. There is a marriage licenses sign behind him indicating that office hours were from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The two men in the photograph with Judge Stone are T.J. "Pat" O'Brien and Armand R. Moceri of Sumner. Mr. Moceri would announce his candidacy for the 25th District state representative in August, 1954. Mr. O'Brien would seek election to the post of county accessor; he had been elected constable in 1950. (TNT 8-23-54, p. 9, TNT 9-5-54, A-2))

Stone, Waldo; Judges; O'Brien, T.J.; Moceri, Armand R.; Signs (Notices);

Judge Wilford A. Richmond, Superior Court judge, and his colleagues posed for a portrait at the Pierce County Court House on February 28, 1957. Photograph ordered by Washington Tuberculosis Association.

Richmond, W.A.; Judges--Tacoma; Washington Tuberculosis Association (Tacoma);

In July of 1959 the stately old County Courthouse at 1012 South G Street, adorned with large signs on its southeast tower declaring "This building is coming down" and "Salvage for sale", was in the process of being demolished. Lige Dickson and Co., the subcontractor for the demolition, had gutted much of the interior and the north wing was already gone. Built in 1892, its familiar Romanesque spires and cupolas made it a Tacoma landmark. By 1959 the beauty of the building's stone work hid deteriorating interior walls and sagging floors. A "Save the Courthouse" movement failed after generating only 20 letters. The final hold up to demolition was that Pierce County Sheriff Frank Stojack refused to move his department to the new County-City building until he received increased funding for a larger staff to man the new facility. After demolition was completed, the area formerly occupied by the Courthouse served as a parking lot for the County-City building. (TNT 4/22/1959, pg. 1, 4/30/1959, pg. 1, 6/20/1959, pg. 1) TPL-6567

Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma; County-City Building (Tacoma); State Armory (Tacoma);

By July of 1959, demolition of the aging Gothic-styled Piece County Courthouse, 1012 South G Street, was well underway. Lige Dickson & Co. began tearing down the old courthouse in June with cranes and wrecking balls bringing it down piece by piece over the next several weeks. In July explosive charges were set and the remainder of the courthouse came tumbling down. A parking lot for the new County City Building, shown at right, was built on the site. BU 12845; TPL-6561

Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma; Historic buildings--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Demolition--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Undated photograph of the Pierce County Courthouse, 1012 South G St., possibly taken in the very early 1900s. The massive stone structure was built in 1892 and patterned after the Courthouse in Pittsburgh. The ornate three-story building with its turrets, spires, and arched windows was a Tacoma landmark until its demolition in 1959 to make way for the County-City Building and future parking. This undated photograph shows a number of pedestrians peering at the roadway in front of the Courthouse while several horse-and-carriages await. It is unclear whether an accident has occurred. TPL-3849

Pierce County Courthouse (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma;

ca. 1949. Called both a "wonder of the age" and "an architectural monstrosity" the old Pierce County Court House stood at 1012 South G Street just northeast of the Armory. Modeled after the courthouse in Pittsburgh, PA, the brick walls were faced with stone quarried in Tenino and sandstone from Wilkeson. Included in the building plans were secret stairways, hideouts, a hanging room and dungeons that would have done credit to a 15th century castle. The four clock faces in the tower were each 8 feet in diameter and had concealed lights which enabled Tacomans to read the time by day or night. The county commissioner moved his offices in the as yet unfinished building on June 21, 1893. It was demolished in 1959. (TNT 4/7/1959 p. C-16) Bowen # 1062-1

Pierce County Sheriff Tom Desmond stands next to the what is left of a $12,000 still at the County Courthouse on October 23, 1930. Somehow thieves managed to spirit away part of the still, a seven-foot contraption with twelve compartments and twelve faucets. The grain alcohol still, capable of producing 250 gallons of grain alcohol a day, was seized in a raid at Point Fosdick on October 18, 1930. It was put in a corridor of the courthouse near the entrance of the jail. The seven-foot part went missing on the night of the 20th. Consequently, two deputy sheriffs were fired for "gross carelessness." (TNT 10-23-30, p. 1)

A pile of slot machines awaits the sledgehammer of Chief Deputy Sheriff John Piper on October 9, 1929 at the county courthouse. These were a sample of the 39 slots ordered destroyed following seizure by county officers from various places of businesses in Pierce County. A total of $244.85 in nickels, dimes and quarters was taken from the machines. This amount, less $10 for trucking, was turned over to the county school fund. The machines, minus their cash, were taken to the waterfront and dumped into Commencement Bay. (TNT 10-10-29, p. 17) TPL-8466;

• Built in 1892, and made out of Wilkeson and Pittsburg grey freestone, finished with Tenino bluestone--this was demolished in 1959 after the County-City Building was constructed.
• Printed on front: Pierce Co. Court House, located at Tacoma.

• Pierce County Court House. Built in 1892 at 1012 So. G Street, it was demolished in 1959. circa 1907.
• Printed on front: Court House, Tacoma, Wash.

Printed on front: The State Armory Showing Court House, Tacoma, Wash.

Printed on front: Armory and Court House, Tacoma, Wash 611.

Scenic view of Mount Rainier with the Pierce County Court House on the left and the old courthouse on the right.

Printed on front: The State Armory and Court House, Tacoma, U.S.A.

Printed on front: No. 6 State Armory, Tacoma, Washington

Printed on front: First Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, Wash.

Interior of First Presbyterian Church, circa 1913.

Picture of the courthouse of Tacoma

Current location of Tacoma Public Library's Main Branch. Printed on front: Public Library also showing Court House, Tacoma, Wash.

Current location of Tacoma Public Library's Main Branch with the Armory and Courthouse in the background. Printed on front: Carnegie Library, Court House and State Armory, Tacoma, Wn.