In September of 1924 the Sprague Building and its extension took up the whole block between South 15th Street and South 17th on the east side of Pacific Avenue. Built in 1888, the original Sprague Building was home to the Hotel Savoy in the 1920s when this photograph was taken. Later it was home to many businesses including the Croft Hotel in the 1930s, the Lutheran Welfare Mission & Service Club in the 1940s and the Full Gospel Tabernacle in the 1960s. It was torn down in the late 1960s. The Sprague Building Annex, now simply known as the Sprague Building, still stands at the corner of South 15th and Pacific. It is listed on both the city and national registers of historic buildings. Boland B10931, BU-10735;

Hotel Savoy (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1920-1930;

On July 14, 1915, for the brief space of 2 and one half hours, Tacoma played host to the original Liberty Bell, the most famous relic of America's struggle for freedom. The bell was travelling by train from Philadelphia to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, at the request of 500,000 California school kids. Arriving in Tacoma at 4 p.m., the car displaying the Bell was unhooked from its regular transport and pulled by a Tacoma street railway locomotive, at the head of a parade of fraternal and civic organizations, as well as school children, to its reviewing stand in front of the Federal building at 11th & A St. A crowd estimated at 20,000 congregated to see the bell. The bell was photographed enroute to the viewing stand, in front of the Savoy Hotel, 1535 Pacific Ave., in the Sprague Building. (TDL 7/14/1915, pg. 1) TPL-020 (photograph courtesy of Sherrill Erb)

Liberty Bell--Celebrations--1910-1920; Savoy Hotel (Tacoma);

One of the busses operated by the Lake Drive Transit Company, owned by Aug Corsini and Archie A. DeCent, picks up riders at the corner of So. 15th and Pacific Ave. in July of 1947. The company's main office was at 801 Pacific Ave. and they maintained a garage at 301 Puyallup Ave. In October 1947, the company was supporting the building of a central bus depot. The building in the background, that was home to the Hotel Savoy, was the Sprague Building, 1511-1541 Pacific. Built in 1888, it was demolished in the 1960s during urban renewal.

Buses--Tacoma; Mass transit--Tacoma; Bus drivers--Tacoma; Bus stops--Tacoma; Commuters--Tacoma; Hotel Savoy (Tacoma); Lake Drive Transit Co. (Tacoma);

The storefront in the Sprague Block, 1511-41 Pacific Ave., housing the Lutheran Welfare Society Mission and store. The address for the Mission was 1525-27 Pacific Ave. Later in the early 1940's, it became the Lutheran Service Club for soldiers. The Sprague Block was demolished in the late 1960's. The extension of the block at 1501-09 Pacific Ave. is now known as the Sprague Building. (filed with Argentum)

Lutheran Welfare Society Mission (Tacoma);