Tacoma Drug Company's new facilities had an ultra modern warehouse, complete with open shelf stock arrangements and over 60,000 square feet of space. The building had a sound proof room with a punch card tabulating system for perpetual inventory control and pre-printing invoices. Tacoma Drug Company was the first drug company to use this type of system. The new facility's shipping department was large enough to handle six trucks at one time; the new offices would be able to handle large quantity incoming and outgoing orders. Interior view of new facilities for the Tacoma Drug Company, five unidentified men are standing with Frederick C. Osmers (third from right), President of the company.

Pharmaceutical industry--Tacoma; Medicines; Drugstores--Tacoma; Commercial facilities--Tacoma; Business enterprises--Tacoma; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Northwestern Drug Co. (Tacoma);

Tacoma Drug Company, later known as the Northwestern Drug Company, was owned and operated by Fred Osmers. Their new facilities were being referred to as "Modern as Tomorrow". The building would have a large warehouse area, an inventory control room with a modern punch card tabulating system, spacious offices, and an efficient shipping area. View of Tacoma Drug Company's employees in their new building; business operations would begin in March 1949.

Pharmaceutical industry--Tacoma; Medicines; Drugstores--Tacoma; Commercial facilities--Tacoma; Business enterprises--Tacoma; Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma)--Employees;

Seven men were present at the signing of an agreement at the Northwestern Drug Co. with National Cash Register on August 23, 1966. A large folder states that F.C. Osmers, was president of Northwestern Drug Co.; Mr. Osmers is holding a small sign indicating that "Northwestern's partner presents NCR total system." Photograph ordered by National Cash Register.

Northwestern Drug Co. (Tacoma); Signs (Notices);

ca. 1956. Aerial view of Northwestern Drug Co. on the Tideflats, circa 1956. Northwestern, formerly known as Tacoma Drug Co., built this facility and moved in February of 1949. This location housed a warehouse, offices and a shipping facility. The Great Northern yards can be seen in the background on the right. The body of water lying beyond D Street is the City Waterway.

Northwestern Drug Co. (Tacoma); Pharmaceutical industry--Tacoma; Aerial views; Aerial photographs;

Aerial progress photograph of Tacoma Drug Company. The company was building their new facility on the Tacoma tideflats. The company expected to begin operations here in March 1949. Building costs were estimated at $400,000 with 70,000 square feet on one floor. The Austin Company were the contractors. Just above Tacoma Drug Wesley Crawford & Son are building a new facility for their wholesale produce company and West Coast Grocery is seen in the upper left corner.

Progress photographs; Aerial photographs; Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Building construction--Tacoma--1940-1950; Wesley Crawford & Son (Tacoma); West Coast Grocery Co. (Tacoma);

Construction of new Tacoma Drug Plant, Austin Company, Mr. Stevenson. The building site for the new Tacoma Drug facilities which were built at 1815 East D Street, across City Waterway from Union Depot. Lumber is stacked at the building site and the plywood frames for the reinforced concrete construction are in place around the perimeter of the new facility

Progress photographs; Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Pharmaceutical industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building construction--Tacoma--1940-1950; Reinforced concrete construction--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tacoma Drug Company, owned and operated by Fred Osmers, was getting ready to begin full operation at their new Tacoma plant in January of 1949. Their new facilities had some of the most modern equipment available in the pharmaceutical industry. The ultra modern warehouse would have the capacity to stock larger numbers of frequently used drugs; and their shipping area would be large enough to handle six trucks at one time, therefore expediting incoming and outgoing deliveries. Aerial view of new facilities for Tacoma Drug Company.

Pharmaceutical industry--Tacoma; Business enterprises--Tacoma; Commercial facilities--Tacoma; Medicines; Aerial photographs; Aerial views; Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma);

Tacoma Drug Company, later known as the Northwestern Drug Company, was moving into their new facilities in February 1949. Their new home offices were called "Modern as Tomorrow." They had large offices, a warehouse area that was enhanced by large windows and glass brick walls and an ultra-modern packaging and shipping area. View of four unidentified men standing behind Frederick C. Osmers, president of the new Tacoma Drug Company, on December 15, 1948; includes interior view of new Tacoma Drug Company facilities.

Pharmaceutical industry--Tacoma; Medicines; Drugstores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Commercial facilities--Tacoma; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Northwestern Drug Co. (Tacoma); Osmers, Frederick C.;

Three executives in office at Northwestern Drug Company, wholesaler. They were: Frederick Osmers, president, Scott Henderson, secretary, O. E. Stewart, treasurer. Design on steel frame windows may be alarm system. Photograph taken for Life Magazine on July 16, 1952.

Northwestern Drug Co. (Tacoma); Osmers, Frederick C.; Henderson, Scott; Stewart, O.E.;

Pile driving at Tacoma Drug. Ordered by Raymond Concrete Pile Company, Seattle.

Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Business enterprises--Tacoma--1950-1960; Raymond Concrete Pile Co. (Seattle);

Pile driving at Tacoma Drug. Ordered by Raymond Concrete Pile Company, Seattle.

Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Business enterprises--Tacoma--1950-1960; Raymond Concrete Pile Co. (Seattle);

ca. 1950. Two women sit at desks while two men stand further to the rear in the Tacoma Drug Company's office for a photograph taken in 1950. Bright overhead lighting illuminates this inner office setting. There are several Remington Rand machines on the linoleum flooring. Tacoma Drug Co. was a wholesale drug company who used a modern punch card tabulating system for perpetual inventory control and preprinting invoices. (TNT 2-15-49, p. A-14)

Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office furniture; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office equipment & supplies; Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma);

Several interiors at Wes Crawford's tomato packing plant, Wesley Crawford & Son, Wes Crawford. A view of the packing area of the plant. Stacks of empty wooden packing crates, many ten to twelve high, are seen around the large work area. Labels on the crates advertise "Texas Ranger" globe tomatoes, "Texas Tomatoes", "Big G", "Clouds Rest", "La Chinita",and "High Color".

Wesley Crawford & Son (Tacoma)--Employees; Packaging; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Several interiors at Wes Crawford's tomato packing plant, Wesley Crawford & Son, Wes Crawford. A view of the interior of the business offices at the packing facilities. Desks for four employees are open behind a wide counter. A separate office with a door and glass open to the general work area is towards the back. Two women and a young man are seated at the desks and an older gentleman is talking on the telephone in the back office.

Wesley Crawford & Son (Tacoma)--Employees; Packaging; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office furniture; Office workers--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Exterior of new building, Wesley Crawford & Son. A view of the exterior of the recently opened wholesale produce facility on the Tacoma tideflats.

Wesley Crawford & Son (Tacoma); Packaging; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Several interiors at Wes Crawford's tomato packing plant, Wesley Crawford & Son, Wes Crawford. A view of the staff lunch room. Several sets of tables and chairs, formica and vinyl coverings, are spaced throughout the area. Each table has a bouquet.

Wesley Crawford & Son (Tacoma); Packaging; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lunchrooms;

Several interiors at Wes Crawford's tomato packing plant, Wesley Crawford & Son, Wes Crawford. A view of the interior of the business offices at the packing facilities. The company handled packing of fresh produce, ready for market. The sign in the upper right corner calls the company, "tomato pre-packers".

Wesley Crawford & Son (Tacoma); Packaging; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office furniture; Office workers--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Reshoot of interior of building, Wes Crawford & Sons, Mr. Crawford. The large interior of the fresh fruit and vegetable packing company is left open to facilitate movement of large volumes of produce. A conveyor system is seen in the right, foreground and another on the far right. A man is moving pallets with a low truck in the center. Big, swinging double doors are seen on the far right.

Wesley Crawford & Son (Tacoma); Farm produce--Tacoma--1940-1950; Packaging; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tacoma Drug Company, interior and exterior of new offices, Tacoma Drug Co., Fred Osmers. The wholesale drug company had completed a new warehouse and offices on the Tacoma tideflats and were now stocking the 60,000 square feet of warehousing. The modern facilities were well lit. On the right can be seen their system for moving goods from the back of the warehouse in large tubs on a counter made of continuous rollers. Empty tubs could be returned to the back of the warehouse using an overhead conveyor.

Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Medicines; Warehouses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tacoma Drug Company, interior and exterior of new offices, Tacoma Drug Co., Fred Osmers. The interior of the offices of the wholesale drug company. A view from the back of the common office area shows the entry to the building on one of the exterior corners. The entry way has been walled with glass-block to let available light into the offices. Conduits in the floor made it possible to install power, telephone, or inter-communication outlets at 30 inch intervals. (TNT, 2/15/1949, p.A-14)

Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office furniture; Office equipment & supplies;

This photograph of the Tacoma Drug Company warehouse at 1815 East D Street on Tacoma's tideflats was taken in February of 1949 shortly after the warehouse was completed; the vast area is crowded with a multitude of tables and boxes, including Bayer and Bromo Seltzer products. The Tacoma Drug Company was founded in 1925 by Chis F. Osmers. By 1949 the company had become one of the largest distributors of pharmaceutical products on the Pacific Coast. Their warehouse incorporated the latest technology so that orders could be filled quickly and efficiently. In 1951, under the corporate leadership of Fred C. Osmers, Tacoma Drug became part of the Northwest Drug Company; in 1984 the company was sold to Pay n' Save.

Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Medicines; Warehouses--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tacoma Drug Company, interior and exterior of new offices, Tacoma Drug Co., Fred Osmers. The interior of the warehouse at the wholesale drug company showing the open shelving used to store the products handled by the company. The company carried 21,000 items from 1,260 manufacturers. (TNT, 2/15/1949, p.A-14)

Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Medicines; Warehouses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tacoma Drug Company, interior and exterior of new offices, Tacoma Drug Co., Fred Osmers. The wholesale drug company had completed a new warehouse and offices on the Tacoma tideflats. This view shows the counter with continuous rollers that runs from the back of the warehouse to the front where shipping an order was handled.

Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Medicines; Warehouses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tacoma Drug Company, interior and exterior of new offices, Tacoma Drug Co., Fred Osmers. The wholesale drug company had completed a new warehouse and offices on the Tacoma tideflats.The interior of one of the individual offices at the new facility. A bank of windows lines the outside wall and the windows are wired for an alarm system. A sign on the desk reminds everyone to "Think". The desk has stacked in and out bins. A copy of the current City Directory sits on the work table together with other books, a lamp and a calculator.

Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Medicines; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office furniture; Office equipment & supplies;

Tacoma Drug Company, interior and exterior of new offices, Tacoma Drug Co., Fred Osmers. A night-time view of the wholesale drug company warehouse and offices on the Tacoma tideflats. Glass-block was used as walls for the entry to the offices at Tacoma Drug. Large windows run in both directions from the corner entry. The alarm system wiring on the windows creates an interesting pattern.

Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Medicines; Warehouses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tacoma Drug Company, interior and exterior of new offices, Tacoma Drug Co., Fred Osmers. The interior of the offices of the wholesale drug company showing their modern inventory and invoicing equipment housed in a sound-proofed room. The company used a punch card tabulating system for perpetual inventory control and preprinting invoices. This was the latest in equipment of its type and Tacoma Drug was the first drug firm in the northwest to employ this system. (TNT, 2/15/1949, p.A-14)

Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Medicines; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office furniture; Office equipment & supplies;

Tacoma Drug Company, interior and exterior of new offices, Tacoma Drug Co., Fred Osmers. The wholesale drug company had completed a new warehouse and offices on the Tacoma tideflats. This view of the interior of the offices shows two rows of desks running to the back of the large room. Individual offices with windows into the common area are on the left. The desks had space for telephone order taking, buyers and clerks. (TNT, 2/15/1949, P.A-14)

Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma); Medicines; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Office furniture; Office equipment & supplies;

Fred Osmers was the President of Tacoma Drug Company, they occupied their facilities on January 16, 1949; the building costs were estimated at $400,000 and the contractor was Austin Company. The company's facilities had over 70,000 square feet on one floor and was considered one of the most modern drug warehouses and distributing centers in the Northwest. Exterior view of Tacoma Drug Company (T. Times, 3/13/49, p. 19).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Medicines; Pharmaceutical industry--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Tacoma Drug Co. (Tacoma);

Machinery at Wesley Crawford & Sons, U.P. Freight Terminal, Mr. Crawford. Wesley Crawford was president of Mutual Fruit Co. Seven women are working at a conveyor system packing fruit.

Wesley Crawford & Son (Tacoma)--Employees; Farm produce--Tacoma; Packaging; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Machinery at Wesley Crawford & Sons, U.P. Freight Terminal, Mr. Crawford. Wesley Crawford was president of Mutual Fruit Co. Two lines of employees are packing produce into wooden crates. One line is along the right side and the other runs across the back of the new building Wesley Crawford & Son recently opened. The large room is open in the center to facilitate moving large quantities of produce. A small forklift is parked in the middle of the room.

Wesley Crawford & Son (Tacoma)--Employees; Farm produce--Tacoma; Packaging; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Food industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;