• Built in 1892, this became the Old City Hall when the County-City Building opened in 1959. This building is on the City, State and National Historic Registries.
• Printed on front: City Hall & Grounds, TACOMA, Wash.

• Mount Rainier sits prominently above the downtown business district. The 11th Street Bridge, now the Murray Morgan, is just to the left of the Old City Hall. circa 1930.
• Printed on front: Mt. Tacoma and part of city, Tacoma, Wash.

• Mount Rainier sits prominently above the downtown business district. The 11th Street Bridge, now the Murray Morgan, is just to the left of the Old City Hall. circa 1930.
• Printed on front: Mt. Tacoma, From Tacoma, Wn.

• Many tall masted ships wait in line on the City Waterway to load with wheat, from what was claimed to be the longest wheat warehouse in the world. "Where the Sails meet the Rails" was one of Tacoma's early slogans touting the great commerce opportunities here. In the background up on the ridge, the Tacoma Hotel, City Hall and the Northern Pacific headquarters are visible. circa 1906.
• Printed on front: Tacoma, Wash. Loading Wheat a the longest Wheat Warehouse in the world.

Circa 1907.

Circa 1978.

Circa 1913.

Circa 1910.

Circa 1919.

Circa 1905.

Circa 1985.

Circa 1920.

Tacoma City Hall

Tacoma City Hall

Asa E. Troyer's neighbor, R. H. Frogner used a 6% DDT solution and a spray gun to get to this yellow jacket nest, that was on his property at Caledonia Beach. This beehive probably housed 1,000 busy wasps; after he stripped off the outer mud protective wall, a pagoda-like construction is visible, hundreds of cells for eggs, food and shelter can be seen. View of Asa E. Troyer, Tacoma City Treasurer, holding up half of a yellow jacket nest (T. Times, 12/19/48, p. 5).

Wasps' nests--Tacoma; Wasps; Poisons; Pest control--Tacoma; Municipal officials--Tacoma; Troyer, Asa E.; Old City Hall (Tacoma);

ca. 1971. 1971 Richards color stock footage. Bell tower of Old City Hall. Designed in the style of "fifteenth-century Italian town hall architecture," the six-story building was constructed in 1892. It became "Old" City Hall upon the opening of the County-City Building in 1959. Saved from demolition, it was restored as a shopping center with grand opening in 1974. In 1980 it was converted into an office building. The 32-square foot tower had its bell chimes restored in late 1993. The Old City Hall is on the City, State, and National Registry. TPL-9206

Clock towers--Tacoma; Old City Hall (Tacoma);

Mrs. Sigrid Holmberg, Mrs. Claude Purvis, and Mrs. Lee C. Garrison of Tacoma's Delphinum Garden Club shared smiles with master clock expert E.F. Farrens (right) and his assistant, Joe Mertz, as they held two of the old clock hands from the Old City Hall clock tower, 625 Commerce Street in May of 1962. The Delphinium Garden Club was working with Mr. Farrens to restore the tower clock, which had fallen into disrepair since 1959 when the city offices left the building for the new County-City Building on Tacoma Avenue South. New cedar clock hands were to be made by the city's woodworking shop. There had been talk about razing the dilapidated Italian Renaissance building, built of yellow brick; it managed to escape the wrecking ball and was added to the National Registry in 1974. Photograph ordered by Delphinium Garden Club. (TNT 5-22-62, p. 1, 5-27-62, p. 1) TPL-9181

Delphinium Garden Club (Tacoma); Clock towers--Tacoma; Old City Hall (Tacoma); Holmberg, Sigrid; Mertz, Joe; Farrens, E.F.;

Members of the Delphinium Garden Club examine the hands of the old clock at (Old) City Hall on May 26, 1962. Mrs. Sigrid Holmberg, Mrs. Claude Purvis, and Mrs. Lee C. Garrison are assisted by Joe Mertz and E.F. Farrens, master clock expert from Portland. Mr. Farrens is donating weekends to repair the clock along with his assistant, Mr. Mertz. The chimes and tower clock had stopped for three years and recently were re-started. The clock was reportedly "keeping beautiful time," although it may have been hard for a layman to detect since the hands were removed. A new set of hands would be made by the city's woodworking shop. The Delphinium Garden Club was financing restoration of the timepiece. View of Old City Hall with bell tower that rises five stories above main floors. Government offices had been moved three years before to the new County-City Building on Tacoma Avenue South. Photograph ordered by Delphinium Garden Club. (TNT 5-22-62, p. 1, 5-27-62, p. 1)

Delphinium Garden Club (Tacoma); Clock towers--Tacoma; Old City Hall (Tacoma); Mertz, Joe; Holmberg, Sigrid; Farrens, E.F.;

Mayor John Anderson, in his office at (Old) City Hall, admires a bouquet of rhododendrons held by Mrs. John Skupens of the Washington Rhododendron Society. Mrs. Skupens had called on the mayor to invite him to the upcoming 9th annual Tacoma Rhododendron Show. The two day show would take place at the Oakland Community Center with free admission. Publicity photo for Tacoma Rhododendron Society. (TNT 5-9-57, C-6) ALBUM 14

Mayors--Tacoma--1950-1960; Anderson, John H.; Rhododendrons; Skupens, John--Family;

Old City Hall. Built in 1892, this Renaissance style structure served as the seat of Tacoma's government for 70 years. It was abandoned for 15 years and just saved from the wrecking ball in 1974 and added to the National Register. The building was restored and now houses offices.

Old City Hall (Tacoma); Office buildings--Tacoma;

ca. 1979. Old City Hall. Designed in the style of "fifteenth-century Italian town hall architecture," the six-story building was constructed in 1892. It became "Old" City Hall upon the opening of the County-City Building in 1959. Saved from demolition, it was restored as a shopping center with grand opening in 1974. In 1980 it was converted into an office building. The 32-square foot tower had its bell chimes restored in late 1993. The Old City Hall is on the City, State, and National Registry.

Old City Hall (Tacoma);

Bob Hager (fourth from left) received a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the Tacoma School Patrol for the past twenty years of service, the certificate was presented by AAA of Washington. More than 10,000 boys have served Tacoma schools through all types of weather. The Tacoma School Patrol had also sworn in an additional 150 officers earlier in the day. The uniformed officer at the far right is Don Davies. He was the coordinator of the School Safety Patrol while assigned to Tacom's Youth Guidance Division. (T. Times, 2/6/49, p. 28).

Awards; Rites & ceremonies--Tacoma; Guards--Tacoma; Tacoma City Hall (Tacoma); Tacoma School Patrol (Tacoma);Hager, Bob;

Norman J. Maddex, a city light department wire man, is "re-lamping" the tower on Tacoma's Old City Hall, 625 Commerce St., in this photograph from November 1935. Sitting in a boatswain's chair, just a board slung in the loops of a bowline knot, he works at replacing burned out light bulbs and repairing defective wiring. The tower had 750 bulbs along the cornice rims, down the tower corners, and around the clock dial. (T. Times 11-15-1935 p.3)

City Hall (Tacoma); Maddex, Norman J.;

Norman J. Maddex, City Light department wireman, suspended by cables to work on relamping the (Old) City Hall tower clock. "Relamping" is the term used for replacing the burned out light globes and defective wiring. He is dangling in a boatswain's chair, a board slung in the loops of a bowline knot. In addition to his precarious perch, the men handling the cables above him had to be careful of loose tiles that could send them hurtling to the street below. The work had been delayed for some time as financially hard pressed city departments argued about whose budget the job should be charged to. (T. Times 11-15-1935, pg. 3)

City Hall (Tacoma); Maddex, Norman J.;

Tacoma City Council at (Old) City Hall. Mayor George Smitley at right center, by window. Portrait of Mayor A.V. Fawcett on wall, now hangs in Rare Book Room of Tacoma Public Library. (T.Times)

Mayors--Tacoma--1930-1940; Smitley, George A., 1872-1956;