City Finance Commissioner and Acting Mayor Val Fawcett poses with V.F.W. Auxlliary Ladies for a Poppy Sale publicity photo in front of (Old) City Hall. The proceeds from the sale of the tiny red flowers go to support veterans' programs. (T. Times) ALBUM 14.

Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fawcett, Clarence Valdo, 1900-1965; Fund raising--Tacoma--1940-1950; Patriotic societies--Tacoma--1940-1950; Veterans organizations--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Mayor Harry Cain at his office in (Old) City Hall with women from Messinger Post Auxiliary. Publicity for Poppy Sale. Also dated 05/23/1941.

Mayors - Tacoma - 1940-46 - US Senators - Washington State - 1947-53 - Harry P. Cain (1906-79)Organizations - Patriotic Organizations - Veterans of Foreign Wars - Tacoma - Elias J. Messinger Post No. 1428 - Auxiliary

Tacoma Mayor Harry P. Cain shakes hands with an Army officer in his office at (Old) City Hall in preparation for CCC Day, March 29, 1941, when selected CCC boys would take over the running of city government for a day. The officer may be Lt. Col. Lester A. Dougherty who commanded the five CCC camps in the Fort Lewis district. The mayor had issued an official proclamation that Saturday, March 29th, be "CCC Day in Tacoma." He urged Tacomans to visit the five nearest camps--Camps Electron, Lower Cispus, Quilcene, Moran and Glacier, the following week when open houses would be held to celebrate the CCC's eighth anniversary. Mayor Cain wears a button promoting the 1941 Daffodil Festival. ALBUM 12. (T.Times 3-28-41, p. 3)

Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cain, Harry P., 1906-1979; Shaking hands--Tacoma; Civilian Conservation Corps (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.;

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);

• 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.

Tacoma City Hall

Circa 1907.

Circa 1985.

Circa 1920.

• Printed on back: Looking out from the Bell Tower of Old City Hall, you see the Commencement Bay Grainery. Trains arrive daily from the Mid-West loaded with grain that is then shipped to Asia.
• Picture Tacoma Artist's Postcard Project; Photography by Sharon Styler

On the morning of June 7, 1926, Tacoma saw a change in city government from "business as usual." The March 1926 election had brought defeat to all City Council incumbents up for re-election. Photographer Chapin Bowen captured the moment as the old Council stepped out and the new took their seats for their first meeting. Pictured around the table, left to right, are Jesse W. Silver- Public Works, newly elected A.S. Walters - Finance, newly elected Mayor Melvin G. Tennent, Ira Davisson- Light & Water and newly elected H. Dyer Dyment- Public Safety. Seated to the right is City Clerk Genevieve Martin. (TNT 6-7-26, p. 1-photograph is flipped in newspaper) Bowen 26375, TPL-9549

In the depths of the Great Depression, about 1,000 men and women waged a peaceful orderly march on City Hall in late February of 1931 to focus attention on immediate unemployment relief. Members of the Unemployed Council, the Trade Unity League and the Communist Party requested: 1) unemployment insurance at $15 per week with $5 extra per dependent; 2) an immediate relief fund of $1 million generated by reducing city officials' salaries; 3) non-ejection of unemployed not able to pay house rent; 4) free use of civic auditoriums for meetings of the unemployed and 5) full payment of war bonus. Mayor M.G. Tennent met with twelve chosen marchers to express his and the city council's concern but stated that their powers were limited. He did state that a $41,000 Sheridan Avenue project was approved that morning so that more men could be employed through city construction. After listening to a program of addresses by their leaders, the large crowd dispersed after about three hours. (TDL 2/26/1931, p.4-article). Bowen 03-914.

Mayor George A. Smitley shakes hands with J. Lee Kress at his office in (Old) City Hall while congratulating the businessman on the opening of his new Malt Shop in the Bostwick Building. Young Mr. Kress' new Tacoma establishment would be located at the front of the flatiron building. It would serve 40 in both private booths and counter service. The Kress Malt Shop is owned solely by Mr. Kress and will be union operated. Mr. Kress was educated in Tacoma schools and has had much experience in the food and fountain service business. He already owns two other Kress Malt Shops in Olympia. (T. Times 7-2-37, p.4) ALBUM 11.

Mayors--Tacoma--1930-1940; Smitley, George A., 1872-1956; Kress, J. Lee; Shaking hands--Tacoma;

Mayor George A. Smitley with Rhododendron Queen Myrtle Olson at the mayor's office in (Old) City Hall. Photograph ordered by the Seattle Star. Queen Myrtle is the emissary for Rhododendron Days, to be held on the Olympic Peninsula May 22-23, 1936. She is delivering an invitation from Port Townsend Mayor Bangerter to Tacoma Mayor George Smitley for all Tacomans to attend the festivities. (T. Times 5/15/1936, pg. 1)

Smitley, George A., 1872-1956; Olson, Myrtle; Rhododendrons; Mayors--Tacoma--1930-1940; Festivals--Port Townsend--1930-1940;

ca. 1940. Mayor Harry P. Cain with personal secretary Pearl Rehbock at his office in (Old) City Hall about 1940. She appears to be taking dictation. There is a copy of a Washington Association of Cities publication on his desk blotter and a City of Atlanta Traffic Study in his "IN" box. By the 1942 City Directory, Mrs. Rehbock of the Steilacoom Lake area, was listed as the office manager of the USO-YMCA. ALBUM 12.

Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cain, Harry P., 1906-1979; Rehbock, Pearl; Office workers--Tacoma--1940-1950;

ca. 1940. Mayor Harry P. Cain with personal secretary Pearl Rehbock at his office in (Old) City Hall. A Washington Association of Cities publication is on his desk blotter, City of Atlanta Traffic Study in his "IN" box. Mrs. Rehbock appears to be taking the mayor's dictation in this ca. 1940 photograph. ALBUM 12.

Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cain, Harry P., 1906-1979; Rehbock, Pearl; Office workers--Tacoma--1940-1950;

ca. 1941. Mayor Harry P.Cain, seated at desk, speaks with a group of intently listening men in his office at (Old) City Hall. Bob O'Neil, Public Utilities Commissioner, is seated to Cain's left.

Cain, Harry P., 1906-1979; Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; O'Neil, Robert D.; Municipal officials--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Mayor C. V. "Val" Fawcett was visited in his office at (old) City Hall by three young women from Olympia dressed as cowgirls. The young women were graduates of the Class of 1947 and had recently won a popularity contest in Olympa. They called on Mayor Fawcett to invite all Tacoma and vicinity residents to Olympia's grand 4th of July show. L-R, Ruth Stubbs, Mayor Fawcett, Martha Strange and Audrey Strandness. (T.Times, 6/13/1947, p.4) ALBUM 14.

Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fawcett, Clarence Valdo, 1900-1965; Stubbs, Ruth; Strange, Martha; Strandness, Audrey;