William Farrell, Tacoma's first resident architect, arrived in the fall of 1883, immediately set-up his architectural office and was inundated with work. One of his first commissions was this brick building at 715-17 Pacific Avenue for Dr. Bostwick; the rear portion facing South 8th Street was added after 1893. Another of Farrell's commissions was the prestigious, new Chamber of Commerce Building at 12th and Pacific which necessitated hiring a partner, Carl August Darmer. Together, Farrell & Darmer designed many of the brick buildings built in the 1880s along the west side of Pacific Avenue between South 9th and 13th Streets. In this 1948 photograph, Western Auto Supply Company occupies the storefronts of the Dr. Bostwick Building and the Nelson Bennett Building at 713 Pacific. North Pacific Bank Note Company occupies the buildings' upper story.

Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma); Commercial facilities--Tacoma--1940-1950; Automobile equipment & supplies; North Pacific Bank Note Co. (Tacoma); Printing industry--Tacoma; Buildings--Tacoma--1940-1950; Farrell, William;

ca. 1926. Automobile involved in accident in front of Western Auto Supply Company circa 1926. Large crowd gathered at scene. An overturned vehicle is pictured on the left, while a damaged vehicle is pictured to the right. Western Auto Supply opened a store in the Cornell House in 1922. (filed with Argentum)

Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma); Traffic accidents--Tacoma--1920-1930; Automobiles--Tacoma--1920-1930; Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Tacoma--1920-1930;

Staff at Western Auto Supply Company. The men are, standing left to right, H. F. Sturtridge, Cecil Albers, William McCallum and Arnold Blatt. Kneeling are, left to right, John Davis and Willis Peters. (T. Times, 7/13/1938, pg. 2).

Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma)--People; Commercial facilities--Tacoma--1930-1940; Automobile equipment & supplies--Tacoma--1930-1940;

This was how the Western Auto Supply Co., located at 715-17 Pacific Ave., appeared on July 11, 1938. Western Auto had operated at this same location near 8th and Pacific for about twenty years. They started out with a small storeroom on the corner and expanded steadily. Their newest business venture was a service department that worked on customers' cars. The entrance was located to the left in the photo. Personnel at the downtown store included manager H.F. Sturtridge, William McCallum, John Davis, Cecil Albers, Arnold Blatt and Willis Peters. (T. Times 7/13/1938, pg. 2)

Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma); Commercial facilities--Tacoma--1930-1940; Automobile equipment & supplies--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Western Auto Supply Company and North Pacific Bank Note Company located in building at 715-17 Pacific Ave. originally designed for Dr. Bostwick by William Farrell, Architect, about 1885. Western Auto occupied the ground floor storefronts, and North Pacific occupied the 2nd floor. The sign on the roof points the way to the Interurban and Bus Terminal. For I.F. Laukes, Pacific Bank Note Company. (filed with Argentum)

Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma); Commercial facilities--Tacoma--1940-1950; Automobile equipment & supplies; North Pacific Bank Note Co. (Tacoma);

Tacoma Railway & Power Co. workers and officials on Pacific Avenue as they prepare equipment to remove the streetcar rails, prior to removal of the old street surface and repaving.Tacoma's last streetcar was taken out of service April of 1938, replaced by city buses. Repaving contractors Coluccio and Frasca bid $73,000 to repave Pacific Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets. The TR & P railway crew is using a special lever device to wrench the heavy rails from their bases. Western Auto Supply store in background. (T. Times 6/8/1939, p. 3).

Street railroads--Tacoma--1930-1940; Street railroad tracks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Demolition--Tacoma--1930-1940; Mass transit--Tacoma--1930-1940;Tacoma Railway & Power Co. (Tacoma); Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma);

Henry A. Leaver (far left), Tacoma Roadway Superintendent, and Curtiss Hill, Tacoma Railway & Power president, watched in June of 1939 as a crew of Tacoma Railway & Power employees used a track removal invention of Hill's. The workers used the special lever to pry up the street car tracks on Pacific Avenue. The last streetcar in Tacoma was removed from service in April of 1938. In 1939 the steel tracks were removed and sold as salvage to Japan, who used the steel to help build its war arsenal against China. The Western Auto Supply store at 713-17 Pacific Avenue is in background. (T. Times, 6/8/1939, p. 3).

Street railroads--Tacoma--1930-1940; Street railroad tracks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Demolition--Tacoma--1930-1940; Mass transit--Tacoma--1930-1940;Tacoma Railway & Power Co. (Tacoma); Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma);

A crowd stands and waits at the corner of 7th & Pacific Avenue for the bus that will take them to the Western Washington fairgrounds. They are lined up in front of the Western Auto Supply Co. at 715-17 Pacific Ave. Despite a light drizzle later in the day, attendance at the fair for Tacoma Day was nearly 50,000.

Crowds; Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma); Western Washington Fair (Puyallup); Fairs--Puyallup--1940-1950;

Hundreds of Tacomans lined up on the sidewalks outside the Western Auto Supply store at the northeast corner of South 8th Street and Pacific Avenue in September of 1941 to catch one of the special busses that would carry them to the Western Washington fair grounds. Despite the gray skies and light drizzle nearly 50,000 people passed through the turnstiles at the Puyallup Fair on "Tacoma Day". The grandstands were filled almost to the last seat and all the rides on the fairway were kept busy into the night.

Crowds; Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma); Western Washington Fair (Puyallup); Fairs--Puyallup--1940-1950;

40 et 8 Parade, Times, Sandegren. The American Legion, Department of Washington, held its annual convention in Tacoma starting August 25, 1948, for a four-day meeting. The second day of the convention the 40 et 8 auxilliary held their Goof Parade through downtown Tacoma. Dignitaries including Mayor Val Fawcett rode in a convertible automobile in the parade seen here in front of Western Auto Supply Company, 7th and Pacific Avenue. (T.Times, 8/27/1948, p.1)

American Legion (Tacoma); Veteran's organizations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fawcett, Clarence Valdo, 1900-1965; Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma); Parades & processions--Tacoma--1940-1950; Convertible automobiles--Tacoma--1940-1950;

In 1937 and 1938 there was a major battle in Tacoma about parking and parking meters. The issue split both the downtown merchants and the city council, with pro and con voices in each camp. One strong advocate for meters was the local Red Spot Electric Company - they made meters. This photograph, taken for Red Spot Electric, shows a Tacoma driver parking his 1937 Ford next to a demonstration model of one of their meters. It was temporarily installed in front of the Western Auto Supply Company building at 717 Pacific Avenue. After several more years of contentious "discussion," 1,200 meters were installed in the shopping district of downtown Tacoma in 1941. The meters were covered in 1976 and removed in 1977. (filed with Argentum)

Parking--Tacoma--1930-1940; Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma); Pontiac automobiles--1930-1940;