• This postcard is a colorized version of a photograph taken of the Wright Building in 1890. Built in 1884 to replace the prior building on the same site that was destroyed by fire, this one was built of brick and Wilkeson sandstone. circa 1939.
• Printed on front: Cor. 9th and C. Sts., Tacoma, Wash.

The corner of 9th and Pacific Ave. looking up 9th. The building on the corner, the Wright Building, was the first permanent brick building in Tacoma. TPL-7103

Street scenes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Wright Building (Tacoma)

State Game Commissioners meet at the Tacoma Sportsmen's Club. New members Lou Ovenden, left, and Harvey LeGear, right, converse. Club furnishings very modern with tuxedo-style sofas and abstract design wallpaper. (T.Times 2/3/1938, p.13).

Sportsmens Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Ovenden, Lou; LeGear, Harvey;

Group portrait taken at the Sportsmen's Club of Tacoma for the Tacoma Times, circa April of 1939. The club was located in the Wright Building at 902-04 Pacific Ave. The Sportsmen's Association purchased the entire building in 1942. (filed with Argentum)

Sportsmens Club of Tacoma (Tacoma);

Group portrait taken at the Sportsmen's Club of Tacoma for the Tacoma Times, circa April of 1939. The club was located in the Wright Building at 902-04 Pacific Ave. The Sportsmen's Association purchased the entire building in 1942. (filed with Argentum)

Sportsmens Club of Tacoma (Tacoma);

The Wright Building at the corner of 9th and Pacific was one of the first buildings in Tacoma to be spruced up during the Tacoma "clean-up campaign" started in April of 1947. City officials felt that two major benefits would be gained by business owners who participated in the campaign: greater safety by removing fire hazards, and greater business volume through improving the appearance of Tacoma's stores. Built in 1884, the Wright Building was demolished in October of 1969. (T. Times, 4/3/47, p. 1). TPL-8830

Window cleaning--Tacoma; Windows--Tacoma; Cleaning personnel; Scaffolding--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Tacoma Sportmen's Club (Tacoma)--Buildings; Business districts--Tacoma;

In October of 1950, a solemn group of Tacoma Sportsmen's Club members held a mock funeral for the club's slot machine. The unidentified club members gathered around the flower draped machine, which lay on a small hand cart, while eulogies were read and sad songs sung. One of the members (far right) wore an official "crying towel." In 1949, Judge Hugh J. Rosselini had started a campaign to crack down on gambling in Tacoma and Pierce County. The Tacoma Sportsman's Club was started in 1933, and occupied a portion of the Wright Building at 902-04 Pacific Ave. from 1936 to the mid-1960s when it was torn down to make room for a parking lot.

Sportsmen's Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Slot machines--Tacoma; Funeral rites & ceremonies--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A wake for slot machines was held at the Sportsmen's Club on October 31, 1950. A man and a woman stand by a slot machine holding handkerchiefs. A sign has been added to the slot machine "Kill Joy was Here!" playing on the words, "Kilroy was Here," a saying from World War II. Slot machines had been banned in Tacoma by Safety Commissioner James T. Kerr in compliance with current law. (TNT, 11/2/1950, p.B-11)

Sportsmen's Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Slot machines--Tacoma; Funeral rites & ceremonies--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A wake was held for the slot machines at the Sportsmen's Club, 902-04 Pacific Ave., on October 31, 1950. A group of "mourners" was leaving the club building in a mock funeral procession, following Emmett T. Krefting, the club manager, who was carrying a wreath to the hearse marked "Don't Say 'Undertaker' Say...O'Hell." Slot machines had been banned by Safety Commissioner James T. Kerr. Ordered by Mr. Krefting. (TNT, 11/2/1950, p.B-11)

Sportsmen's Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Slot machines--Tacoma; Krefting, Emmett T.; Hearses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Funeral rites & ceremonies--Tacoma--1950-1960;