ca. 1920. View of 9th and Broadway taken from the roof of the Medical Arts Building. Night scene showing the Winthrop Hotel (773 Broadway), left, and an illuminated Pantages Theater (901 Broadway) building.

Aerial photographs; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1920-1930; Pantages Theater (Tacoma);

Aerial view of Reichhold Chemical Co. on the Tideflats. Reichhold manufactured chemicals used by the plywood industry. Occupying 51 acres of land, the company was a large concern that would employ over 100 people.

Aerial photographs; Building construction; Reichhold Chemicals, Inc. (Tacoma);

Aerial view of Reichhold Chemical Co. on the Tideflats. Reichhold manufactured chemicals used by the plywood industry. Occupying 51 acres of land, the company was a large concern that would employ over 100 people.

Aerial photographs; Building construction; Reichhold Chemicals, Inc. (Tacoma);

Aerial photograph of downtown Tacoma to show the spired Puget Sound National Bank building at 11th and Pacific (1119 Pacific Ave.) To the building's left is Peoples Department Store at 1101-07 Pacific and to its right is the National Bank of Washington, 1123 Pacific, the 2002 location of the Tacoma Art Museum. Behind facing A Street is the Federal Building and the Post Office at 1102 A Street. The city appears divided into a grid of large office buildings. The streets, left to right, vertically are Commerce, Pacific and A Street. They are divided by, top to bottom, by 11th Street and 12th Street. Left to right at the top of the picture are the Rust building at 950 Pacific, the Washington Building at 1019 Pacific and the Tacoma Building at 1017-21 A Street. Across 11th Street from the Tacoma Building is the Perkins building at 1101 A Street.

Puget Sound National Bank (Tacoma); Aerial photographs;

Aerial of the Port of Tacoma, taken from over Commencement Bay heading into the Port. Mount Rainier looms whitely in the background. Browns Point can be seen in the left foreground, with the fingers of the port and the inlets of waterway further back.

Aerial views; Port of Tacoma (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Aerial of the Port of Tacoma, taken from over Commencement Bay heading into the Port. Mount Rainier looms whitely in the background. Browns Point can be seen in the left foreground, with the fingers of the port and the inlets of waterway further back.

Aerial views; Port of Tacoma (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Aerial of the Port of Tacoma, taken from over Commencement Bay heading into the Port. Tacoma can be seen as the forested area on the right dotted with buildings, with the Tideflats laying to the left of the bridge shrouded densely with industrial smoke.

Aerial views; Port of Tacoma (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Aerial of the Port of Tacoma, taken from over Commencement Bay heading into the Port. Tacoma can be seen as the forested area on the right dotted with buildings, with the Tideflats laying to the left of the bridge shrouded densely with industrial smoke.

Aerial views; Port of Tacoma (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Aerial photographs were taken on December 4, 1956, at the request of U.S. Oil & Refining Co. of the petroleum tank "farm" on the Tideflats heading toward town. The huge light-colored cylinders dot the landscape. U.S. Oil had broken ground in July, 1955, for a new 10-million dollar oil refinery on an 120 acre site in the Tideflats. TPL-5897

Aerial photographs; Storage tanks--Tacoma; US Oil & Refining Co. (Tacoma);

Aerial photographs of the south end of Gray Field on Fort Lewis were taken on February 12, 1957. Construction appears to be continuing on two company barracks and utilities building. Roads will have to be extended to meet the new quarters. Photograph ordered by Donald M. Drake Co., Portland, Oregon. TPL-10352

Aerial photographs; Building construction--Fort Lewis; Donald M. Drake Co. (Portland, Or.);

Construction at Fort Lewis remained strong in the mid-1950's as the military population continued to grow. February 12, 1957, aerial photographs show two company barracks and utilities structures being built at the south end of Gray Field. Donald M. Drake Co. of Portland, Oregon, apparently were involved in Contract #3706. Photograph ordered by the Donald M. Drake Co.

Aerial photographs; Building construction--Fort Lewis; Donald M. Drake Co. (Portland, Or.);

Aerial photographs of the Huntington Rubber Mills were taken on July 13, 1957. This is possibly the Seattle plant at 35 W. Lander. The business occupied a large chunk of land bordered by several roads. There were at least four separate buildings making up the plant. Photograph ordered by Huntington Rubber Mills.

Aerial photographs; Huntington Rubber Mills (Seattle); Industrial facilities--Seattle;

An aerial photograph of the Hooker Electrochemical plant in the Tideflats was taken on July 24, 1957, for possible order by the company. Storage tanks appear to be loaded on railroad cars on two parallel tracks. Hooker was the second chlor-alkali plant in the United States and the first caustic soda plant in the Pacific Northwest. This was apparently an aerial view of an area of Hooker Electrochemical Co. on Industrial Waterway.

Aerial photographs; Hooker Electrochemical Co. (Tacoma); Chemical industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Aerial photographs of the Middle Waterway and the Tideflats area were taken on behalf of Malcolm McGhie in December, 1957. The St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. facilities, sawmill, and log ponds are toward the center of the photograph. The St. Regis plants are, with smokestacks billowing, are near the top of the picture. Forty-five years later, the Tideflats landscape would be quite transformed. The City Waterway (now Thea Foss Waterway), although not in this picture, would no longer have docks, plywood mills, shipyards and warehouses crowding its sides. A 29.3 million dollar Museum of Glass and the adjoining Chihuly Bridge of Glass would be the first of millions of dollars of improvement to the area. TPL-5893

Aerial photographs; Middle Waterway (Tacoma); St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

This aerial photograph of the St. Regis pulp mill looking toward Mt. Rainier was taken on behalf of Malcolm McGhie in December, 1957. The St. Regis plant was flanked by the Puyallup Waterway (L) and St. Paul Waterway (R) with the Middle Waterway to the extreme right. Smoke pours from the St. Regis plant facilities on a typical winter day; the plant employed multiple shifts so that operations could be conducted 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The multi-wall bag plant and kraft-pulp division are in the center of the photograph. The long narrow building is for kraft-pulp, adjoining the white-walled rectangular bag plant. The St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. sawmill is in close proximity to the kraft pulp and paper mill. In August, 1957, St. Paul became an operating subsidiary of the St. Regis Paper Co. St. Paul had the largest retail lumber yard in the state of Washington. Its sawmill had furnished chips to St. Regis for a number of years, providing about 35% of the pulp mill's wood requirements. (TPL-5890, St. Regis Annual Report - 1957, p. 14-15)

Aerial photographs; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

Aerial photographs of South Fort Lewis were taken on January 26, 1958. The carefully laid out design appears symmetrical, with identical buildings and parking lots on both sides of the wide field. These may have been newly constructed buildings. The view taken from the air gives the appearance of a architectural model setup. Forested lands are abundant on the property; there is plenty of space for expansion. Photograph ordered by Donald L. Drake Co.

Aerial photographs; Building construction--Fort Lewis;

Woodlam, Inc., was a laminated wood products company located in the Tideflats at 1476 Thorne Rd. William Lindberg was listed as president in the 1959 City Directory. Woodlam was formerly known as Laminated Wood Products Co. and was owned by Arne Strom. Strom had opened the plant in February, 1957, and sold the facility to Lindberg in April, 1958. Woodlam, Inc., employed between 80-100 workers. Purchase of the plant involved eight acres of land, a 500 X 100 foot main plant, drying kilns and a suite of offices. Aerial photographs were taken on April 10, 1958, showing piles of plywood outside the large plant facilities. Railroad tracks close by meant easy rail access for the laminated products. Photograph ordered by Woodlam, Inc. (TNT 4-26-58, A-1)

Aerial photographs; Woodlam, Inc. (Tacoma);

The Richards Studio took several aerial photographs in April, 1958, of the downtown and Tideflats area. The growth of Tacoma can be noted in the increase of commercial buildings and industrial facilities along the City Waterway (now Thea Foss Waterway). The 11th St. Bridge is to the far right of the photograph; the 15th & 21st St. Bridges are also included. There are platforms under the 15th & 21st St. Bridges. Union Pacific Railroad buildings and possibly the Martinac Shipbuilding are visible on the bottom portion of the picture. TPL-8157

Aerial photographs; 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma); Bridges--Tacoma--1950-1960; City Waterway (Tacoma); Business districts--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Five bridges span the channelized Puyallup River in this aerial photograph taken in April of 1958 before the construction of I-5. The bridge at the bottom is the 21st Street Bridge. In the middle is the Puyallup River Bridge. Near the top, to the right of the river, is the Cushman Indian Hospital, soon to be the site of the Puyallup Tribal Casino.

Aerial photographs; Bridges--Tacoma;

Three bridges transverse the Puyallup River in aerial photographs taken by Richards Studio on April 22, 1958. The Tacoma Indian Hospital and grounds are visible at the top right of the photograph. Railroad tracks run parallel and under part of the bridges.

Aerial photographs; Bridges--Tacoma; Tacoma Indian Hospital (Tacoma);

Aerial photographs of the Puyallup River as it meanders through Tacoma were taken by Richards Studio on April 22, 1958. A close-up view of the three bridges over the river indicate that only the main bridge in the center had any traffic at the time the photograph was snapped. The bridge appears at a definite angle in this particular picture.

Aerial photographs; Bridges--Tacoma; Puyallup River (Wash.);

This aerial view of Tacoma's commercial district was taken in April of 1958. Several log booms float at the south end of the Foss waterway just past the 15th St. Bridge. The tall smokestack near the center is the Dock St. steam plant. The other two bridges are the Railroad Bridge and the Murray Morgan Bridge. Several prominent buildings, including Old City Hall, Puget Sound National Bank, and the Washington Building, are visible. Among current landmarks that are missing: I-705, the Frank Russell Building, and the Columbia Bank Building. TPL-8467

Aerial photographs; Bridges--Tacoma--1950-1960; 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma); Logs;

Aerial views of downtown Tacoma were taken on April 22, 1958. The busy commercial streets showcase many of the city's financial structures. Looking southeast in the center of the picture is Pacific Avenue with the Security Building (formerly Provident Building), the Ionic-columned Bank of California, Washington Building and Puget Sound National Bank, formerly the tallest building on the West Coast. The new Tacoma Building, Weyerhaeuser headquarters, and its predecessor are side-by-side on A Street, one street beyond, with the Perkins Building across the street.

Aerial photographs; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1950-1960; Security Building (Tacoma); Puget Sound National Bank (Tacoma); Bank of California National Association (Tacoma); Washington Building (Tacoma); Perkins Building (Tacoma);

Another view of the bridges crossing the Puyallup River was taken via air by Richards Studio on April 22, 1958. Water levels indicate that the river had not overflooded its borders. There are no buildings directly on the river's edge because of the flooding potential. The white or light gray colored bridge has been identified as the Eells St. bridge looking south. From above it appears to have an open geometric design; the curvature on top is reminiscent of a roller coaster track. It connected Pacific Highway and Fife to the left and Puyallup Ave. and Tacoma to the right. The other two bridges were railroad bridges and still there some fifty years later. (Additional identification provided by a reader)

Aerial photographs; Bridges--Tacoma--1950-1960; Railroad bridges--Tacoma; Eells St. State Highway Bridge (Tacoma); Puyallup River (Wash.);

Several aerial photographs were taken on April 22, 1958, by Richards Studio of the downtown, Tideflats, and various waterways. This is another view of the City Waterway showing the separation point between the city's commercial business district, primarily financial, and the industrial section which featured mills, logs, and chemical manufacturing. The 11th St. Bridge is to the top of the picture. TPL-10304

Aerial photographs; Bridges--Tacoma--1950-1960; 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma); Logs;

This aerial photographs of downtown Tacoma looking toward Point Defiance was taken on June 16, 1958. Prominent are the three bridges crossing the City (now Thea Foss) Waterway--the 11th St. Bridge, the Railroad Bridge and the 15th St. Bridge. Among a number of identifiable buildings are the massive Schoenfeld's furniture store with its enormous store lettering, the new County-City Building under construction toward the left corner of the photograph, the old County Courthouse behind it, the Washington Building and Puget Sound National Bank, for about two years the tallest building west of the Mississippi (until the Smith Tower was built in Seattle). Wright Park is the heavily wooded area to the right and above of the new County-City Building. Urban renewal had not yet replaced any of the buildings on Pacific Ave. with parking garages. TPL-8676

Aerial photographs; Bridges--Tacoma--1950-1960; County-City Building (Tacoma);

Aerial photographs of Tacoma's northend were taken on June 16, 1958. Looking toward Mount Rainier are the industrial Tideflats area. Smoke from many pulp and paper mills drifts over the landscape. The first wooded area nearest downtown would be Wright Park. The second large forested region in the middle is Garfield Park, near Annie Wright Seminary and the Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club, and the distinctive half-moon street. The largest green area, shaped somewhat like a boot, is Puget Park as it was in 1958. It may not be as large now.

Aerial photographs; Parks--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Aerial photographs of the downtown Tacoma area, including the business and financial district, were taken by the Richards Studio on June 16, 1958. This photograph was noted as being "cropped." It shows the 11th St. Bridge as it prepares to cross the City (now Thea Foss) Waterway. Pacific Avenue and A Streets, Saint Helens and Market, Broadway and Commerce are all visible. An observer can identify the Crane Co., the National Bank of Washington, Puget Sound National Bank, the Washington Building with the Mobilgas sign, the Rust Building, Old City Hall with its memorable clock tower, and the skyscraper, the Medical Arts Building. Shuster Parkway will later be built in the thin strip of wooded area adjacent to and under the bridge. TPL-8186

Aerial photographs; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1950-1960; 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma);

The neatly laid out streets of downtown Tacoma and a portion of the industrial Tideflats area were photographed by airplane on June 16, 1958. Tacoma had concentrated its main financial and business districts in the downtown area. The 11th St. Bridge, visible crossing the City (now Thea Foss) Waterway, extends into the Tideflats. Smoke billows from the various pulp and paper mills in this more sparsely inhabited area. The Tideflats was home to railroad, lumber, and shipbuilding interests.

Aerial photographs; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1950-1960; 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma);

Mount Rainier can be seen in the distance through the mist in this aerial photograph of Fox Island taken on June 16, 1958. Heavily wooded Fox Island is located between the Carr Inlet and Hales Passage, two miles northeast of McNeil Island in northwestern Pierce County. It was named in 1841 after Dr. J.L. Fox, an assistant surgeon of the Wilkes Expedition. The Fox Island Bridge can be spotted toward the center of the photograph. It spans 1,981 feet over Hales Passage and was completed in 1954. The bridge was opened by Governor Arthur Langlie and Anne Nelson, the first white girl born on Fox Island. Fox Islanders had to pay tolls on the new bridge; added to the expenses incurred with cars and gasoline, the cost of getting to Tacoma more than doubled. By 1956, the population on the island had declined to 115 families. Nearly a half-century later, according to the 2000 census, there were approximately 2800 people living on Fox Island. (History of Pierce County, Vol. 1, p. 59) TPL-9232

Aerial photographs; Bridges--Fox Island;