In March of 1952 an unidentified man was photographed tearing off an entry blank for the $20,000 "Room-for-Improvement" contest sponsored by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Contestants could win up to $4,000 by filling out an official entry form. Each contestant had to explain what remodeling project he wanted to complete and why plywood would be the best material to use. To win, the entry had to include both a written description of the project and before and after draws. The highest prize of $3,000, with a possible bonus of $1,000, was for the best plan to "Add-a-Room." Every contestant received an official entry form and a folder of home improvement ideas - all using plywood.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Contests--Tacoma;

The Plywood Research Foundation was supported by all fir plywood manufacturers and devoted to the development of new products that could be manufactured from parts of the tree not already being utilized. View of plywood products being tested and tool being used for testing at the Plywood Research Foundation.

Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Plywood; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laboratories--Tacoma--1940-1950; Product inspection--Tacoma; Testing--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Calf shelter made of plywood at Western Washington Experiment Station. The Station, created in 1893, was located approximately seven miles from the city of Tacoma, in the Puyallup Valley. The Station engaged in research on western Washington agricultural problems. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Western Washington Experiment Station (Puyallup); Barns--Tacoma

Calf shelter made of plywood at Western Washington Experiment Station. The Station, affiliated with Washington State College, opened 7/1/1895. Its approximately 155 home acres were used to develop satisfactory farm practices in the fields of dairying, poultry production, and the growth of fruits, vegetables, specialty crops, ornamentals and bulbs. It employed approximately 70 people from the Tacoma/Puyallup area, 20 of those in research. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Barns--Tacoma; Western Washington Experiment Station (Puyallup);

DFPA. A workman is laying a plywood sub-floor at what is believed to be the Devlin home. The walls have been covered with plywood as well. An edge of a brick fireplace is seen on the right. Large floor-to-ceiling windows are seen on the left. The beams are left open on the ceiling. The home was being restored after purchase earlier in 1949.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Devlin, Charles E.--Homes & haunts; Floors--Lakewood--1940-1950;

Roadside fireworks stand, DFPA, Hal Dixon. Two men are erecting a temporary stand for selling fireworks in June of 1949. The walls are made of sheets of plywood. A small, permanent structure is behind them with large signs advertising wholesale fireworks, Zebra and Boa brands. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Fireworks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Plywood; Construction--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Use of plywood in new Washington Hardware Wholesale Building, DFPA, Hal Dixon. The building, made of reinforced concrete, was designed by Lance, McGuire and Muri, Architects. Norman Strom was the contractor of the 210 foot by 211 foot, 50,000 square foot, building.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Reinforced concrete construction--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Two men are constructing a silo by nailing sheets of plywood to an exterior form built with a circular shape cut from plywood and 2 x 4 lumber. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Silos--Tacoma;

Frozen food lockers were manufactured by St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company at Coast Sash and Door Company using plaster-faced plywood. A workman inspects the fit of the door in its sash. Coast Sash and Door opened at this location on the Tacoma tideflats in 1924. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association, John Ritchie.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Coast Sash & Door Co. (Tacoma); St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Doors & doorways--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Progress photograph at the Narrows Bridge construction site showing prefab of plywood forms. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge was the third longest suspension span in the world at the time it was built. Both towers of the bridge are seen in the background. Until the full weight of the deck was in place the tops of the two towers leaned about 3 feet toward the shore. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (TNT, 5/28/1950, p.1)

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Bridges--Tacoma; Progress photographs; Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma);

The trucks advertise the company's fur service. The trucks are painted in two tones, light colored bodies with darker fenders. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association, Hal Dixon.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Dodge trucks; Cleaning establishments--Tacoma;

Annual convention of Douglas Fir Plywood Association at the Winthrop Hotel. Four unidentified men stand in front of charts with production numbers. Ordered by Mr. McCallum.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Meetings--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Nelson S. Perkins, of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. In the late forties, Perkins, then a young brilliant civil engineer, was hired to head up the DFPA'S technical and engineering department. This was a position that he would hold for many years. In 1959, he was promoted to a liason position between the member mills and the DFPA. (" The Plywood Age" by Robert M. Cour, TNT 3/18/1959, pg. A-14)

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Perkins, Nelson;

Grosvenor House apartments, 500 No. Wall, Seattle, under construction. Photo for Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Photograph was taken on March 5, 1950.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Grosvenor House Apartments (Seattle); Construction--Seattle; Apartment houses--Seattle; Progress photographs--1950-1960;

Two students play ping-pong in the Chapter Room at Kappa Sigma House. The walls have been covered with knotty-pine paneling. This fraternity became the first at the College of Puget Sound to employ a permanent house mother in 1950. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association, Tom Sias.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Table tennis--Tacoma; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fraternities & sororities--Tacoma--1950-1960; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Kappa Sigma (Tacoma);

Cold room constuction, Douglas Fir Plywood Association laboratory, Dave Countryman. Worker installing plywood panels on walls of foil insulated room on October 31, 1950.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Cold room constuction, Douglas Fir Plywood Association laboratory, Dave Countryman. Worker installing plywood panels on walls of foil insulated room on Halloween, 1950.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Two men observing gages in humidity chamber of plywood laboratory at Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Testing--Tacoma; Product inspection--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Research facilities--Tacoma; Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma);

Two men observing mechanical equipment in humidity chamber of plywood laboratory at Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Line in upper left is deteriorating diacetate negative damage.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Testing--Tacoma; Product inspection--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Research facilities--Tacoma; Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma);

This unidentified young woman was busy cleaning and inspecting 16 mm films at Central School in November of 1951. She sat at a film winder within easy reach of film canisters on a rack made of plywood. Each film used in a classroom had to be cleared and checked for damage after each use. The rack has three deep shelves, the top two made with a deep V to hold the round film canisters upright, and rollers for easily moving the canisters from racks against the wall throughout the facility. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Central School (Tacoma); Audiovisual materials; Motion pictures;

Two men are sliding a panel with several strips of siding into the humidity chamber at the plywood lab while a third man is setting the control panel for the correct test conditions. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Testing--Tacoma; Product inspection--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Research facilities--Tacoma; Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma);

A view into the humidity chamber at the plywood lab shows the apparatus that provides the proper testing conditions. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Testing--Tacoma; Product inspection--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Research facilities--Tacoma; Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma);

Men are checking the conditions in the humidity chamber at the Douglas Fir plywood lab. A plywood board is filled with dials and levers for controling the conditions while performing tests on new products. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Testing--Tacoma; Product inspection--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Research facilities--Tacoma; Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma);

A young woman is seen using the film cabinets made from plywood at Central School. Shallow drawers hold small cans of film while larger motion picture cans are files on shelves behind her. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Central School (Tacoma); Audiovisual materials; Motion pictures;

The interior of one of the classrooms at Lowell School showing the visual aid furniture. Elementary school students sit on the floor to watch while a young teacher displays paintings from an easel made of plywood. Artwork is also displayed on the wall behind the easel. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. TPL-8334

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lowell Elementary School (Tacoma); Classrooms--Tacoma; School children--Tacoma--1950-1960; Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Teachers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Easels;

Plyron wardrobe door in Belfoy-Smith Homes. Plyron was a newly developed material that was found to have good strength for cabinet doors, with a smooth surface that accepted paint well. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Closets--Tacoma;

A man, wearing a Douglas Fir Plywood Association lab coat, is adjusting the tension during plywood testing at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber warehouse. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association, Tom Sias.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Product inspection--Tacoma; Testing--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Detail showing break points of stress tests on plywood at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber. Ordered by Dave Countryman, civil engineer with Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Product inspection--Tacoma; Testing--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Five men watch intently while one of them is tightening the pressure during plywood testing at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber warehouse. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association, Dave Countryman.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Product inspection--Tacoma; Testing--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Detail of plywood testing at St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber warehouse. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association, Dave Countryman.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Product inspection--Tacoma; Testing--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;