Tacoma greets movie stars at the Union Depot. A hearty greeting from the City of Tacoma was offered to the actresses and actors appearing in the H.C. Weaver Productions studio film, "Totem Pole Beggar," on March 5, 1926. Shaking hands with star Wanda Hawley, wearing a voluminous fur coat, is believed to be A.D. Bjornstad. Mr. Bjornstad had attended school with Miss Hawley ten years previously and was currently employed as auditor at the Weaver Studios. The couple is flanked by two city policemen on motorcycles; the police officers are dressed for the cold weather with leather boots, gauntlets with long gloves and thick coats. "Totem Pole Beggar," whose title would later be changed to "Eyes of the Totem," would be the second film produced by the H.C. Weaver Productions studio. It would begin filming on March 8, 1926, and open at the Broadway Theatre on June 10, 1927. (TDL 3-6-26, p. 1)

Serious motion picture production came to Tacoma- Pierce County near the end of 1924. The administration building, in front, and main building of the H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc. motion picture studio were nearing completion on December 4, 1924. Located on 5.5 acres at the end of Sixth Avenue near Titlow Beach, the H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc., studio had the northwest's largest floor space without supporting pillars. Construction began in early October, 1924, and was completed in late December of that year at a cost of $50,000. The administration bldg. contained executive offices, a projection room, 15 star dressing rooms and dressing rooms for extras. Furnace rooms were built at each end of the main building to make the stage evenly heated. There were no windows in the main building; the studio decided to make use of artificial lightning when filming inside. An elaborate formal dedication, open to the public, was held on December 14, 1924. (TDL 11-9-24, E-8, 12-14-24, B-1) Boland B11464

H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc. (Tacoma); Motion picture studios--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma--1920-1930;

H.C. Weaver Productions motion picture studio under construction on December 4, 1924. One car is parked on the grounds of the construction site; studio was located on 5.5 acres near Titlow Beach. The formal dedication of the first motion picture studio in the Northwest was scheduled for December 14th, ten days after this photograph was taken. The $50,000 studio, constructed by the firm of Albertson, Cornell Bros. & Walsh, was not yet completed. Scaffolding is still in place on the walls of the main building which would be built sans windows. The lower structure in front of the main building would be the administration unit, containing executive offices, projection room, dressing rooms for the stars and extras. The studio would be 105 ft by 180 ft with a 52 foot ceiling. It would have the largest floor in the Northwest without supporting pillars. Only two larger floors were available, both in Hollywood. Weaver was one of a handful of independent studios capable of handling all aspects of film production, including developing and titling. The studio closed after only four years of operation in 1928; the building was converted into a dance hall in 1932 but was destroyed by fire on August 24, 1932. (TDL 11-9-24, E-8, 12-14-24, B-1) Boland-B11465, BU-13758, TPL-8181

H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc. (Tacoma); Motion picture studios--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma--1920-1930;

On August 21, 1926, H.T. Moore of the Moore Amusement Company, owner of the Rialto and Colonial Theaters, joined forces with the new Pacific Northwest Theaters Inc. Moore, left, is shown shaking hands with Harry C. Arthur of Los Angeles, president of the new organization, in front of H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc., movie studio at Titlow Beach. H.C. Weaver, head of the studio, stands with his hands in pocket, on far right in this sepia photograph. Left to right, the group includes J.F. Douglas, Moore, G. C. Kirley, Arthur, L.S. Hamm and Weaver. The group, which was organized to consolidate motion picture distribution in the Pacific Northwest, was touring the studio. The studio was built in 1924. Weaver Productions hoped to lure Hollywood to film extensively in the Northwest; however, the studio apparently only made three motion pictures in their four-year existence. It closed in 1928 and was later converted into a dance hall in 1932 before being destroyed by fire that same year. Boland B15513, BU-13759, TPL-8182 (TNT 8/23/1926, pg. 6)

Motion picture studios--Tacoma; Weaver, H.C.; Shaking hands--Tacoma; H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc. (Tacoma);