Large tanks are being carefully loaded onto trucks by the Sunnen Crane Service on behalf of the George R. Marvin Co., steel fabricators, on August 9, 1954. The crane is in the process of lifting one tank; another tank has already been positioned onto a truck for delivery. The Marvin Co. handled fabricated steel products, API-ASME code tanks, boiler repairs and custom fabrication. They were located in the Tideflats at 1601 Taylor Way.

George R. Marvin Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Storage tanks--Tacoma; Hoisting machinery; Sunnen Auto Freight & Heavy Hauling Co. (Tacoma);

Addition to women's dormitory. Work continues on the addition to Anderson Hall, the women's dormitory on the campus of the College of Puget Sound in July, 1954. An expanding student population necessitated the construction of many new buildings on the North Warner Street location. Charles McPhail of McPhail Engineering Co. was the general contractor and the addition was designed by local architect, Silas Nelsen. Work was completed in about ten months with an open house being held in November, 1954.

Progress photographs; Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--Buildings;

Keys for the new Peninsula School District buses are exchanged between the foursome standing in front of the buses on July 25, 1954. Five International Harvester buses were purchased by the school district to transport their growing enrollment. Photograph ordered by International Harvester Co.

School buses--Gig Harbor; Peninsula High School (Gig Harbor); Public schools--Gig Harbor; International Harvester Co. (Tacoma);

On August 13, 1954, Tacoma Mayor Harold Tollefson (second from left) presented Air Force General T. Alan Bennett and his wife with a special proclamation declaring them "Tacoma Citizens in Absentia." The Bennett family was being transferred to Fairbanks and Tacoma would sorely miss them. Because the Bennetts were the sort of "neighborly, friendly type of people" Tacoma wanted as residents, the proclamation urged their speedy return. This photograph was taken at the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce offices in the Winthrop Hotel.

Tollefson, Harold M., 1908-1985; Mayors--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bennett, T. Alan; Bennett, T. Alan--Family; Generals--United States; Proclamations;

Two long strings of Armour freight cars extend as far as the eye can see on July 27, 1954. This photograph was taken in Seattle; these freight cars, on separate tracks, are possibly loaded with Armour meats ready for delivery. The cars are refrigerated so that perishables could be transported without fear of spoilage. Photograph ordered by Armour Packing Co. TPL-10069

Armour & Co. (Seattle); Railroad freight cars--Seattle;

Smoke billows out of three smokestacks at one of Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel's Seattle plants on July 27, 1954; two other smokestacks are quiet. Bethlehem Steel produced much of the steel used in well-known landmarks: the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and the Alaskan Way Viaduct. They had several locations in Seattle including a Rolling Mill, Bolt & Nut Dept., Tank Farm, and Mill Depot. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp., Seattle.

Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle); Smokestacks--Seattle;

In July of 1954 two Blake, Moffitt & Towne delivery trucks were photographed while being loaded with paper products in the company's new warehouse at 1157 Thorne Road. The new building had wooden ramps that made it possible for the trucks to back into the loading area, under cover and out of the wind and weather. Blake, Moffitt & Towne, one of the oldest paper and stationary companies on the west coast, opened in Tacoma in 1943 when they took over the Tacoma Paper Company. The Tacoma division was one of sixteen units the company maintained in six western states. They closed their warehouse in Tacoma around 1971. (TNT 7-18-54, C-15)

Blake, Moffitt & Towne, Inc. (Tacoma); Paper industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Warehouses--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Allen Lehman, master brewer, and Neil Andrews, kettle man, employees of the Silver Springs Brewing Co. are possibly doing some product testing on August 23,1954. Enormous brew kettle #1 is in the picture's foreground; it could brew over 150 barrels in one-eight hour shift. The Silver Springs Brewing Co. was located at 105 E. 26th and managed by Lyle L. Lane. They were listed as brewers of Old Style Pilsener Beer in the 1954 City Directory. Photograph ordered by the Condon Co, advertising. (TNT 9-3-54, C-14) TPL-8590

Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Silver Springs Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Lehman, Allen; Andrews, Neil; Kettles;

The Boedecker Chimney Construction Co. was owned and operated by Fred R. Boedecker and built many chimneys for industrial plants, among other customers. Workers are photographed on July 27, 1954, near the top of a new chimney constructed for Bethlehem Steel in Seattle. Power lines cross the nearby rooftop. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp., Seattle.

Chimneys--Seattle; Boedecker Chimney Construction Co. (Tacoma); Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp. (Seattle);

Interior beauty salon. The Grandchamp Beauty Salon in Seattle offered the latest in modern equipment to its discerning customers in July, 1954. Comfortable padded wide-bodied chairs were provided so the customer could relax while having her hair dried and possibly permed. Current fashion magazines like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar were within reach; an ashtray was positioned on a tri-legged table for smokers' benefit. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Beauty Supply Co.

Grandchamp Beauty Salon (Seattle); Beauty shops--Seattle; Hair dryers; Tacoma Beauty Supply Co. (Tacoma);

Bold checkered linoleum highlights the selection of Frigidaire appliances at Schoenfeld's Furniture in September, 1954. The white stoves and refrigerators gleam when contrasted with the darker flooring. Schoenfeld's occupied a multi-level skyscraper so there was room enough for many displays without the customer feeling close and crowded. There was always much to choose from Schoenfeld's selections in a wide variety of prices and styles.

L. Schoenfeld & Sons (Tacoma); Home furnishings stores--Tacoma; Appliances;

In September of 1954, there was no doubt as to which business occupied 1423 Pacific Avenue--Schoenfeld's blazed their name in massive letters on both sides of the historic Sandberg Building. Owned by L. Schoenfeld & Sons, the furniture and home furnishings store was a downtown fixture for over ninety years. Brothers Herbert and Ralph Schoenfeld were the owners; they were the sons of Louis Schoenfeld who started the business in 1848. They offered the latest styles in furniture, appliances and home decoration. This photograph is of the exterior of the building showing new display windows and a brand new marquee extending the length of the building, including the new adjacent four story addition. Schoenfeld's finally closed its doors in November, 1996. The building was purchased and renovated by Total Renal Care in 1998; they later changed their name to DaVita. (TNT 9-12-54, B-2) TPL-6242

L. Schoenfeld & Sons (Tacoma); Home furnishings stores--Tacoma; Furniture stores--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Television department-Schoenfeld's. Schoenfeld's was a downtown fixture for ninety-four years. Occupying the oldest reinforced concrete skyscraper on the West Coast, it had a well-known reputation for quality goods and service. There was always a wide selection of merchandise to choose from; view of television sets on display on the sixth floor. An August 26, 1954, News Tribune article mentioned that there were 362,000 black and white television sets in the Puget Sound region. Shoppers could certainly have purchased one of those sets from Schoenfeld's. (TNT 8-26-54, D-4)

L. Schoenfeld & Sons (Tacoma); Home furnishings stores--Tacoma; Televisions--1950-1960;

The living room of Joe L. Long, Jr.'s residence takes full advantage of the beautiful lakeview through the expansive glass picture windows. The contemporary styled home appears to be two-storied as it has an elevated view of the waterfront. The large living room comes equipped with enormous brick fireplace; exposed beams bring in a touch of the northwest into the home. Photograph ordered by Timber Structures, Inc., Portland, Oregon.

Living rooms--Lakewood--1950-1960; Fireplaces; Lamps; Long, Joe L.--Homes & haunts; Timber Structures, Inc. (Portland, Or.);

The National Lead Co. opened a new store at the corner of South "M' St. and Center in July, 1954. An ad in the News Tribune dated August 20, 1954, welcomed shoppers to the Dutch Boy Paint Store; the store may have changed its name after that date. It specialized in a full line of quality Dutch Boy Paints, wallpaper, and painting supplies. Floyd Chapman was listed as manager in the 1955 City Directory; he had previously been listed as the manager of the Dutch Boy Paint Store on A Street in the 1954 City Directory. View of exterior of paint store with neon sign, large plate glass windows allowing customers to see store's merchandise of brushes and paint cans. Special events at the grand opening included a home decorating show, free drawings for prizes, gardenias for the ladies and balloons for the kids. (TNT 8-20-54, p. 21- Ad)

National Lead Co. (Tacoma); Dutch Boy Paint Store (Tacoma); Paint industry--Tacoma; Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Sears, Roebuck held a summer appliance sale on the rooftop parking area of their parking center at 1140-50 Court C in August of 1954. During the summer clearance sale customers could save up to $72 on a Kenmore washer and $81 on a Kenmore dryer. Wringers, refrigerators and chest freezers were also on sale. Beyond the parking garage further up the South 13th Street hill can be seen: the Dewey Hotel, 1308 Market Street; the Coliseum Bowling Alley, 407 South 13th; and (top right, just beyond the bowling sign) the Crescent Ballroom, 1308-10 Fawcett Avenue. The brick building at top center is the Eagles Hall, 1305-07 Fawcett Ave.; it was demolished in April of 2007 several days after its roof collapsed.

Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Tacoma); Washing machines; Appliances;

Tacoma Bread Co.'s main product appeared to be their Kream Krust Bread. It was heavily advertised on both the wholesale bakery's building and on their fleet of delivery trucks. Employees of Tacoma Bread stand proudly alongside the neatly aligned row of trucks on a foggy August, 1954, morning. The company was owned and operated by the Manthou family, with Mrs. Irene Manthou listed as president-treasurer in the 1954 City Directory. They had been at their (then) Center St. location for over 20 years. Begun as a small one-man shop by owner Chris Manthou, Tacoma Bread had expanded to a 37-employee bakery by 1954. It was Tacoma's oldest bakery. (TNT 8-30-54, p. 9) TPL-9774

Tacoma Bread Co. (Tacoma); Bakeries--Tacoma--1950-1960; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Signs (Notices);

School principals and directors for the Tacoma School District are all smiles as they pose for a group portrait on August 31, 1954, prior to the start of the 1954-55 school year. The names of these individuals are listed in a brief News Tribune article dated September 8, 1954. (TNT 9-8-54, p. 12)

Tacoma Public Schools (Tacoma); Group portraits; School principals--Tacoma--1950-1960; Central School (Tacoma);

Members of the Edward Rhodes Post No. 2's Last Man Club met for their annual reunion banquet in the Rhodes Memorial Hall on November 12, 1954. Honored attendees were past commanders of the American Legion post who served in WW1. Ten flags are draped over empty chairs in front of the group of men, to honor those commanders who had passed away. A special guest from California was expected to be Frederick J. Shaw, the first commander of Post #2 in 1919, who would be attending the reunion for the first time. The post's Last Man Club was founded in 1937. (TNT 11-7-54, D-15)

American Legion Edward B. Rhodes Post No. 2 (Tacoma); Patriotic societies--Tacoma--1950-1960; Flags--United States; Last Man Club (Tacoma);

A little girl touches a stuffed animal whose head emerges from a toy storage unit in a September 20, 1954, photograph. A variety of toys are scattered on the floor including a football helmet, glove, drum, dolls and books. These are probably going to be picked up and stored in the two wooden toy boxes. The boxes have wheels and are marked "delivery truck" and "moving van". It would make cleaning up faster and more fun as the toy chests are mobile; the child would be in charge of "driving" to pick up or deliver her toys. The "vehicles" could then be parked under the wooden desk for convenient storage. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Children playing with toys--Tacoma--1950-1960; Toys;

Plywood was a versatile product. It seemed like you could make anything out of plywood, including these charming store window Christmas cutouts. Two little wooden children, mouths wide open, are singing Christmas carols. This particular store was offering free Christmas plans using fir plywood for gifts, decorations and toys. A do-it-yourselfer could use the plans to create similar cutouts and then paint them in whichever colors he desired. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Gaye Titcomb, an Annie Wright senior, smilingly glances down at her matching makeup accessories in a September 23, 1954, sepia photograph. The compact, lipstick, lipstick case and small bag appear to have an identical jeweled theme. She is dressed in a lovely white nylon lace peignoir over petticoats of multicolored ruffles. Photograph ordered by the News Tribune for the Fall Fashion layouts. (TNT 9-28-54, C-5) TPL-9347

Fashion models--Tacoma--1950-1960; Women--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1950-1960; Titcomb, Gaye;

On October 2, 1954, two couples from the Lakewood Dance Club took a load off their feet and sat back to admire the high-stepping dancing boots of "Gold Rush Girl" Mrs. Earl Davidson. The "Alaska Gold Rush Dance" was held in the Recreation Hall at the Lakewood Center. The sourdoughs and their best gals were, left to right, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Cooley, Mrs. and Mrs. Gordon Bennett (holding a couple of gold bricks) and Mr. and Mrs. Earl Davidson. Two amusing posters are behind the smiling group; the cartoons poke fun at the rugged, and unattached, gold miners. Photograph ordered by the News Tribune. (TNT 10-9-54, p. 5)

Lakewood Dance Club (Lakewood); Balls (Parties)--Lakewood--1950-1960; Costumes; Posters; Cooley, Bill--Family; Bennett, Gordon--Family; Davidson, Earl--Family;

Exterior of school. Various local schools were photographed on October 24, 1954, on behalf of Ostruske-Murphy, Inc., contractors. This may be part of Browns Point School on 51st St. N.E. The buildings were constructed with flat roofs, long rectangular lines, and many multi-paned windows. A sign urging voters to cast their ballots on behalf of good schools is already on site despite the fact the election is not until May 18th.

Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Signs (Notices); Ostruske-Murphy, Inc. (Tacoma);

A proud and happy group of school patrol leaders pose in front of Dupont School on October 1, 1954. The boys and girls all sport sashes with patrol badges pinned on them. School patrols provided protection for children walking to school by keeping a close eye on oncoming traffic; they may have had other duties as well. School administrative staff and honored guests were invited to join the children in the above photograph. One man seated in the front row holds a plaque with engraved names.

School children--Dupont; Dupont School Patrol (Dupont);

Evergreens could be used year round as decorations for both indoor and outdoor locations. Although it is only September, this home has an evergreen swag on the front door and evergreens serving as a border around the doorway and windows. L & L Evergreen also had a thriving business in shipping fresh evergreens across the country in time for the Christmas season. The company was founded in 1938 by Tony Lipoma and had its headquarters in Puyallup next to the Meridian Street Bridge. Trees were freshly cut from the 980 acre Lipoma Tree Farm near Firgrove. Thousands of Yule trees and 3,000 hand-made artistic decorations, including cedar garlands, wreaths, swags and charms, are worked on per day by L & L Evergreen employees. Photograph ordered by L & L Evergreen. (TNT 11-21-54, D-14)

Christmas decorations; L & L Evergreen (Puyallup);

A large wooden Santa seems to wave his arm in friendly greeting as he maintains his post on the lawn of a 1950s style rambler. A wreath and decorated fir tree help to promote the holiday season. Components of this Santa came from a kit; with step-by-step instructions, individuals could easily build and paint these cutouts. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Christmas decorations; Plywood; Handicraft; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

The Miller Construction Co. built many homes in the Skyline Terrace housing development in the 1950's. Each lot had beautiful views of either the city lights, Narrows or Olympic Mountains. The contemporary home at 1101 Lenore Drive would not be an exception. It was labeled the "Idea Home of the Year" and probably contained many new innovations. Designed by Cleveland architects Robert A. Little & Associates, it merited a 19 page listing in the September, 1954, Better Homes & Gardens magazine. View of home's fenced back yard; patio has a small section set aside for a small tree surrounded by concrete block. The 1955 City Directory listed its owner as Fremont C. and Virginia Gault; Mr. Gault was an executive with Weyerhaeuser Timber. Photograph ordered by Miller Construction Co., Inc. (TNT 9-19-54, E-7)

Gault, Fremont C.--Homes & haunts; Miller Construction Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Operations at Heidelberg Brewing Co. were highly mechanized by the mid-1950's. A second brewing line was installed in the summer of 1954 which doubled the brewhouse capacity. Here a brewery employee keeps a careful eye on his large machine which appears to be in the bottling section. Photograph ordered by the Radio Corps. of America.

Machinery; Heidelberg Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The home at 1101 Lenore Dr. was built as a model home by Miller Construction Co. It was located in the modern Skyline Terrace housing subdivision where all lots had beautiful views of either the water, mountains or city lights. This particular home was called the "Home for All America" and was later purchased by Fremont C. Gault. Space was set aside in the home for a display of home designs, photographs, pamplets and an architectural model of a new house for interested home buyers. Photograph ordered by Miller Construction Co. (TNT 9-19-54, E-7)

Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Architectural models; Miller Construction Co., Inc. (Tacoma);