Streets of downtown Tacoma appear quiet on a Sunday in April, 1961. A few people stand near Bender's Ready to Wear clothing store for women and men located in the Bernice Building in the 1100 block of Pacific Avenue. Both the Bernice and the adjoining Pacific First Federal Building would be but a memory shortly as they would be torn down to make way for a modern Pacific First Federal Savings location. Photograph taken from the third floor of the Washington Building on behalf of Pacific First Federal Savings & Loan.

Bernice Building (Tacoma); Pacific First Federal Building (Tacoma); Bender's (Tacoma);

Exterior of Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In. Directional arrows guide hungry customers to the Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In on February 16, 1961. This was the second Busch's restaurant in the Tacoma area; the first was the longtime establishment famous for its car hops located on South Tacoma Way. Busch's Sixth Avenue was designed by Percy G. Ball and built in 1960. It featured covered parking and walkway along with dine-in service. TPL-5805

Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In Restaurant (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Signs (Notices);

View of one-story Pacific First Federal Savings building on March 14, 1961. Clock mounted on building indicates it was nearly 3:30 in the afternoon when this photograph of the Villa Plaza branch was taken. Pacific First Federal was a mutual savings institution with branches in the Northwest; established in 1907, its headquarters were in downtown Tacoma. Rudolph J. Tollefson, assistant vice-president, was listed in the 1961 City Directory as being in charge of the Villa Plaza location.

Pacific First Federal Savings & Loan Association (Lakewood); Clocks & watches;

School office. The school office of Bellevue's Lake Hills Elementary is empty for the moment in this April, 1961, photograph. The principal's office was apparently directly behind the front counter. An additional desk, probably the school secretary's, is next to a wall of windows. The theme of wooden ceiling beams continues in the office as in the school's gymnasium/auditorium. Photograph ordered by Vanzant, Dugdale & Co., Baltimore, MD.

Public schools--Bellevue; Offices--Bellevue;

Two children sit calmly and engage in reading while in an underground bomb shelter on July 14, 1961. Mrs. Frederick C. Pneuman and 9-year-old Marilyn Emmerick sit on a large wooden bench while Marilyn's brother, Richard, makes himself comfortable on a folding chair to read a copy of "The Cat in the Hat." The children were neighbors of the Pneumans in whose yard the underground shelter was placed. Wooden shelves are filled with first aid supplies, large cans of food, pots, radio, clock and even toys. There is a thin woven rug on the plywood floor. A painting on the wall along with a warm plaid blanket are two touches that help to make the confined space more welcoming. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (TNT 9-3-61, A-6)

Air raid shelters--Fircrest; Children reading & writing--Fircrest--1960-1970; Emmerick, Marilyn; Emmerick, Richard;

Armed Forces Night at the Elks Club. On May 24, 1961, the Tacoma Elks Club hosted various members of the military to a formal dinner. Guests included both high ranking brass and younger uniformed men. Seated in rear of photograph are L-R John H. Anderson, former mayor of Tacoma, Major General William Train, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, and Robert Holder, Elks exalted ruler. Photograph ordered by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Tacoma Lodge No. 174. (TNT 5-25-61, A-3)

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Tacoma Lodge No. 174 (Tacoma); Fraternal organizations--Tacoma--1960-1970; Anderson, John H.; Train, William; Holder, Robert;

This photograph taken for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association in July of 1961, at the height of the cold war, shows the relative comfort of life in a backyard fallout shelter. Furnished with shelves and benches made of plywood, the shelter has many of the supplies recommended by local civil defense authorities for survival including a portable radio, a first aid kit, instant coffee, and books and toys for the kids. Mrs. Frederick C. Pneuman reaches to turn on a battery powered radio while Richard and Marilyn Emmerick, neighborhood children, relax close by. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (TNT 9-3-61, A-6)

Bombproof construction; Air raid shelters; Civil defense--Fircrest; Atomic bombs; Nuclear fallout; Children reading & writing; Children playing with toys; Children & radio;

These five young bowlers happily displayed their trophies in May of 1961. They were the Villa Bowl bantam team that won the Western Division Championship of the 16th National Team Mail-O-Graphic tournament held at the Villa Bowl in Lakewood. The boys went on to earn 124th place at nationals. Left to right are Bradley Clevinger, Evan MacKay, Sam Munro, Jerroll Theuer and Jim MacKay who are standing in front of the Villa Bowl, a 24-lane bowling alley, in Lakewood's Villa Plaza Shopping Center. Photograph ordered by Villa Bowl. (TNT 6-11-61, B-14)

Bowlers--Lakewood; Awards; Clevinger, Bradley; MacKay, Evan; Munro, Sam; Theuer, Jerroll; MacKay, Jim; Villa Bowl (Lakewood);

View of bark conveyer at St. Regis' Tacoma plant. One small log is resting on side of conveyer belt. Fibre Making Processes, Inc., had its 12 foot barking drum installed in early July, 1961. Photograph ordered by Fibre Making Processes, Inc., Chicago.

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1960-1970; Paper industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Machinery;

The discharge end of a new Fibre Making Processes, Inc., barking drum with view of discharge gate and cut small logs; barking drum located at St. Regis Paper Co.'s Tacoma plant. The bark would be removed by abrasive action of the rotating mechanical drum. Photograph ordered by Fibre Making Processes, Inc., Chicago.

St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1960-1970; Paper industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Machinery;

Royal Pacific

Aerial photographs taken on June 21, 1961, of the Port of Tacoma show several boats docked, awaiting possible loading of the logs stacked on shore or in log dumps. This particular waterway was not identified. Photograph ordered by Export Pacific, Inc., 900 Milwaukee Waterway.

Aerial photographs; Port of Tacoma (Tacoma); Boats--Tacoma; Logs;

ca. 1961. Man overlooks sea of trees. This is one of the heavily timbered areas in south central Washington from which St. Regis harvests logs for its Klickitat sawmill. Mount Adams is on the left; Mount Rainier on the right. This picture was used in the 1961 St. Regis annual report. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie, industrial consultant. (1961 St. Regis Annual Report, p. 26)

Trees--Washington; Adams, Mount (Wash.); Rainier, Mount (Wash.);

Four new and old GMC trucks parked outside of Turner Towing on June 24, 1961. The tow trucks are ready to assist travelers with their automobile troubles. Each truck is clearly marked with the company's phone number, MA7-0077, and company symbol, a dragon with the words "White Drag-In" written on the truck doors. A large neon sign is attached to the two-story building housing the Turner Towing Co. Photograph ordered by Irwin-Jones Motor Co.

Trucks--Tacoma--1960-1970; Turner Towing Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1962. Mr. and Mrs. Valentine Weisgerber, circa 1962.

Weisgerber, Valentine; Weisgerber, Valentine--Family;

ca. 1962. Weisgerber family, circa 1962. Mr. and Mrs. Valentine Weisgerber with sons Tony, Leo and George Weisgerber and daughters Roberta Jackson, Pauly Miller and Irene Wilmonth.

Weisgerber, Valentine; Weisgerber, Valentine--Family; Families--Tacoma--1960-1970;

ca. 1961. Copy of customer print. An example of an easy-to-assemble, strong but lightweight, sawhorse is the Sturdi-Bilt Sawhorse. Made of plywood, each Sturdi-Bilt box came with two demountable sawhorses. Even a novice do-it-yourselfer could put together the sawhorses in seconds. Photograph ordered by Cole & Weber advertisers.

Sawhorses; Plywood;

St. Regis Paper Co. employee leans over a Langston machine on September 29, 1961. Man appears to be working with small roll of kraft paper. The Samuel M. Langston Co. made machines, basically rewinders, for the corrugated container industry. Based in Camden, N.J., they were in operations for more than one hundred years. Photograph ordered by the Samuel Langston Co.

Machinery; Paper industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1960-1970;

September 22, 1961, informal portrait of Martin C. Cozard. Mr. Cozard was the district manager of State Farm Insurance. He is shown at his executive desk in his office at 2518 So. 38th St. Plaques and photographs decorate the walls of his office along with ashtray, lighter, pen & pencil set, and family photos on large laminated desk.

Cozard, Martin C.; Portraits;

Children eating breakfast with mom standing by. This is possibly an example of the "great room" concept whereby the living room and kitchen area blend in seamlessly. The little boy and girl, bowls of cereal before them, are seated before a long wooden curved counter that extends slightly into the living room; the other side of the counter has kitchen cabinets and drawers below it. Other eyecatching features include a recessed wall to fit a small sofa and to highlight family photos and a long beam providing a silent demarcation between the two living spaces. Photograph ordered by the Weyerhaeuser Co.

Houses--1960-1970; Living rooms; Kitchens; Eating & drinking;

Group portrait of Automotive Technical Training Council graduates and guests, taken on November 9, 1961. All school graduates and their guests were eligible to attend meetings of the Automotive Technical Training Council, held on the second Thursday of each month at the ATTC Center at 3825 Yakima Avenue South. Louie Brulc and R.W. Hite were directors of training for the center. The ATTC was an organization of automotive servicemen dedicated to the establishment of uniform procedures in automotive serving and restoration of public confidence in quality automotive repair. (TNT 11-9-61, C-1 -full page ad)

Meetings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Automotive Technical Training Council (Tacoma); Signs (Notices);

Night exposure of Weisfield's. Weisfield's, a credit jeweler, was located for many years in the 900 block of Broadway. Under the direction of John Lade, general contractor, the store underwent extensive exterior and interior remodeling in 1961. An August 31, 1961, night exposure of Weisfield's facade shows that exterior remodeling was not quite complete. A desire by general manager Jack Gruber for "something out of the ordinary" lead to an unusual mosaic facade, part of the $150,000 renovation of the 45-year-old Tacoma firm. (TNT 9-6-61, A-6,7)

Weisfield's, Inc. (Tacoma); Jewelry stores--Tacoma--1960-1970; Facades--Tacoma--1960-1970; Electric signs--Tacoma--1960-1970;

ca. 1907. This view of the west side of the 5200 block of South Tacoma Way dates from about 1907. The Red Front Saloon stands on the extreme left with large signs that advertise full measures sold of Old Taylor, Sunny Brook, King Kentucky and Old Crow, all at reasonable prices. Furnished rooms and lodging could also be obtained upstairs at the Red Front. Other nearby businesses included a tobacco shop, the Mechanics Exchange, the brick Peter Leonard Block building and a rooming house. This block would later be the approximate site of Steve's Gay '90s Restaurant. The bar from the Red Front Saloon was relocated to Steve's. (Photograph ordered by Steve's.) TPL-4762, TPL-5709.

Red Front Saloon (Tacoma); Bars--Tacoma--1900-1910; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Signs (Notices);