ca. 1932. This is the Shaub-Ellison Building, 1902 Pacific Ave., circa 1932. The super-service station, a Goodyear franchise, opened at the beginning of the year. Partners Charlie Ellison and Roe Shaub started business in 1920 at 7th & Commerce before moving to the Pacific Avenue location. This was their only location throughout the Depression and WWll. The University of Washington would purchase the property in 1993 for their Tacoma campus and the Art Deco-styled building was demolished in 1995. (History of Pierce County, Washington, Vol. 1, p. 436)
ca. 1931. Built in 1901 by J.E. Bonnell for the Sunset Telephone Co., this building was later occupied by Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. It is on the list of City and National Registry sites. This photograph was taken about 1931.
ca. 1931. Broadway businesses. This is how one side of Broadway appeared circa 1931. The Warburton Building at 1101-03 (far left) was the first concrete building erected in Tacoma. It housed the French Drug Co. on the lower level and the E.R. Parker Painless Dentists above. At the near right was the equally tall Montgomery Ward & Co. store, in the New York Building (1117-19), the former home of the Horgan-Parker and Fair Department Stores. Between the two tall structures were smaller businesses including the Broadway Electric Co. and Kimball's Gun Store.
A Medosweet milkman, carrying a load of bottles, is on his way to deliver milk on this sunny morning in this undated Chapin Bowen photograph. He has parked his small insulated truck and left the door ajar. Medosweet Dairies, a merger of the Royal Ice Cream & Milk Co. and the Producers Dairy, had a modernized plant located at South 25th & Pacific Avenue. It emphasized its pure milk products and adherence to strict standards of cleanliness as far back as 1928. Medosweet had a laboratory, the first of its kind in Tacoma, to guarantee the highest quality of their products, including milk, cream and buttermilk. The company's pasterurized milk was delivered to home and chosen grocers the same day it was brought in by the firm's selected producers. Customers could be assured that their milk was fresh.
ca. 1929. Conjunction of Pacific Ave., and Commerce, Jefferson and South 17th Streets circa 1929. At the far left edge is the Carlton Hotel, 1552 Jefferson Ave. The building at 1701 Commerce St. (near lower center) was built on the site of the old Northern Pacific Railroad passenger station, dubbed "Villard Depot," which was subsequently moved across the street and demolished in 1909. The Teamsters & Chauffers Hiring Hall occupied the 1701 Commerce St. address from 1928-1977. In the 1500 block of Pacific Ave. (center) are the Hotel Croft and other businesses. Puget Sound National Bank's familiar spire is in the center background.
ca. 1935. This is an aerial view of South 43rd and "L" Sts. circa 1935. South "L" runs horizontally in front of the Engine House No. 8 (4301 South "L"). The fire station was built in 1909, replacing the original which had moved to 4102 South "M." Neighboring lots appear small with many trees. BU-2125
Members of the Yamamoto family posed in front of their residence on June 7, 1931. Gentleman with the glasses and is Mr. Kichigiro "Kay" Yamamoto and to his right his wife, Masae. Children from left to right: Margaret, Edit, Katherine, George and Ray. Source: Sullivan, Michael "Legacy, part 3" Tacoma History Live Blog, July 31, 2019.
Several members of the Yamamoto family posed for a group portrait on June 7, 1931 on the front steps of Mr. Kichigiro "Kay" Yamamoto's house at 3220 54th Ave E in Fife. Mr. Yamamoto in the light colored suit wearing spectacles right behind what appear to be a bride and groom. His wife, Masae, in the second row far left. Their children in the front row from left to right: Ray, Katherine, Margaret, George and Edith. Source: Sullivan, Michael "Legacy, part 3" Tacoma History Live Blog, July 31, 2019.
Undated photograph of a very large group of children and a few adults who had apparently taken a special excursion. Three buses in background. Location unknown. Due to clothing styles, this photograph may have been taken roughly in the 1920s or 30's.
N Yakima Avenue at N Carr Street, looking west up the small hill, taken on January 16, 1927. Grassy strip on the right with small bare trees and lamppost. Paved street at center turns up an incline; houses on both sides.
For 17 years Al Pentecost, general foreman at the Milwaukee shops, had kept a single bottle of Rainier pale beer on ice in his ice box. He had purchased a case of the beer in 1915 before Washington State went dry. Only a single bottle remained of the case which Mr. Pentecost faithfully kept cool, replacing the ice frequently. With State Initiative 61 effective on December 8, 1932, repealing the bone dry law, Mr. Pentecost decided to finally crack open the beer bottle. He proclaimed it as good as the day he bought it with plenty of suds. Mr. Pentecost resided at 3708 North Madison St. (T.Times 12-8-32, p. 1,11)
ca. 1931. Jack Estes, a photographer for the commercial photography studio McIntire & Davenport, 315 1/2 S. 9th, takes a picture of an unidentified man posing behind a political cartoon. The cartoon shows Herbert Hoover, and the G.O.P. "On the Skid Road".
ca. 1930. The Medical Rheumatic Center at 114 South 24th in Tacoma was run by Dr. William H. Goering. A sign on their concrete/stone building indicated they treated joint diseases. G18.1-049 (filed under BU-12914)
ca. 1930. Bethesda Baptist Church, 4340 So. L St., Tacoma, as photographed circa 1930. Built in 1907 as the Home Telephone Co. substation; Russell and Babcock, architects. The building was remodeled in 1926 by Silas E. Nelsen for the Bethesda Church. Address was formerly 4338 So. L St.; alternate address 1201 S. 45th
ca. 1941. Circa 1941 aerial view of the business district of Tacoma at night clearly showing the buildings on Pacific Ave. between 9th and 11th on the east side of the street. Buildings shown include: the Anderson building (1001-05 Pacific), the Bank of California (1011-1013 Pacific), and the Washington Building (1019 Pacific). There is a large neon sign for Mobil Gas on top of the Washington Building.
ca. 1932. View of the Roxy Theatre, ca. 1932. "The Thirteenth Guest " was the feature film showing at the Roxy at the time of this photograph. The film was released in 1932 and starred Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot. Movie marquee advertised that there was "Always a better show at your Roxy." Apparently cost of a ticket was 20 cents after 5 p.m. The former RKO Orpheum theater reopened as the Roxy in 1932; it is now known as the Pantages.
Drawing of the modern English-styled home of John H. Abeel. The circa 1927 Stadium area residence was located at 815 No. G St. and was designed by the architectural firm of Heath, Gove & Bell. The lstately arge home had three levels and a basement.
On August 6, 1931 a fire, caused by defective wiring, gutted the building at 1140-42 Broadway. The fire started at 5:55 a.m. on the second floor, in the Johnson Paint and Wallpaper Company store, and quickly spread to the third floor and roof. The fire raged stubbornly for nearly three hours despite the efforts of more than three dozen firefighters. Bowen # 310-277
The RKO Orpheum Theater, 901 Broadway, was decorated with bunting and banners on August 3, 1931, when Frank Capra's newest movie "Dirigible" starring Jack Holt and Fay Wray opened in Tacoma. But the decorations were not for the movie. They were to welcome the U.S. Navy. July 31 to August 7,1931, was "Fleet Week" in Tacoma. Four battleships, two destroyers, and a hospital ship were at anchor in Commencement Bay. (TDL July 31, 1931 p.1) Bowen # 310-274
Cars and trucks line both sides of the 1300 block of Broadway in this photograph from July of 1931. All the buildings on the west side of the street including the Goodwill Store at 1320 Broadway, the Hotel Victoria at 1316 1/2 and the Brenden Hotel at 304 South 13th Street have been demolished. This whole block is currently occupied by the Sheraton Hotel, 1320 Broadway, which opened in 1984. Photograph taken for W.H. Opie & Co. Bowen # 310-266
In July of 1931, the marquee at the RKO Orpheum Theater (now the Pantages) shown brightly in the night advertising Larry Rich & his Oompahs. The Orpheum offered the discriminating viewer both a movie, Richard Dix in the "Public Defender," and a vaudeville style stage show. Band Leader Larry Rich toured the RKO circuit with his own show; he served as master of ceremonies and his band, the Oompahs, backed up the other performers. One of the featured singers was Marion Sunshine. She impersonated popular singers of the day and then sang her own songs, including "The Peanut Vendor," for which she wrote the English lyrics. In addition to creating as a composer and lyricist, Marion Sunshine acted in movies and performed as half of the sister act "Tempest and Sunshine" during her theatrical career. Bowen # 310-26?
In July of 1931, the Veterans of Foreign Wars drum & bugle corps posed in front of the RKO Orpheum Theater (now the Pantages,) 901 Broadway. Behind the group was a sign stating "March with the Veterans of Foreign Wars to the RKO Orpheum to see RKO Vaudeville Larry Rich and Marion Sunshine." A ticket at the Orpheum got you into to see a movie, Richard Dix in the "Public Defender," and a vaudeville show, with headliner Larry Rich and his Oompahs. Larry Rich was a comic bandleader who toured the vaudeville circuit with his own show, featuring his band the 14 Oompahs and singer Marion Sunshine. Ms. Sunshine would impersonate Maurice Chevalier and Ruth Etting and then sing her own songs, including the one for which she penned the English lyrics, "The Peanut Vendor." Larry Rich was the father of jazz drummer and bandleader Buddy Rich. A crowd had gathered between the VFW and the theater. Bowen #310-26 ?
This is how the Center Street Market appeared in the summer of 1931. The short-lived fruit and vegetable market, owned by Wilton W. Kean, was located at the corner of Center and I Street. Its immediate neighbor was the Tacoma Bread Company, 2836 S. I, shown at far right. Tacoma Bread would purchase the market in 1933, tear it down, and build a $10,000 addition to its plant. Photograph taken for Wilton W. Kean. Bowen # 310-255 (Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 10-29-33-article & photograph of Tacoma Bread Co. addition)
This photograph, taken in July of 1931, shows one of the many fruit and vegetable stands that were scattered through South Tacoma. The photograph was taken for Wilton Kean, who owned the Center Street Market at 901 Center, but this is not that stand. The Drive In Market was probably further south - around the corner of 48th and South Tacoma Way. Bowen # 310-255
The Pine, 7052 Pacific Ave, as it appeared in June of 1931. The photograph of the diner was shot at night in heavy rain. Neon sign and sign on roof both proclaim "Dine at the Pine." Bowen # 310-245
The Spot Delicatessen, 2530 Jefferson Ave., as it appeared in June of 1931. The caption reads "A real place to eat." According to the sign left, the specialty of the house was "chicken on toast." Photograph ordered by Mr. Sanwick. Bowen 310-242
Fisher's Department Store, 1104 Broadway. Photograph of crowd several feet deep outside Fisher's store in June of 1931. Vaudeville act in window. Girls in costume, with trumpets, stand on store marquee. Photo for Fox Broadway Theater Bowen # 310-2406
