Panorama of a large, formally dressed standing party.

Panorama of the Japanese-American Citizen's League Inaugural Banquet.

Panorama of 39th Convention of Washington State Federation of Women's Clubs.

Panorama of the United Swiss Singing Society, "1st Saengerfest."

Tacoma Magician's Banquet

Group of young men on the docks outside of a wooden building with a sign that says "Parcels Checked" and another sign advertising hot lunch.

Panorama of the Seventh Annual Meeting of Pacific Northwest Feed Association at the Tacoma Hotel, exhibiting textured wood work of the building's interior.

ca. 1935. Display of gas home appliances at the Tacoma Hotel for the Washington Gas and Electric Company. Sign stating "Gas is Best" on far wall. Columns are topped with ornate carvings of sea creatures, mermaids and faces. The wall clock is inside a ship's wheel. Upper walls are decorated with stencilling and antlered animal heads. Exposed beams and dark wood give the room a heavy, dark look. Dark leather chairs and sofas are scattered about. Appliances displayed are cook stoves, water heaters and refrigerators.

Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Washington Gas & Electric Co. (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1930-1940; Appliances--1930-1940; Water heaters; Stoves--1930-1940; Refrigerators--1930-1940;

ca. 1931. Attendees of a Pacific Coast Gas Association meeting in the garden of the original Tacoma Hotel.

Pacific Coast Gas Association (Tacoma); Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

ca. 1935. The Tacoma Totem Pole at the foot of South 10th Street, near the south side of the original Tacoma Hotel, circa 1935. A painter is suspended from ropes halfway up the pole. Building by McKim, Mead and White, Architects, New York City. The Totem Pole was commissioned by W.F. Sheard and Chester Thorne and presented to the city in 1903. It was carved by two Alaskan carvers in the Haida tribal style. (filed with Argentum)

Tacoma Totem Pole (Tacoma); Totem poles--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

ca. 1935. Close up of unidentified painter as he restores the Tacoma Totem Pole at the foot of South 10th Street, near the south side of the original Tacoma Hotel (building in the background.) Photograph taken around 1935.The Totem Pole was commissioned by W.F. Sheard and Chester Thorne and presented to the city in 1903. It was carved by two Alaskan carvers in the Haida tribal style. (filed with Argentum)

Tacoma Totem Pole (Tacoma); Totem poles--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

ca. 1890. This photograph, made from an old glass plate negative, shows the Tacoma Hotel as it looked in the 1890s. The massive modified Tudor design structure was built in 1884 by F.W. Lewis, contractor, using the architectural plans of McKim, Mead & White/Stanford White. Built of red brick and white stucco with white stone trim, the hotel cost $267,000. It was 300 feet long and five stories high and covered an entire block between 9th & 10th Sts. on A St. in downtown Tacoma. The lavish hotel had a beautiful view of Mount Rainier and Commencement Bay. Over the years guests at the hotel included Sarah Bernhardt, Babe Ruth, Teddy Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge. The showpiece of Tacoma, the hotel was reduced to ruins on October 17, 1935, in a spectacular fire, and never rebuilt. (Copy made on October 3, 1958.) (Martin: Tacoma: A Pictorial History, p. 149) TPL-9500

Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma;

Ruins loom where the once majestic Tacoma Hotel stood after an October 17, 1935 fire ripped through the building leaving only charred remains. The modified Tudor structure built by the architectural firm headed up by Stanford White was a Tacoma landmark since its construction in 1884. Northwestern Dock Co. can be see through the gaping hole in the hotel's wall backed by the industrial waterfront. Businesses on the waterfront include City Lumber Co., Coast Sash & Door Co. and Western Fibre Furniture Co.

Fires--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hotels--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

Tacoma played host to the first Northwest Fire College June 17-20, 1936. The school was an opportunity for professional and volunteer fire departments from across the Northwest to train together and share techniques. The remains of the burned out Tacoma Hotel had been left intact for training. On Thursday, June 18th, 1936, eerie red lights once again glowed inside the hotel as Tacoma's various fire departments sped to the scene. The first floor is well-lit in this night-time exposure. Automobiles are parked in front of the fenced-off hotel. The Balfour dock, destroyed in a January 1936 fire, was also left intact for training. (T. Times 6/19/1936)

Fire fighters--1930-1940; Fire fighting--Tacoma--1930-1940; Northwest Fire College (Tacoma); Fires--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hotels--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

This group of men attending The Transportation Club of Tacoma dinner at the Tacoma Hotel includes nine retired US Customs employees who have served a total of 272 years. Seated are, left to right, William A. (Billy) Fairweather, Puyallup, 31 years; D.C. Imrie, 1314 So. M St., 26 years; F.P. "Paddy" O'Brien, Puyallup, 40 years; and W.B. Bidwell, 2521 So J St, 30 years. Standing, left to right, are John King, Puyallup, 28 years; Lee Carter, 3404 No 25th St., still in service; A. Voligny, 1030 So. Ferry, 30 years in immigration and 3 in customs; W.A. Hagemeyer, 16 years and still in service, showing a customs uniform; and John Harber, Spanaway, 28 years. (T. Times 12/10/1934, pg. 3)

U.S. Customs Bureau--Retirements--1930-1940; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Fairweather, William; Imrie, D.C.; O'Brien, F.P.; Bidwell, W.B.; King, John; Carter, Lee; Voligny, A.; Hagemeyer, W.A.; Harber, John;

P.L.I.B. (Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau) banquet at the Tacoma Hotel, April 1935. The insignia plaque on the back wall indicates that the Tacoma chapter of the Lions Club meets in this room. The room has high beams encompassing stencil edged panels. There is tile work on the right hand wall where the piano is located. Some of the door and window frames appear to be hammered tin. The Tacoma Hotel was designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White and opened on August 8, 1884. Its Tudor spires were the showplace of Tacoma until it was destroyed by fire October 17, 1935, only a few months after this picture was taken. (also cataloged as series L3 image 1)

Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Banquets--Tacoma--1930-1940; Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau (Tacoma);

Undated photograph of unidentified gardener at the original Tacoma Hotel. Photograph was taken probably in the 1920's or early 1930's; the hotel was destroyed by fire in October of 1935.

Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Gardens--Tacoma--1920-1930; Gardening--Tacoma;

Ladies Travelers Society at Tacoma Hotel. Sixteen women pose for the camera; most of them wearing wide brimmed hats that shield their faces. (WSHS)

Hotels--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Ladies Travelers Society (Tacoma);

ca. 1935. Display of gas home appliances at the Tacoma Hotel, for the Washington Gas and Electric Company. Sign reading "Gas is Best" on far wall. Columns are topped with ornate carvings. Appliances displayed are water heaters, refrigerators and cook stoves.

Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Washington Gas & Electric Co. (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1930-1940; Appliances--1930-1940; Water heaters; Stoves--1930-1940; Refrigerators--1930-1940;

Washington State Bottlers Association Banquet at the Tacoma Hotel on February 22, 1934. Many people seated at long tables in room with columns decorated with Viking ship capitols.

Banquets--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Washington State Bottler's Association (Tacoma);

Mud Bay Hunt Club dinner at the Tacoma Hotel. The Tudor Stanford White structure was built in 1884 and burned to the ground in October of 1935.

Mud Bay Hunt Club (Tacoma); Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

Three firefighters, two on a high ladder and one standing amid the buildings ruins, spray water on the charred remains of the Tacoma Hotel, 913 A Street. At 6:19 a.m. on October 17, 1935 a fire broke out in the north end of the basement of Tacoma's most famous hotel. Within ten minutes the flames had spread throughout the north wing of the building. Although virtually every firefighter in Tacoma worked to put out the fire, including most who were off-shift, by 8:00 a.m. the hotel was fully engulfed in flames. The hotel believed by many to be the most beautiful north of San Francisco was totally destroyed.

Fires--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hotels--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Fire fighters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Fire fighting--Tacoma;

ca. 1925. In May of 1925, the Tacoma Hotel at 913 A Street was nearing the completion of a $150,000 remodel and renovation. One of the additions to the venerable hotel was what the News Tribune at the time described as a nine hole golf course on the east lawn overlooking the bay. There was not room enough for a true nine hole course; the hotel's course appears to be a large putting green. In the background, the glass enclosed dining room can be seen. The Tudor style hotel, originally built in 1884, was destroyed by fire on October 17, 1935. (TNT 5/13/1925, pg. 4; TDL 4/12/1927, supplement pg. 6) (WSHS- negative A842-0)

Hotels--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Putting (Golf); Golf--Tacoma--1920-1930; Golfers;

ca. 1926. A group of guests practices their putting on the miniature golf link of the Tacoma Hotel. The nine hole course was part of a $150,000 renovation completed in 1925. It was located on the east side of the hostelry on the lawn overlooking the bay. The Tudor hotel was renowned all up and down the Pacific Coast for its beauty. It was built in 1884 and was designed by Stanford White. It was destroyed by fire on October 17, 1935. (TNT 5/13/1925, pg. 4; TDL 4/12/1927, supplement pg. 6) (WSHS- negative A843- 0)

Hotels--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Putting (Golf); Golf--Tacoma--1920-1930; Golfers;

ca. 1935. The Tacoma Totem Pole, located on the grounds of the Tacoma Hotel. The Tacoma Hotel, opened in 1884, was the showplace of the city. It was designed by the Stanford White architecture firm of McKim, Mead & White. The Totem Pole was commissioned by W.F. Sheard and Chester Thorne and presented to the city in 1903. It was carved by two Alaskan carvers in the Haida tribal style. TPL-2387

Tacoma Totem Pole (Tacoma); Totem poles--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

Ruins of Tacoma Hotel showing interior rubble following the chimney's collapse. (T. Times)..

Disasters - Fires - Building Fires - Building RuinsBuildings - Hotels - The Tacoma Hotel (original)

Clarence Chesterfield, right, also known by his showbiz moniker "Major Mite," shook hands on the steps of the Tacoma Hotel with George B. Stean, the hotel's new manager, in March of 1926. Maj. Mite had stopped in Tacoma on his way from his home in McCleary, Wa. to New York City. He had recently joined the Ringlings Circus as the Worlds Smallest Man. Although he was 18 years old, he measured in at 28 inches high and weighed 21 pounds. McCleary was located in Grays Harbor, about 49 miles southwest of Tacoma and had a population in 1939 of 1200 persons; making the odds of Maj. Mite being born there 1 to 1,500,000. The venerable Tacoma Hotel was built in 1884 and burned to the ground in 1935. (TNT 3/16/1926, pg. 15; T. Times 6/16/1939, pg. 7) (WSHS- negative A697-0)

Dwarfs; Shaking hands--Tacoma; Chesterfield, Clarence; Stean, George B.; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

Undated photograph of unidentified gardener at the original Tacoma Hotel. Photograph was taken probably in the 1920's or early 1930's; the hotel was destroyed by fire in October of 1935.

Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Gardens--Tacoma--1920-1930; Gardening--Tacoma;

Ruins of Tacoma Hotel, showing chimney before collapse. (T. Times).

Disasters - Fires - Building Fires - Building RuinsBuildings - Hotels - The Tacoma Hotel (original)

Remains of the Tacoma Hotel framed starkly by the sky after an October 17, 1935 fire reduced the hotel to ruins.

Fires--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hotels--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);