Interior of Garden Room, Tacoma Hotel, Armand Marion. A view of the exterior of the Garden Room at the Tacoma Hotel. The Garden Room had a separate entrance from the hotel with a stylised neon sign over the doorway. They advertised the "finest of beverages", and "Tacoma's Finest Food and Cocktails".

Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Savage-Scofield Building (Tacoma); Garden Room (Tacoma); Electric signs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Bars--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lounges--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Firestone Auto Supply is providing a free brake inspection to automobile owners. A wrecked car with two large signs above is used to advertise the special. A police car used for accident investigation is parked next to the wreck where five men are looking at one of the front wheels where the brakes may have been the cause of the crash. TPL-9367

Firestone Store (Tacoma); Automobiles--Tacoma--1940-1950; Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Tacoma; Wrecks; Police--Tacoma--1940-1950; Investigation--Tacoma;

Internationally known restaurateur, Trader Vic, had brought his world famous menu items to Tacoma. The Winthrop Hotel and Trader Vic enterprises have remodeled the restaurant site, at an estimated cost of $45,000, and opened up the Sabre Room. View of Mayor C. Val Fawcett (center) with Trader Vic (left) and an unidentified man at the grand opening celebration of the new Trader Vic's Sabre Room, located in the Winthrop Hotel (T.N.T., 9/21/49, p. 2).

Hotels--Tacoma; Restaurants--Tacoma; Events--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Sabre Room (Tacoma); Fawcett, Clarence Valdo, 1900-1965; Bergeron, Victor J.;

National Bank of Washington offered their customers full banking services. In 1949 Ashley M. Gould was an Assistant Vice President and Trust Officer; Harry Anderson was an Assistant Trust Officer; and S. Pritchard Miller was an Assistant Cashier and Assistant Trust Officer. Interior view of the National Bank of Washington, a customer is at the transaction window and another customer is standing on the left side.

Banks--Tacoma; Customer relations; Banking--Tacoma--1940-1950; Bankers--Tacoma; National Bank of Washington (Tacoma)--People;

Fife's Poodle Dog restaurant was opened in 1933, added on and renovated in 1939, demolished and rebuilt in 1949 at the same location. The famous restaurant would be rebuilt once more in 1967. Richard's Commercial Photography would be displaying a photo mural at the restaurant. Interior view of the Poodle Dog restaurant in Fife; view of the Dining Room, showing photographs by Richard's Studio and domed jukebox. TPL-9686

Photographs; Photography--Tacoma; Dining tables; Dining rooms--Fife; Jukeboxes; Murals--Fife; Interior decoration; Restaurants--Fife; Poodle Dog (Fife);

The Last Round Cafe was located at 1516 Broadway in Tacoma's downtown district; this building was built in 1889. The restaurant was owned and operated by William M. Hamilton. Exterior view of the Last Round Cafe; restaurant signs and "Open Day & Nite" signs on windows. Photo ordered by the Washington State Liquor Board for the tavern's liquor license.

Restaurants--Tacoma; Business enterprises--Tacoma; Parking meters--Tacoma--1940-1950; Taverns (Inns)--Tacoma; Signs (Notices); Last Round Cafe (Tacoma);

The Poodle Dog had just rebuilt their restaurant at the same site; this work was completed in 1949. Interior view of the Poodle Dog in Fife, from the west inside new building showing double horseshoe counters, kitchen and waitress area, murals by Richards Commercial Photo Service on walls; structure was replaced by the current building in 1967. Photo ordered by Tacoma Fixture Company, Incorporated. TPL-9683

Soda fountains--Fife; Equipment; Restaurant workers--Fife; Waitresses--Fife; Diners (Restaurants)--Fife; Poodle Dog (Fife); Tacoma Fixture Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

K Street Club was owned and operated by John J. Hafsos and Lawrence J. Corvari. K Street Club was located at 1111 South K Street, in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood. Interior view of K Street Club, a shuffleboard table is set up in the center, jukebox behind the game table, booths on left side, bar and lunch counter on right side; a cash register behind the bar. Photo was ordered by the Washington State Liquor Board, likely for a renewal of their liquor license.

Taverns (Inns)--Tacoma; Bars--Tacoma; Barrooms--Tacoma; Bars (Furniture)--Tacoma; Shuffleboard; K Street Club (Tacoma);

Removing plywood forms on new Washington Hardware Building, DFPA, McCallum. Workmen are loading the plywood forms onto a truck. Washington Hardware was expanding by adding a wholesale and industrial users' warehouse on Puyallup Avenue. The retail and sports' shop that had been in operation 65 years remained at 918-24 Pacific. The new warehouse would have 50,000 square feet one one floor. (TNT, 7/3/1949, p.A-11)

Washington Hardware Co. (Tacoma); Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Building construction--Tacoma--1940-1950; Reinforced concrete construction--Tacoma--1940-1950; Plywood; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Shuffleboard and electric scoreboard at Central Tavern, Champion Sales Distributing Company, Mr. Vern Westby. Two men are trying out the shuffleboard at the Central Tavern. The electric scoring machine is hung on the wall over booths running along one side of the tavern. An edge of the bar and a stool can be seen in the foreground.

Central Tavern (Tacoma); Shuffleboard; Bars--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Interior of new barroom at Mondau's Tug Boat, Andrew's Fixture Company, Andrew Richards. Mondau's, owned by Louie J. Mondau, held a grand opening of the "Wheelhouse Room," an ultra modern cocktail lounge recently completed. Mondau's, having been in business for 25 years, advertised, "A place to bring the Family," with dinners of all kinds, Italian spaghetti, ravioli, famous pizza pie and their new Wheelhouse Room, "the coziest place in town." The remodeled bar has been decorated with a nautical theme. (TNT, 7/20/1949, p.11)

Mondau's Tug Boat Restaurant & Tavern (Tacoma); Bars--Tacoma--1940-1950; Remodeling--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Mueller-Harkins Buick Agency, general view from southwest. Sign of Walker Apartments at far left of photo. Photograph taken on June 23, 1949. Ordered by Bonnell Construction Company.

Mueller-Harkins Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Electric signs--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Floor of Olympus Hotel Lobby, Stebner's, Inc., Ed Keenan. A workman is applying an adhesive on top of a tile floor, preparing to lay asphalt tile. Three arcade machines are seen at the end of the hall. Stebner's dealt in floor coverings, wall coverings, linoleum, rugs, carpets, asphalt tile, rubber tile, and household appliances. They were located at 3010 Sixth Ave.

Olympus Hotel (Tacoma); Stebner's, Inc. (Tacoma); Floor coverings;

Titus Motor Company started engine rebuilding during World War II, in order to maintain and improve essential transportation needed during the war. The first month of production they rebuilt 20 engines and designated three mechanics to work full-time on engine rebuilding. Interior view of Titus Manufacturing Company's engine rebuilding shop, men working on Ford engines; tools, parts and supplies in factory area.

Automobile dealerships--Tacoma; Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Tacoma; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma--1940-1950; Engines; Mechanics (Persons)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Titus Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma);

I.B.M. offices, ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association highlighting Reeds Fixtures. International Business Machines Corp was located in Tacoma at 12 Tacoma Ave. No. At 11:15, the office is empty. Almost each desk and the area over the rear door is emblazoned with a placard admonishing one to "THINK." Framed portraits, possibly of company founders, hang on the left wall. Fluorescent lighting boxes hang down from the ceiling. The free standing fixture at the front left contains printed information about IBM products and a write up from the Wall Street Journal. Dark tile squares cover the floor.

International Business Machines (Tacoma); Signs (Notices); Logos; Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office equipment & supplies;

This photograph from August, 1956 shows the Kegel's Furniture store at 105-11 South 11th Street shortly before the building was taken over by Selden's carpet and floor covering store. Kegel's, owned by Otto Kegel, had opened in 1938. Built in 1902, this building was demolished in November of 1975, and a parking garage was built on the lot in 1987.

Kegel's Inc. (Tacoma); Furniture stores--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A day shopping at the downtown Tacoma Rhodes Department Store in October of 1956 was not necessarily just a quick shopping junket; it could be an elegant all-day affair including a luxurious shampoo and style at the pictured beauty salon and lunch at the store's cafe. The store at 950 Broadway was elegantly appointed and intended to provide a full shopping experience with a beauty shop, restaurant and full selection of goods and services. The store's new Beauty Salon was located on the 6th floor and offered skin care, hair styling and tinting and nail care. It was open until 9 p.m. on Monday through Friday. For this publicity photograph, the stylists posed beside their stations. The men wore coats and ties and the women dresses with corsages. The Rhodes store opened in 1903 and closed in 1974, a victim of the desertion of downtown for suburban shopping. The most forward stylist on the left is believed to be Paul Faust and behind him, Bernard Natucci. The front two stylists on the right are believed to be Lee Amundson and Lorraine Hudson. (TNT 11/11/1956, pg D-11- see ad for individual stylists' pictures) (Additional identification provided by a reader)

Department stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Beauty shops--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Studio setup of Acrilan yarn and display for advertising purposes; ordered by Seattle Woolen Co. The first board displays acrilan fiber, made from gas and air. The board proclaims it to be light, warm and resilient; soft and never itchy or scratchy. The second board shows fabric made from acrilan; it is luxurious to the touch, keeps its shape and resists wrinkles and tears. The final board displays acrilan yarn; it's strong, yet pliable and resists moths and mildew. The fabric was being promoted for clothing manufacture, since it was washable, quick drying and would not shrink, stretch or sag. Synthetics would gradually replace or supplement natural fabric materials in clothing.

Seattle Woolen Co. (Seattle); Textiles; Textile industry; Fibers; Yarn;

The Patty Ann Bakery at the Thriftway Park 'N Shop, formerly the Park 'N Shop. Two bakery assistants in clean white uniforms pose, one holding freshly baked bread. The lighted glass display cabinets hold luscious looking cakes, doughnuts, cookies and pastries. Smiling jack o' lantern cutouts decorate the shelves, along with a palm tree look alike coming out of the planter box behind one woman's head.

Park-N- Shop (Parkland); Supermarkets; Grocery stores--Parkland--1950-1960;

The Highland Hills Big Bear store at 5915 6th Avenue, near Pearl Street, opened in 1955 to serve the growing West end, including the areas of University Place and Fircrest. The Big Bear was the first tenant of the Highland Hills Shopping Center, which had its Grand Opening in December of 1956. When completed, the shopping center had 21 stores with a pedestrian mall in the center and five acres of parking.

Big Bear Stores (Tacoma); Supermarkets--Tacoma--1950-1960; Grocery stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Electric signs;

Consolidated Freightways was a moving and shipping company. It was conveniently located next to the railroad tracks, where materials were unloaded and packed into trucks for further distribution. Employees cars are parked beside the loading area. A bridge crossing the railroad tracks can be seen in the background.

Consolidated Freightways, Inc. (Tacoma); Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960; Loading docks--Tacoma; Trucks--1950-1960;

Aerial photograph of downtown Tacoma to show the spired Puget Sound National Bank building at 11th and Pacific (1119 Pacific Ave.) To the building's left is Peoples Department Store at 1101-07 Pacific and to its right is the National Bank of Washington, 1123 Pacific, the 2002 location of the Tacoma Art Museum. Behind facing A Street is the Federal Building and the Post Office at 1102 A Street. The city appears divided into a grid of large office buildings. The streets, left to right, vertically are Commerce, Pacific and A Street. They are divided by, top to bottom, by 11th Street and 12th Street. Left to right at the top of the picture are the Rust building at 950 Pacific, the Washington Building at 1019 Pacific and the Tacoma Building at 1017-21 A Street. Across 11th Street from the Tacoma Building is the Perkins building at 1101 A Street.

Puget Sound National Bank (Tacoma); Aerial photographs;

Sib's Thriftway, at 5739 North 26th Street, was built in 1953 by Sib Carstensen and was the first store in the newly named "Westgate" area of Tacoma. Sib's, with its large, sweeping arched roof advertised itself as "Tacoma's first supermarket". The Sib's store, which later became the Westgate Mark-It Store, was demolished around 1988. TPL-9761

Sib's Thriftway (Tacoma); Grocery stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Supermarkets--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Selden's, in 1956, had two convenient locations in the Tacoma area: one in the downtown area on Broadway and the other in the Lakewood Center. The store had made its name in being "first in floor coverings" but also offered interior decorating and electrical appliances. View of household appliances department at Selden's, including Frigidaire refrigerators and stoves and Moore heaters. Photograph ordered by Selden's.

Seldens, Inc. (Tacoma); Home furnishings stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960;

It might have been somewhat cramped in this trailer but the National Bank of Washington strove to provide good service to their customers while their permanent Lakewood branch was being constructed. It appears that the temporary quarters of the Villa Plaza branch was set in the middle of a parking lot during April, 1957. John R. Whisler, assistant cashier, and Marc H. Miller, manager, have nameplates on adjoining desks; there is also room for two teller windows. Photograph ordered by National Bank of Washington. (TNT 3-15-57, p. 9)

National Bank of Washington (Lakewood); Banks--Lakewood; Banking--Lakewood;

Car shopping was truly a family affair in the 1950's. At their open house on March 1, 1957, Steven Motor Co. gave out balloons to the youngsters while their parents scrutinized the "best used car deal in town!" Steven Motor Co. was owned by Everett T. Steven. The long-time Chrysler and Plymouth dealership had three locations: the pictured sales & service center at 738 Broadway, a repair department on Saint Helens and their used car lot at 37th and South Tacoma Way. Photograph ordered by Steven Motor Co.

Steven Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1950-1960;

C & G Radio Supply were wholesalers of electronic equipment, televisions, and radio parts. Located in the 2500 block of Jefferson Avenue in the former Motor Truck Service Co. building since 1949, the large company was owned by Lloyd R. Norberg. The business had been operating in Tacoma since the 1930's. 33 employees lined up for a company picture on April 16, 1957. Photograph ordered by C & G Radio Supply Co.

C & G Radio Supply Co. (Tacoma); Stores & shops--Tacoma;

Interior of new Leed's Shoes at Villa Plaza Shopping Center. Leed's advertised QualiCraft shoes. In addition, purses, handbags and hosiery could be purchased there. The new suburban store opened on April 4, 1957, as the 197th QualiCraft store in the United States, the 59th on the Pacific Coast and second in Tacoma. The first Tacoma Leed's opened at 932 Broadway in 1937. The Villa Plaza Leed's was about 30 feet wide and 150 feet deep. Its ceilings and main wall were painted pale turquoise and beige and oyster-white textured tweed carpet was laid on the floor. Ellery Wybrow was named as the Villa Plaza Leed's first manager. (TNT 4-3-57, A-7-article)

Leed's Shoes (Lakewood); Shoe stores--Lakewood--1950-1960; Merchandise displays--Lakewood--1950-1960; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;

The man at the blackboard is trying to capture his sales group's attention as they all turn away to grin at the camera. Pacific Telephone & Telegraph periodically had sales meetings to list goals and encourage their employees to increase production. To raise spirits, employees would sing traditional songs with lyrics changed to reflect the telephone industry. Photograph ordered by Pacific Telephone & Telegraph.

Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. (Tacoma)--Employees--1950-1960; Telephone companies--Tacoma; Telephones; Sales personnel--Tacoma--1950-1960;

An extended view of the new Westinghouse Electric Supply Co. building on South Tacoma Way was taken on December 12, 1955. The large one-story brick building may have had a basement as well. There were two large plate glass windows near the entrance but limited windows elsewhere. The business had recently moved from its former location on Pacific Avenue to 1325 South Tacoma Way. Arthur F. Sheehan was its long-time manager. Photograph ordered by Westinghouse Electric Supply Co.

Westinghouse Electric Supply Co. (Tacoma); Facades--Tacoma--1950-1960;