ca. 1891. The reading room of the Union Club, 539 Broadway, was accessible by entering the main entrance on the third floor, passing by the grand staircase and down to the north end of the main hall. It measured 14 x 22 feet and had a smaller 7 x 12 foot writing room between it and the grand 12 x 16 foot staircase. Footsteps were quieted by flowered carpets and a serene atmosphere provided by (then) modern lighting, brick fireplace and paintings in gilded frames. A tall bookcase held stacks of newspapers while bound copies of Life and Harpers magazines were available on the ornate table. Comfortable seating was provided with stuffed leather chairs. (Tacoma Daily Ledger, 6-6-1890-article; Morning Globe, 11-4-1889, p. 8-article)

Union Club (Tacoma); Clubhouses--Tacoma--1890-1900; Reading rooms--Tacoma;

University - Union Club. General view of clubhouse by Whedden and Lewis, Architects; 1888. (filed with Argentum)

Clubhouses--Tacoma; Fraternal lodges--Tacoma; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma)--Buildings;

On March 17, 1941, an unidentified University-Union Club member enjoyed a drink, a fine cigar, and a kiss on the cheek from a costumed dancer prior to the club's annual Saint Patrick's Day Dinner. By tradition the club's members donned aprons and chef hats to cook their own meal at the Saint Patrick's Day Dinner and Stag Night. His fellow club member looked on with a big grin.

Saint Patrick's Day--Tacoma; Cooks; Men--Clubs--Tacoma; Aprons--Tacoma; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Entertainers--Tacoma;

1941 Saint Patrick's Day Dinner and Stag Night at University - Union Club. Three members enjoy the company of a dancer who entertained that evening. The club member on the left wearing a chef's hat is lumberman Ben Cheney.

Cheney, Ben B., 1905-1971; Saint Patrick's Day--Tacoma; Men--Clubs--Tacoma; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma);

ca. 1937. National Guard Dinner at the Union Club. Military men at head table placed in front of stone fireplace.

Union Club (Tacoma); Washington National Guard (Tacoma); Military personnel--Tacoma--1930-1940; Uniforms--Washington National Guard--1930-1940;

Two charter members of the Union Club, John S. Baker (left) and Alexander Baillie, toast one another on the Golden Anniversary of the Union Club, September 22, 1938. The Club was founded in the summer of 1888, when a need was recognized for an organization to further the fledgling Tacoma's growing business interests and for a place to entertain distinguished guests. It was organized by the late George Browne, who met with 30 local business men to form the first club. Soon the club had 100 members, paying dues of $250 each. Proceeds were used to build the Clubhouse. (T. Times 9/23/1938, pg. 18)

Union Club (Tacoma); Baker, John S.; Baillie, Alexander, 1859-1949;

Leaving a luncheon at University-Union Club are (L-R) John Boettiger (publisher of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and son-in-law of the Roosevelts), First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Anna Roosevelt Boettiger and Mayor Harry P. Cain. Automobile at curbside is a 1941 Plymouth. Mrs. Roosevelt is the head of the women's defense activities for the nation and was making several stops in the West Coast and Pacific Northwest to meet with state and local defense councils. (TNT 12-13-41, p. 1; TNT 12-15-41, p. 9) ALBUM 1.

Presidents' spouses; Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor, 1884-1962; Visits of state--Tacoma; Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cain, Harry P., 1906-1979; Boettiger, John; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Boettiger, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Dall, 1906-1975;

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt receives a gift from Marjorie Cain during a luncheon at the University-Union Club on December 13, 1941. Mayor Harry P. Cain, holding a cigarette, is to the right of Mrs. Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt was paying a short visit to Tacoma to speak to local civil defense leaders in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. She was accompanied by her daughter, Anna Eleanor Boettiger and Anna's husband, John. (TNT 12-13-41, p. 1, TNT 12-15-41, p. 9) ALBUM 1.

Presidents' spouses; Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor, 1884-1962; Visits of state--Tacoma; Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cain, Harry P., 1906-1979; Cain, Marjorie Dils, 1908-1994; World War, 1939-1945--Civil defense--Tacoma;

Three young women enjoy the camaraderie at the Spinster Club's annual tea held at the University-Union Club on October 19, 1941. The tea was to honor prospective members. Among the decorations on the table is a large "S" made out of flowers. The color scheme was blue and silver. Lea Mills, Club president, and Virginia Austin, secretary, were acting as hostesses. (T.Times, 10-25-41, p. 3)

Spinster Club (Tacoma); Clubs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Flowers--Tacoma--1940-1950; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma);

Two couples pose at the University Union Club Sadie Hawkins Dance on March 15, 1941. The men are dressed in formal attire, but the women are definitely attired Dogpatch style. The pairs are seated on a hay bale and tin cups and cans have taken the places of drink glasses for the evening. Sadie Hawkins Day, usually celebrated in November, was the invention of Al Capp in his Li'l Abner comic strip. It was the day, decades before women's liberation, when women could ask out the man of their dreams. By the 1930's, it was sweeping the nation. The schedule for the evening included dancing from 9:30- 1, followed by a supper.

University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Dance parties--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Tacoma's brand new mayor, Val Fawcett, (center) with two unidentified men while attending the Electrical Products Banquet at the University - Union Club on June 3, 1946. Mayor Fawcett had been sworn into office that morning. He had served four terms as finance commissioner and also served as acting mayor during Harry P. Cain's absence. Mayor Fawcett's father, Angelo, was also Tacoma's mayor for several terms. ALBUM 14.

Fawcett, Clarence Valdo, 1900-1965; Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950;

University Union Club was having their annual "Stag and Doe" party in January of 1947. They were featuring a smorgasbord style buffet with traditional Scandinavian cuisine. They had a committee in charge of all arrangement and they would be wearing Scandinavian costumes for the event. View of banquet room with two tables laden with food and lit gracefully by long tapers. (T. Times, 2/1/47, p. 9).

Buffets (Cookery)--Tacoma; Cookery, Scandinavian; Banquet halls--Tacoma; Banquets--Tacoma--1940-1950; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma);

Farewell party on Christmas Eve for Senator-elect Harry P. Cain (fifth from right in photo) and wife Marjorie (third from right) at the University - Union Club, prior to their departure for Washington, DC. Congressman Thor Tollefson is second from right with wife Eva. Cain was a former mayor of Tacoma. ALBUM 13.

Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Legislators--Washington--1940-1950; Cain, Harry P., 1906-1979; Cain, Marjorie Dils, 1908-1994; Tollefson, Thor C., 1901-1982; Tollefson, Eva;

University-Union Club was established in 1939 when the club was formed by the merging of two separate clubs. Over 350 people were members of the club. In 1947 the club was having their annual Valentine's Sweethearts Dinner and Dance. View of Mary Hodge seated in front of a tree. She is wearing a suit and a coat with a fortune teller or swami pin on lapel. Mary is a planning committee member at the University Union Club.

Women--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trees--Tacoma; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma);; Hodge, Mary M.;

Harry deWild (right), the chef at the University Union Club, 539 Broadway, helped Whitson M. Jones carve a large rack of beef ribs into steaks for the 10th Annual University Union Club St. Patrick's Day steak fry held on Friday March 17, 1950. At the strictly stag affair, each member donned a white cap and apron, and fried his own steak. "Irish" members who planned to attended included: John "O'Anderson", the mayor of Tacoma; Horace "O'Geer", the assistant city corporate council; Einar "MacSather", the secretary-treasurer for Klopfenstein's men's furnishings; and William "O'Guyles" of Guyles & Co. insurance.(TNT 3/16/1950 pg. 21)

Saint Patrick's Day--Tacoma; Cookery--Tacoma; Clubs--Tacoma--1950-1960; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Meat cutting--Tacoma; Butchers--Tacoma; Holidays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Jones, Whitson M.; deWild, Harry;

View of members of the University-Union Club boarding charter buses that will take them up to Seattle for the University of Washington and Notre Dame football game held on October 2, 1949. The University-Union Club sponsored the big event, unfortunately Husky fans came home disappointed with the final score, Notre Dame 27, University of Washington 7 (T.N.T., 10/4/49, p. 8).

Buses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Events--Tacoma--1940-1950; Clubs--Tacoma; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma);

University-Union Club members attended the October 2, 1949 University of Washington - Notre Dame game where the Irish drubbed the Huskies 27-7. View of members of the University-Union Club boarding charter buses that will take them up to Seattle for the football game (T.N.T., 10/4/49, p. 8).

Buses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Events--Tacoma--1940-1950; Clubs--Tacoma; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma);

Staff at the University-Union Club stand behind an elaborate buffet in November, 1951. The tables are covered with lace tablecloths; a variety of salads and meats, including a rack of either lamb or beef, are displayed for members to consume. The University-Union Club was formed in 1939 out of a merger between the Union Club and the University Club; the building was located at 539 Broadway and thought to be designed by the architectural firm headed by Stanford White. It is now a restaurant called David's on Broadway.

Buffets (Cookery)--Tacoma; Waitresses--Tacoma; Cooks; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma);

Sigma Alpha Epsilon banquet. On March 11, 1955, over 100 members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon from Tacoma and Southwest Washington gathered for a dinner at the University Union Club to celebrate the 99th anniversary of the fraternity's founding. Albert Balch, member of the Master Builders and community designer, was the guest speaker. His topic was "Building for Tomorrow." During his speech, Balch predicted a population boom for the Northwest. (TNT 3/2/1955, pg. A-11)

Sigma Alpha Epsilon (Tacoma); University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Fraternities & sororities--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Four women in print, Hawaiian-like dresses, with leis around their necks, posed in August of 1955 to help publicize the University Union Club's Hawaiian Party. Planned for August 18, the party featured an exotic luau, followed by dancing to the strains of a Hawaiian orchestra. Pictured (left to right) are Jeanette (Mrs. William) Shaw, Jean (Mrs. William) Drury, Ruth (Mrs. Thomas) Murphy and Jeanne (Mrs. Frank) Kraucunas. (TNT 8/18/1955, pg. 13, 8/14/1955, pg. D-1)

Clubs--Tacoma; University Union Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Dinner parties--Tacoma--1950-1960; Costumes; Shaw, Jeanette; Drury, Jean; Murphy, Ruth; Kraucunas, Jeanne;

Standard Oil salesmen pose in front of the Union Club on June 3, 1924. One man is holding the 1924 Red Crown Gasoline Zerolene Trophy which was awarded to Tacoma.

Awards; Standard Oil Co. of California (Tacoma)--People; Union Club (Tacoma);

Eleanor Roosevelt attends a luncheon at the University-Union Club. Mayor Harry P. Cain is to the right of Mrs. Roosevelt. Also in attendance were John and Anna Boettiger; Mrs. Boettiger is the daughter of President and Mrs. Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt was visiting several major cities on the West Coast and the Pacific Northwest as head of the women's defense activities for the nation. Pearl Harbor had occurred just six days before her visit to Tacoma; she had met with several state and local defense councils to assess the nation's readiness. (TNT 12-13-41, p. 1, TNT 12-15-41, p. 9) ALBUM 1.

Presidents' spouses; Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor, 1884-1962; Visits of state--Tacoma; Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cain, Harry P., 1906-1979; World War, 1939-1945--Civil defense--Tacoma;

Motion picture critic, newspaper and radio columnist Hedda Hopper, in town to attend the premiere of "Tugboat Annie Sails Again," greets Mr. and Mrs. Galvin Hopper and Phillip Garland at University - Union Club banquet after the opening of the new Tacoma Little Theater. Seated next to Miss Hopper is Tacoma Mayor Harry Cain. Miss Hopper was the surprise guest at the supper party for Tacoma Drama League members following the first Tacoma performance of "Knickerbocker Holiday." (T. Times 10-18-40, p. 13) ALBUM 5.

Hopper, Hedda; Reporters; Cain, Harry P., 1906-1979; Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Garland, Phillip; Hopper, C. Galvin; Banquets--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Motion picture critic of radio and newspaper, Hedda Hopper, shakes the hand of Mrs. Galvin Hopper during a banquet at the University- Union Club on October 17, 1940. Mayor Harry Cain is seated next to Miss Hopper. Miss Hopper was a surprise guest at the Tacoma Drama League supper party which followed the opening of "Knickerbocker Holiday" at the new Little Theatre on North 2nd and "I" St. She had just flown into town to attend the premiere of "Tugboat Annie Sails Again," and would be broadcasting her "Hedda Hopper's Hollywood" program on site the following evening for a national audience. (T. Times 10-18-40, p. 13) ALBUM 5.

Hopper, Hedda; Reporters; Cain, Harry P., 1906-1979; Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hopper, C. Galvin; Banquets--Tacoma--1940-1950;