William Farrell, Tacoma's first resident architect, arrived in the fall of 1883, immediately set-up his architectural office and was inundated with work. One of his first commissions was this brick building at 715-17 Pacific Avenue for Dr. Bostwick; the rear portion facing South 8th Street was added after 1893. Another of Farrell's commissions was the prestigious, new Chamber of Commerce Building at 12th and Pacific which necessitated hiring a partner, Carl August Darmer. Together, Farrell & Darmer designed many of the brick buildings built in the 1880s along the west side of Pacific Avenue between South 9th and 13th Streets. In this 1948 photograph, Western Auto Supply Company occupies the storefronts of the Dr. Bostwick Building and the Nelson Bennett Building at 713 Pacific. North Pacific Bank Note Company occupies the buildings' upper story.
Western Auto Supply Co. (Tacoma); Commercial facilities--Tacoma--1940-1950; Automobile equipment & supplies; North Pacific Bank Note Co. (Tacoma); Printing industry--Tacoma; Buildings--Tacoma--1940-1950; Farrell, William;