Titus Manufacturing Company currently rebuilds about 750 engines per month and employs 65 mechanics, full-time. In October 1947 Titus reached 20,000 completed and tested rebuilt engines. Interior view of Titus Manufacturing Company's engine rebuilding shop, six men with many rebuilt Ford "flathead" V-8 engines; tools, parts and supplies in factory area.
Titus Motor Company's parts delivery department, delivered Ford "flathead" V-8 engines, view of engine inside the rear door of Vanette delivery truck, hand winches, cabinets and shelves for parts inside truck. Rebuilt Ford "flathead" V-8 engines were in great demand throughout the Pacific Northwest, making Titus rebuilding department break away from Titus Motor Company and becoming Titus Manufacturing Company.
Automobile dealerships--Tacoma; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma; Automobile equipment & supplies; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Tacoma; Titus Motor Co. (Tacoma);
Model of new Mueller-Harkins Buick showroom. A view of the architectural model of the new automobile dealership that was being built at Sixth Avenue and Saint Helens Avenue. Toy automobiles, gasoline pumps and people are included to show how the new facility was to be used. This model still exists inside the building on Saint Helens Avenue in Tacoma, which now houses USA of Yesteryear vintage automobile sales (1998).
Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Mueller-Harkins Motor Co. (Tacoma); Architectural models; Toys; Model cars;
Associated Oil Service Stations. Charlie Walker's Associated Service, station #634. Walker's Associated Service stands at the corner of 56th and Pacific Avenue. Cosmic Cleaners is next door at 5433 Pacific Avenue and Kempinsky's Bi-Rite Drugs is at 5431 Pacific Avenue. An older automobile is parked next to the station while another sits ready for filling. The two garage doors to the service area are open. TPL-1889
Associated Oil Service Stations (Tacoma); Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Walkers Associated Service Station (Tacoma); Electric signs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Gasoline pumps--Tacoma--1940-1950;
The Associated Oil Service Stations at 5525 Pacific Ave., station #634, was known as Charlie Walker's Associated Service Station in 1948 when this photograph was taken. This distinctive looking station was built in 1934 for Emil Muscek. It was designed by A. Gordon Lumm following the architectural ideas presented at the Century of Progress. Walker's Associated Service Station closed in the late '60s. TPL-1887
Associated Oil Service Stations (Tacoma); Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Walkers Associated Service Station (Tacoma); Electric signs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Gasoline pumps--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Associated Oil Service Stations, Charlie Walker's Associated Service, station #634. A side view of the service station with automobiles parked behind the station with three gasoline pumps in front. Associated Oil's distinctive "Flying A" neon sign sits over the building with windows set to form a semi-circle. Across the street can be seen Cole's Supermarket and Johnson's Repair Shop. TPL-1888
Associated Oil Service Stations (Tacoma); Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Walkers Associated Service Station (Tacoma); Electric signs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Gasoline pumps--Tacoma--1940-1950; Automobiles--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Interior at Mueller-Harkins, new service center. Douglas Fir Plywood Association, Mrs. Link. Mueller-Harkins had installed the newest methods of communicating within their service department. The new facilities for the Buick dealership included a signal-lighting system. An employee in the "Service Master" command post which was elevated over the entrance to the service area would alert staff of the needed servicing for an entering automobile by pressing the on button for the board hanging in the shop. After the automobile had been taken to the proper work area the light was turned off.
Mueller-Harkins Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Communication devices; Signal lights--Tacoma;
Sanford Nash building, Mr. Grindahl. A front view of the building. H.A. Sanford was president and R.E. Ryan was vice-president and general manager of the automobile dealership. Sanford-Nash, Inc., also has a used car location at 5813 South Tacoma Way. A neon sign advertising "Nash" hangs over the corner of the building. The showroom windows are covered so no one can see the new models until the Open House October 22, 1948.
Sanford-Nash, Inc. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Nash automobile; Electric signs--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Lions Club annual dance at Rehn Motor Company, Mr. Harold Rehn, Gig Harbor. Couples are standing in front of the dance band while a few are dancing behind them during the 1949 Lions Club dance and bingo night at the Chevrolet dealership in Gig Harbor.
Automobile dealerships--Gig Harbor--1940-1950; Rehn Motor Co. (Gig Harbor); Clubs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lions Club (Tacoma); Dance--Gig Harbor--1940-1950;
Tacoma Auto Parts celebrated the Grand Opening of their new store at the corner of South 25th Street and Pacific Avenue with drawings for door prizes which included a television set, car radio and an automobile sun shield. (TNT, 7/1/1949, p.B-4) TPL-6383
Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Tacoma; Tacoma Auto Parts (Tacoma);
Anderson Fuel truck in front of Titus, Titus Motor Company, Henry Zachow. The new Ford truck has been outfitted with a bed that can be raised and lowered to dump materials when making deliveries. G. Andersen Fuel advertised "Snappy, Speedy Service" and that they were dealers in wood, coal and heating oils.
Titus Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hoisting machinery;
New Shell Station at 6th and Mason, Shell Oil Co., Mr. Holm. This customer of the new Shell service station is definitely King with at least nine service attendants servicing his car. They are polishing his windshield, cleaning the headlights, cleaning out the back seat and pumping the gas. The attendants wear matching uniforms with dark jackets, light pants and white caps. The most service you would usually receive would be up to two attendants: possibly one to wash the windshield while the other pumped the gasoline.
Marty's Shell Service (Tacoma); Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Gasoline pumps--Tacoma--1940-1950; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma--1940-1950;
250 feet of property on South Tacoma Way. A Dairy Queen is on the left. Serve UR Self Gas Station and George Dayton Auto Parts are further along South Tacoma Way on the right. Ordered by Queen Petroleum Company. Queen Petroleum Company was owned by F.H. and Paul Lucien, E.W. Bittner and A.J. Brenninger.
Automobile service stations--Tacoma; Queen Petroleum Co. (Tacoma); George's Car Market (Tacoma); Automobile repair--Tacoma; Drive-in restaurants--Tacoma; Dairy Queen (Tacoma); Commercial streets--Tacoma--1950-1960;
National Auto Parts opened a new store in the Fife Square in the summer of 1951. It apparently was the second National Auto Parts store in Pierce County. As the large sign painted on the building indicated, National Auto Parts carried "Everything for Your Car", including Valvoline motor oil, Wagner brake parts, and Perfect Circle piston rings. The 6000 square foot store would also feature precision built engines. According to W.C. Johnston, president of National Auto Parts, the new store would fill the needs of customers in the southern portion of Pierce County. View of storefront; appears to have been made of brick with large picture windows. Photograph ordered by Mr. Johnston, National Auto Parts, Tacoma office. (TNT 8-8-51, A-10)
Automobile equipment & supplies; Business enterprises--Fife; Storefronts--Fife--1950-1960; National Auto Parts, Inc. (Fife);
Mulligan Pontiac-Cadillac Company, service area. Several 1940s and early 1950s Pontiacs and Cadillacs undergoing repair. The man on the left is working on the brakes of an automobile.
The exterior of Titus Motor Company with vehicles on street and in the showroom. There are many neon and painted signs. The company's 1906 Ford Model N is parked at the far right. The Elizabethan-style brick building was designed by Roland Borhek, Architect, and built circa 1926.
Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1950-1960; Titus Motor Co. (Tacoma); Ford automobile;
Five new Buicks, part of a fleet of nine for the Murphy-Campbell Co., Caterpiller distributors of Tacoma and Centralia, are parked in front of Mueller-Harkins Buick Agency at 455 Saint Helens Avenue in November of 1952. Murphy-Campbell leased the new Buicks through the Coast Driv-Ur-Self Company, who bought Buicks from Mueller-Harkins. The automobiles would be used by the company's salesmen and executives to service their customers in Pierce, Thurston, Lewis, Mason, Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties. (TNT, 11/23/1952, p.B-8-ads)
Murphy-Campbell Caterpiller Company, the new Southwest Washington distrubutor for Caterpillar Tractor, was one of the many progressive firms in Tacoma leasing cars through Coast Driv-Ur-Self Company. To help salemen and executives cover territories with speed, comfort and efficiency, Murphy-Campbell chose nine Buicks from Mueller-Harkins Buick Agency and two Cadillacs. Frank J. Murphy was president of Murphy-Campbell. Bernard C. Campbell was vice president and Robert L. Brown served as secretary. (TNT, 11/23/1952, p.B-8)
Buick automobile; Murphy-Campbell Co. (Tacoma); Business enterprises--Tacoma;
Irwin-Jones Motor Company is ready to deliver a new Dodge ice cream truck to Medosweet Dairies. The van on the back has been completed with a refrigerated unit.
Irwin-Jones Motor Co. (Tacoma); Dodge trucks; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Medosweet Dairies, Inc. (Tacoma);
South Tacoma Motor Company was co-sponsor of the 1951 Tacoma Soap Box Derby in Tacoma with Walker Chevrolet and The News Tribune. The first place winner of the derby, Richard Johnson of Sumner, represented Tacoma at the national finals in Akron, Ohio, August 12th, and won an all-expense paid trip to Akron plus a $5,000 four-year college scholarship. The race was held July 15, 1951, on Derby Hill, South 38th Street, just east of the baseball park. Duane Hopper came in second and Paul Meyer was third. Duane and Paul won Schwinn bicycles. (TNT, 7/15/1951, p.1; TNT, 7/17/1951, p.1) TPL-7910
Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1950-1960; South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Racing--Tacoma; Coaster cars--Tacoma; Equipment; Awards; All-American Soap Box Derby (Tacoma);
A group portrait of the employees at Tacoma Auto Sales. This photograph was part of a one-page advertisement in the Tacoma News Tribune in which Tacoma Auto Sales' president, E.A. Riebe, wished everyone a, "Merry Christmas from the men and women of the company who sell and service Pontiac and Cadillac passenger cars" and thanking customers for their support during 1951. (TNT, 12/25/1951, p.B-12)
Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Auto Sales Co. (Tacoma)--Employees;
Ray Ridge Motors, Lincoln/Mercury dealer. New automobiles in showroom windows. Ford station wagon, Oldsmobile, 1958 Mercury, Chevrolet, small foreign car, likely a Simca, and Ford pickup truck at curb. From series, customers of KTVW-TV, Ch. 13.
Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1950-1960; Ray Ridge Motors, Inc. (Tacoma); Television advertising;
The sidewalks were packed on March 1, 1957, as potential car buyers streamed into Steven Motor Co.'s open house. Local residents were asked to "look around" at all the different used cars for sale to see how much money they could save that evening. Convenient terms to suit each individual buyer could be arranged. Steven Motor Co. was a Chrysler and Plymouth dealership, selling both used and new cars. Photograph ordered by Steven Motor Co.
Steven Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1950-1960;
In September of 1955, three tow trucks and their drivers stand at the ready in front of Del's Service and Repair at 711 Tacoma Ave So. Del's was owned by Delbert Heim who took over Art's Auto Repair around 1953 and changed the name. The garage specialized in brake repair, and towing was available 24 hours a day. The building was originally constructed in 1929 for a cost of $38,000. The site includes the Washington Grocery (to the left) at 707 Tacoma Ave So. The same builder, Oscar Volk, built the 85 unit brick Washington Apartments to the left of the photograph at 7th and Tacoma Ave So. (actual address 518 So. 7th St.). Del moved his business to 224 St. Helens Ave. in the late 1950s.
Del's Service & Repair (Tacoma); Automobile repair--Tacoma--1950-1960; Wreckers (Vehicles);
Exterior of new service station, Friendly Franks Serv-Ur-Self, ordered by Fletcher Oil Co. The station is offering free gas for its Grand Opening Friday & Saturday. The brand of the gasoline is Veltex. Uncommon in the fifties, the self service station kept prices low by offering no attendants to pump gas.
Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Gasoline pumps--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Exterior of new service station, Friendly Franks Serv-Ur-Self, ordered by Fletcher Oil Co. The station is offering free gas for its Grand Opening Friday & Saturday. The brand of the gasoline is Veltex. The larger building at the rear was most probably the automotive shop. The smaller unit in the center of the pumps most probably held a cashier. Flag streamers flap in the air to call attention to the Grand Opening. Not yet a common sight in the fifties, self service stations were making their mark by offering lower prices.
Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Gasoline pumps--Tacoma--1950-1960;
A packed house at the Temple Theatre awaited Monk Watson's magic show on April 14, 1954. The evening's entertainment was sponsored by Miracle Power, an engine performance lubricant. Here Monk Watson gleefully holds a hand of playing cards while four others, possibly associated with National Auto Parts, display posters advertising Miracle Power's potency. A box full of Miracle Power cans is to the foreground along with the magician's props. Photograph ordered by National Auto Parts.
Automobile equipment & supplies; Posters; Watson, Monk; National Auto Parts, Inc. (Tacoma);
Mallon Motor Company, staff banquet held at the Tacoma Club celebrating the dealership's receipt of Ford Motor Company's "4 Letter Award" for the 1955 model year. The award was presented each year to the dealer that qualified in the following classifications: sound finances, management efficiency and completely modern facilities. The dinner was hosted by Robert Mallon who served as Master of Ceremonies. Tommy Mallon, the President of Mallon Motors, is seated to the far right of the picture; to his left is Abel Rigney, Mallon Sales Manger; to his left is J.C. Hogue, Ford's Field Manager; standing directly behind Mallon is C.J. Powell, Ford's District Sales Manager. The man standing third from the right in the back row has been identified as Harold Nutley. (TNT 3/11/1956, pg. A-6)
Automobile dealerships--Tacoma; Mallon Motors, Inc. (Tacoma); Mallon, Thomas; Rigney, Abel;
