A view of the exterior of Titus Motor Company's showroom where the new 1952 Fords were available for viewing. Ford Motor Company was designing the "Car of Tomorrow" while presenting the finest line of cars they had yet produced in the company's 48-year history. Ford automobiles would feature a 6-cylinder, 101 hp, overhead-valve engine and Lincolns would have a new 160-hp, overhead-valve V-8 engine. A banner spans Broadway advertising the "Big, New '52 Ford." (TNT, 1/20/1952, p.C-16)
Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1950-1960; Titus Motor Co. (Tacoma);
The interior of the Big 6 Service Station at Sixth and Proctor showing the lubricating equipment as photographed in February of 1952. The hoist for an automobile is lying flat against the floor. Stacks of supplies are stacked neatly on shelves against the rear wall. Large containers of motor oil with pumps showing at the top are seen against the wall on the left.
Big Six Service (Tacoma); Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma;
Four White trucks with trailers and a single trailer are parked at the loading dock at Feltrok Insulation Manufacturing Company. The company made insulation for home and industrial usage. In July 1952 it was announced that American Rock Wool Corporation with headquarters at Wabash, Indiana, had purchased the Feltrok plant. (The Reporter, 7/21/1952, p.3)
Feltrok Insulation Manufacturing Co. (Tacoma); Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1950-1960; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; White trucks;
Pacific Mutual Fuel has installed vending machines for coal and and presto logs. This convenient 24-hour service was becoming available at several fuel companies in Tacoma. Pacific Mutual Fuel advertised burner oils, stoker coal, range coal, furnace coal, heavy planer ends, unsteamed core blocks and log ends. The company was owned by B.R. Christian. Ordered by F.B. Dickinson & Company.
Pacific Mutual Fuel, Inc. (Tacoma); Fuel trade--Tacoma; Vending machines--Tacoma;
Progress photographs on construction of Puget Sound National Bank's temporary Lakewood Branch. A crew of 25 men finished the construction job for the temporary quarters of Puget Sound National Bank near Lakewood Center in 10 working days. The new branch opened March 24, 1952, just 28 days from the time the foundations were laid. Faced with a rapidly increasing population in the area and a growing need for modern branch banking facilities, bank officials made a quick decision to build a new bank and build it now. (TNT, 3/9/1952, p.C-12)
Puget Sound National Bank (Lakewood); Banks--Lakewood; Banking--Lakewood; Building construction--Lakewood--1950-1960;
Progress photographs on construction of Puget Sound National Bank's temporary Lakewood Branch. Workmen are seen putting the finishing touches on the exterior of the building constructed in a record 10 working days. Architect Lea, Pearson and Richards turned to what was virtually an all-plywood construction for a one-story building in keeping with the colonial design of Lakewood Center. (TNT, 3/9/1952, p.C-12)
Puget Sound National Bank (Lakewood); Banks--Lakewood; Banking--Lakewood; Building construction--Lakewood--1950-1960;
Looking southeast up the hill towards Bill Tietz' nearly completed residence from Karl Johan Avenue. The corner on this side is filled from the floor to the slanted ceiling with windows to provide full effect of the spectacular view from inside the home. The garage of the large home is on the left facing Fernside.
Tietz Construction Inc. (Lakewood); Tietz, Bill--Homes & haunts; Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960;
More than 20 new Ford trucks for Jordan Baking Company are lined up in front of the bakery. The new fleet of 45 Jordan Baking Company trucks, painted blue and white, had already begun distribution of the firm's new and improved loaf, "Sunbeam Bread". Art Jordan, owner of the company, is standing on the far left. Ordered by Mallon Motors, Inc. (TNT, 3/6/1952, p.16)
Jordan Baking Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Ford trucks; Jordan, Arthur K.; Bakeries--Tacoma;
The interior of Lincoln Electric's storeroom shows lines of Hotpoint appliances in March of 1952. Wringer washers can be seen in the left corner while stoves and chest freezers complete the line on the left. Refrigerators and hot water heaters can be seen on the right. Anthony L. Ricono was president of the company while George T. Gagliardi was vice president and Virginia M. Ricono served as secretary-treasurer.
Lincoln Electric (Tacoma); Appliance stores--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Lincoln Electric's fleet of delivery trucks is lined up outside the company's facilities. The drivers stand by the trucks. The store was built in 1952 by Tony Ricono. They carried a complete line of Hotpoint ranges, refrigerators, water heaters, washers, dishwashers, kitchen cabinets, disposals, home freezers and they handled home wiring, installation and service for all appliances. They also carried juvenile furniture and toys.
Lincoln Electric (Tacoma); Appliance stores--Tacoma; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960;
In May of 1952, two news hungry Tacomans, Mrs. Lindquist & Mr. McIntyre, picked up news bulletins, provided by the news room of KTNT, in the lobby of the National Bank of Washington at 1123 Pacific Avenue. On the morning of April 12, 1952, the pressmen employees of the News Tribune struck Tacoma's only daily newspaper and posted pickets around the plant. The strike shut down the paper from mid-April until August 12, 1952. This was Tacoma's first major newspaper strike in more than 30 years. The KTNT news bulletins, published by the news division the Tribune's radio station, and the Tacoma Reporter, which was published from June-August of 1952, helped provide news to the community during the strike.
Banks--Tacoma; Banking--Tacoma--1950-1960; National Bank of Washington (Tacoma); Lobbies--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Honoring old time employees aboard the "Thea Foss". Two women enjoying event in cabin of boat. Portrait of Thea Foss on cabinet behind pair. Foss Tug and Launch Company.
Exposure aboard the "Thea Foss" tugboat honoring longtime employees of the Foss Launch & Tug Company. The man standing in the rear of the picture is Henry O. Foss, President of the company. Foss was a family owned business that both built and operated tug boats. The Foss empire was begun by Thea Foss, a Norwegian immigrant, in 1889 when she scraped up five dollars to buy a neighbor's rowboat, spruced it up & sold it at a profit. She was soon purchasing and renting a fleet of rowboats, with the assistance of her husband Andrew. From rowboats, they branched out into motorized launches and tug boats.
William D. Hopping, president of Tacoma Savings & Loan, poses with the five women employees of the thrift in front of a large poster of him at their annual Christmas party. In June 1949 the company had five women employees and fifteen men employees in addition to their president. Robert N. Ketner, a prominent builder, was elected as a director in June 1950. (TNT, 6/19/1950)
Tacoma Savings & Loan Association (Tacoma)--People; Financial facilities--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hopping, William D.;
Santa Claus and his reindeer are lit up by spot lights as they fly over the roof of the National Auto Parts store at 4001 Pacific Ave. This photograph was taken December 21, 1950. William C. Johnston was president and sales manager at this time. They advertised that they handled auto parts for all makes of cars, retail and wholesale. TPL-8108
Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Tacoma; National Auto Parts, Inc. (Tacoma); Christmas decorations;
Automobiles reflect in the plate glass windows at the new location of International Business Machines, 12 Tacoma Ave. No. The IBM store displays clocks in the window and typewriters. What appears to be fluorescent lighting hangs from the ceiling inside the store.
International Business Machines (Tacoma); Office equipment & supplies;
Progress picture of Puget Sound Bank parking lot being built on the site of the demolished Tacoma Transit Co. Garages. The Eleventh Street Bridge can be seen in the background. The Richards photographer captured his own vehicle in the foreground. Earth moving equipment can be seen at the center of the picture. This site will soon become the 126 car courtesy parking lot for Puget Sound Bank. The bank for several years had seen the need for a parking area and was pleased to purchase the transit site. As more customers owned their own autos and mass transit was less utilized, free parking was essential to the survival of downtown businesses.
Tacoma Transit Co. (Tacoma); Tacoma Transit Co. Garage (Tacoma); Puget Sound National Bank (Tacoma); Progress photographs--1950-1960; Banks--Tacoma;
Interior of South Tacoma Motor Co. parts department. Workers stand behind a glass fronted service counter. Arched doorways lead to the parts storage area beyond.
Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1950-1960; Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma);
Fixture displays at Sib's Thriftway, 1215 So. Union Ave., showing personal care products including Colgate, Pepsodent & Ipana tooth paste. The grocery store was owned by Sib L. Carstensen. Groceries line the shelves on either side of the personal product display. What appears to be a butcher shop can be seen at the right rear of the picture. Two unidentified men stand by the display and a fire extinguisher hangs prominently on the post.
Thomas Grocery Company, store interior. Aisle of canned foods and bagged "Red and White" coffee. September of 1951 saw the grand opening of the Thomas Bros. Foodliner in University Place. Al, Frank and Joe Thomas had been in the grocery business since they assisted their family, the Frank Thomas Srs., as youngsters. This supermarket stood nearly at the location of the old family store. It was considered a very modern business, offering customers the convenience of pre-packaged meats, high-speed conveyor checkstands and refrigerated produce. A wide selection of foods was available for the discerning shopper.
Oscar Peterson and Bill Harris express exaggerated shock at the prices on the menu of the newly remodeled New Yorker Cafe. Holding the menu are possibly owners Patricia and Michael DeVoto. The presence of the jazz greats at the opening was a happy surprise. Peterson and Harris were performing in Seattle with the Jazz at the Philharmonic road show when they called old pal Art Mineo, now settled in Tacoma and hired to provide music for the opening, to "sit in" with his orchestra. The rest is history as the group jammed until closing, providing a memorial night of jazz for the opening night club goers.
New Yorker Cafe (Tacoma); Cafes--Tacoma--1950-1960; Peterson, Oscar; Harris, Bill;
Heavy wire screens served not only to keep insects at bay but also provided additional security features. The California Wire Cloth Corporation, located in Seattle, sold heavy screens to the National Guard; view of wooden building at Camp Murray with doorway and three windows all screened. Photograph ordered by California Wire Cloth Corporation.
California Wire Cloth Corp. (Seattle); Screens--Camp Murray; Camp Murray (Wash.);
The California Wire Cloth Corporation manufactured heavy wire screens. They were located in Seattle at 3434 - 2nd Avenue South. They sold their products to the Washington State Department of Military, which outfitted their buildings at Camp Murray. Daylight longshot view of building at Camp Murray with screens; photograph taken on November 5, 1951. Photograph ordered by California Wire Cloth Corporation.
California Wire Cloth Corp. (Seattle); Screens--Camp Murray; Camp Murray (Wash.);
The Lakewood Country Store purchased several full page ads welcoming customers to their new location on Mount Tacoma Dr. in the newly expanded Lakewood Community Center. Headlines proclaiming the Lakewood Country Store as the "Northwest's newest and most unusual department store" ran in November, 1951, newspapers. The Country Store, owned by Ed Stevens, carried such varied items as hardware, notions, paints and women's clothing. View of notions department with napkins, imported towels, non-shrink yarns on display. The old cracker barrel and supply of cheese, a favorite of adults and children alike, would also remain in the new store. Artist Connie Brady's murals also decorated the store; her mural of an old country store is placed directly over a display of brooms and mops. (TNT 11-14-51, C-2,3)
Department stores--Lakewood--1950-1960; Stores & shops--Lakewood--1950-1960; Lakewood Country Store (Lakewood); Yarn; Towels; Murals--Lakewood;
The "Staten Room" was the main dining room of the "new" New Yorker restaurant located at Sixth & Cushman in 1951. It had a capacity of 150 diners. The rubberized folding walls made it possible to have smaller private rooms for special occasions. (TNT 11-15-1951, C-11)
Dining rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; New Yorker Cafe (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Interior of Ghilarducci's Floral Shop, Lakewood. Cool room on right with floral arrangements inside, cash register and counter at the rear with shelves above and beside it with plants and planters. Known as "Gilly's," it was a small scale reproduction of the downtown Ghilarducci's California Florist store. Located next to the new Town & Country shop, Gilly's aim was to serve suburbanites. The 30 X 24 foot interior had one wall of cork, one of red brick and one of glass. It opened on November 5, 1951 and was managed by Margaret Moritz. (TNT 11-14-1951, C-6)
South Tacoma's Main Yon Cafe had the grand opening of their new dining room in early November, 1951. The Main Yon's new dining room had comfortable booth seating and was beautifully decorated with a Chinese themed wall mural. Orchids for the ladies and ice cream and coffee were offered free during the grand opening. Owned and operated by "Charlie" Eng Sing Poy, the Main Yon had been in business for 16 years. Originally from Canton, China, Mr. Eng Sing Poy received his naturalization papers in October, 1951. Photograph ordered by Udall Construction Company. TPL-8120 (TNT 11-6-1951, p. 7)
Main Yon Cafe (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1950-1960; Eng, Sing Poy; Murals--Tacoma; Udall Construction Co. (Tacoma);
Coffee shop with long bar with stools, rows of booths on right, three rounded booths at rear. This was dubbed the "Long Island Coffee Shop," part of the "new" New Yorker restaurant in November of 1951. The restaurant was celebrating its grand opening on November 16, 1951. The coffee shop faced Sixth Avenue and was open from 7 a.m. to closing (either midnight or 1 a.m.) weekdays. Only food was served on Sundays at the New Yorker. (TNT 11-15-1951, C-11-article)
New Yorker Cafe (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1950-1960; Flower arrangements;
