South Tacoma Motor Company, service area. Mechanic works under the hood of a 1968 Chevrolet Impala 2-door hardtop with 307 - V8 engine. Chevrolet pickups in extreme foreground and beyond Impala, other automobiles in background. Photograph ordered by John Handy Organization, Detroit.

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chevrolet automobile; Chevrolet trucks; Mechanics (Persons)--Tacoma--1960-1970; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma--1960-1970;

South Tacoma Motor Company's second showroom with customers admiring 1968 Chevrolets. Clockwise from left: Impala 4-door sedan with 327 V8 engine, Camaro RS-327 convertible, Camaro SS-350. Sales personnel are on hand to answer questions; cubicles are nearby to close the deal. Photograph ordered by John Handy Organization, Detroit.

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chevrolet automobile; Showrooms--Tacoma--1960-1970;

South Tacoma Motor Company, general view of dealership. Vintage Chevrolet roadster in showroom and banner promoting 1968 Chevrolets attract the attention of a small party of three. The dealership was established at 56th & South Tacoma Way in 1924. Photograph ordered by John Handy Organization, Detroit.

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chevrolet automobile; Showrooms--Tacoma--1960-1970; Signs (Notices); Facades--Tacoma--1960-1970;

South Tacoma Motor Company, outdoor view. Customer and salesman approach 1968 Chevrolet Impala 2-door hardtop with 327 V8 for a test drive. Another Impala is parked at curb. North Pacific Bank is across the street. Photograph ordered by John Handy Organization, Detroit.

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chevrolet automobile; Sales personnel--Tacoma--1960-1970;

South Tacoma Motor Company, view of showroom. Customers admire 1968 Chevrolets: Chevelle 4-door in foreground, Nova SS at left center, two Impalas at right. Vintage Chevrolet roadster, believed to be a 1914 Royal Mail, in left background. Bob's Burger Barn can be spotted through the dealership's large windows across the street in the Food King Supermarket parking lot. Photograph ordered by John Handy Organization, Detroit. TPL-6546

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chevrolet automobile; Showrooms--Tacoma--1960-1970;

On January 4, 1968, prospective car buyers milled around the showroom of South Tacoma Motor Company, at 5602-08 South Tacoma Way, admiring the new 1968 Chevrolets. An employee pointed out the fine workmanship of the Camaro SS-350 to a prospective buyer, a military man in dress uniform. Another salesman chatted with a young woman who was testing the passenger seat of a Camaro RS-327 convertible. Also pictured was the new Impala 4-door sedan with 327 V-8 engine. Photograph ordered by John Handy Organization, Detroit. TPL-10261

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chevrolet automobile; Showrooms--Tacoma--1960-1970; Military personnel--Tacoma--1960-1970; Sales personnel--Tacoma--1960-1970;

South Tacoma Motor Company, four men around a desk in office. It is not clear whether or not final paperwork is being processed for a sale. South Tacoma Motor Company was a Chevrolet dealership which had been a longtime fixture on South Tacoma Way. Photograph ordered by John Handy Organization, Detroit.

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970;

South Tacoma Motor Company, view of showroom from glassed-in office area. 1968 Chevrolets on display: Chevelle 4-door in foreground, Nova SS at left center, two Impalas at right. Vintage Chevrolet roadster in left background. Photograph ordered by John Handy Organization, Detroit.

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chevrolet automobile; Showrooms--Tacoma--1960-1970;

South Tacoma Motor Company. View from back seat of 1968 Chevrolet Impala 2-door hardtop during test drive. Salesman demonstrates heater controls for customer at wheel. Photograph ordered by John Handy Organization, Detroit.

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chevrolet automobile; Automobile driving--Tacoma; Sales personnel--Tacoma--1960-1970;

South Tacoma Motor Company, outdoor view. Mount Tahoma principal George Fallis and salesman Earl Christianson (at right) talk next to 1968 Chevrolet Impala 2-door hardtop with 327 V8 before leaving for a test drive in January, 1968. Photograph ordered by John Handy Organization, Detroit.

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chevrolet automobile; Christianson, Earl;

South Tacoma Motor Company view in showroom of new cars. A salesman is on the telephone in front of a 1968 Chevrolet Nova SS. A 4-door Chevelle is in the background. Photograph ordered by John Handy Organization, Detroit.

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chevrolet automobile; Showrooms--Tacoma--1960-1970; Telephones; Sales personnel--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Evening view in May of 1968 of Steven Motor Company, Chrysler and Plymouth dealers. Neon and backlit plastic signs on building and posts, new Plymouths in showroom window and on outdoor lot, used car department beyond. Steven Motor Co. had been at 2705 South Tacoma Way since late 1959. They had previously been in the downtown Broadway area for decades. Color photo ordered by Action Color Advertising, Portland, Oregon.

Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Plymouth automobile; Steven Motor Co. (Tacoma); Electric signs--Tacoma--1960-1970; Signs (Notices);

Russ Dunmire Oldsmobile, general view of agency building from across rain soaked South Tacoma Way. Two men are picketing the dealership at left center in July of 1969. Several 1950s and 60s automobiles, trucks and vans parked at curb. Although this photograph was taken in July, a large sign remained in the dealership's window advertising "Olds Spring Fashion Show." Photograph ordered by General Motors, Portland.

Russ Dunmire Oldsmobile, Inc. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Signs (Notices); Pickets--Tacoma--1960-1970;

James Will at the Titus-Will Ford dealership. Jim Will and Leon Titus were co-founders of the dealership in 1938. Awards and plaques on wall behind him. Photograph ordered by Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Michigan.

Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Awards; Titus-Will Ford (Tacoma); Will, James W.;

Seeking to make the car-buying experience as pleasant as possible, Titus-Will Ford built its salesman closing office with ceiling-to-floor windows to bring in natural light and provide unobstructed views of the outdoor landscaping. The customer was positioned so that he could rest his eyes on the trees and shrubbery beyond the salesman; lower windows could also be opened to let in fresh air. A salesman is shown on September 16, 1969, pointing out the details of a new Ford in a glossy magazine to a prospective client. Photograph ordered by the Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Michigan, for a "dealers publication."

Titus-Will Ford (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Sales personnel--Tacoma--1960-1970;

James Will, of Titus-Will Ford, stands next to the large engraving commemorating one of the co-founders of the firm, Leon E.Titus. Mr. Titus, who passed away in 1966, was one of Tacoma's best known automobile dealers. The pair opened a downtown Ford dealership in 1938. Titus Motor Co. offered Ford trucks and cars at its downtown Tacoma location for decades. The dealership moved to its Tacoma Mall-area location next to I-5 in 1967. Photograph ordered by Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, Michigan.

Titus-Will Ford (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Engravings; Titus, Leon E.--Associated objects; Will, James W.;

ca. 1969. South Tacoma Motor Company, exterior view into Service Entrance, during the summer of 1969. A Chevrolet Suburban is parked in front of Credit Manager Lloyde Holstrom's office door. Master Charge sign at top right, Coca-Cola machine with service awards hanging above inside building. South Tacoma Motor Co. was an authorized Chevrolet dealer and was proud to offer qualified technicians. Fast, expert and low-cost, the South Tacoma Motor Co. guaranteed its work. "It's the 'Know-How' that Counts" was used as their motto in the 1969 City Directory. Photograph ordered by Harry S. Pearson, Seattle.

Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Signs (Notices);

ca. 1969. Exterior view of South Tacoma Motor Co.'s new and used trucks, believed to be located at So. 54th and Washington, during the summer of 1969. Customers looking for specialists in Chevrolet service could venture out to three South Tacoma Motor Co. locations. New and used trucks could be purchased at the company's So. 54th and Washington location where all trucks sold had undergone Chevrolet's "OK" program, ensuring that they had been thoroughly inspected, reconditioned and serviced. The South Tacoma Motor Co. was a well-established Tacoma firm owned and operated by the Wallerich family. Photograph ordered by Harry S. Pearson, Seattle.

South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Trucks--Tacoma--1960-1970;

ca. 1969. South Tacoma Motor Company, Used Car Division. Small ultra-modern sales office with covered driveway, several Chevrolet Impalas, a Chevelle SS, a Buick, a Volkswagen Squareback wagon, parked on lot. Although the building is named "South Tacoma Chevrolet," this was actually the used car division of South Tacoma Motor Co. The structure had been designed by architect William Hocking and had several plants of Asian variety. The 1969 City Director indicates that Beryl K. Price was manager of the lot. Photograph ordered by Harry S. Pearson, Seattle.

Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; Automobiles--Tacoma--1960-1970; South Tacoma Chevrolet (Tacoma); South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1969. General daytime view of South Tacoma Motor Co. dealership. Located at So. 56th and South Tacoma Way, the South Tacoma Motor Co.'s brick and concrete facility occupied a full block. It was one of the oldest businesses in Tacoma as it started out as a livery service in the late 1800s. The Wallerich family acquired the then combined livery and automobile firm in 1919. This view, believed to be taken in the summer of 1969, focuses on the dealership's multi-glass showroom filled with new Chevrolet automobiles. Photograph ordered by Harry S. Pearson, Seattle.

Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1960-1970; South Tacoma Motor Co. (Tacoma); Facades--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chevrolet automobile;

September, 1971, view of the 2700 block of South Tacoma Way. At the corner is the Oxygen Sales & Service Co., distributor of Union Carbide welding products and Linde gases. Propane was also for sale. Next door to Oxygen Sales & Service was the Steven Motor Co., a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership. According to their full page ad in the 1971 City Directory, Steven Motor Co. had 50 continuous years in the automobile business in Tacoma. They had been at the South Tacoma Way location since 1959; prior to that, they had been based in downtown Tacoma on Broadway for many years. Everett T. Steven was president of the firm with Pete Lisicich as manager and Norm Gordon as used car fleet and lease manager. Photograph ordered by Steven Motor Co.

Steven Motor Co. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1970-1980; Oxygen Sales & Service Co. (Tacoma);