ca. 1904. Rhodes Brothers store, circa 1904; Stairway to Mezzanine balcony from first floor. The Rhodes Brothers Department Store opened at 950 Broadway toward the end of 1903. It was, for the time, a modern emporium based on the model of Wanamaker's and Marshall Field's. The store carried a wide variety of merchandise on its three floors. This photograph shows the stairway leading to the mezzanine, where the ladies' lounge and the business office were located. (photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)
Department stores--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);
ca. 1904. Rhodes Brothers store, circa 1904; Parasol and streamer decorations with lace collars, purses and accessories. This photograph showed the Rhodes Brothers Department Store not long after opening. The mezzanine with its railing can be seen in the back. The department appears to be ladies' accessories. Photograph damaged lower left corner. (photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)
Department stores--Tacoma; Merchandise displays--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);
ca. 1904. Rhodes Brothers store, circa 1904; Parasol and streamer decorations and unidentified merchandise in boxes. Rhodes Brothers Department Store opened at 950 Broadway in 1903. Each department was not equipped with bags or a cash register, so merchandise was lifted by pulley up to a track and then sent to the office on the mezzanine where it was wrapped and change was made. The cables and tracks in this photograph are believed to have been used for that purpose. Photograph damaged upper left corner. (photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)
Department stores--Tacoma; Merchandise displays--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);
ca. 1904. Rhodes Brothers store, circa 1904; this appears to be the Crystal and Glass Department. Henry A. Rhodes opened his grand department store at 950 Broadway in 1903. This appears to be the glass department on the first floor, with a clear view of the mezzanine, center. The mezzanine held the ladies' lounge and the office, complete with wrapping paper for purchases and a money till. (photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)
Department stores--Tacoma; Merchandise displays--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);
ca. 1904. Rhodes Brothers store, circa 1904; appears to be the Ladies' toiletries department. Henry A. Rhodes, with brothers Will and Albert, opened the Rhodes Brothers Department Store at 950 Broadway in 1903. The store was famous for its window displays and seasonal decorations- here parasols, palms, ivy strings and streamers. This appears to be the ladies' toiletries department since pictures behind the counter show a woman applying potions to her face. The sign to the left invites shoppers to visit the Coffee Section where they can "eat, drink and be merry." The plain cable that can barely be seen center, running from behind the counter to the mezzanine, was possibly the pulley that in the early days carried merchandise and payment to a track and onward to the office and its money till. There, articles were wrapped and change made and returned to the customer by the same route. (photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)
Department stores--Tacoma; Merchandise displays--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);
ca. 1904. Rhodes Brothers Store, circa 1904; Ladies' parasols and intimate apparel. The Rhodes Brothers Department Store was opened at 950 Broadway by Henry A. Rhodes in 1903. It was the grand establishment of his dreams, patterned after Wanamakers and Marshall Fields. From the beginning, they employed Herbert A. Foster as the window trimmer and decorator. This view of the store was festooned with parasols, studded with palms and draped with garlands. The lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling were gas lights. The shelves were covered with boxes of different sizes, possibly containing accessories or women's intimate apparel. (photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)
Department stores--Tacoma; Merchandise displays--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);
ca. 1904. Rhodes Brothers store, circa 1904; window display of linens and tea service. Rhodes Brothers Department Store opened their grand mercantile building at 950 Broadway in 1903. Signs posted along the major roads advised travelers that "All Roads Lead to Rhodes," and offered a measurement of the mileage to the store. As Tacoma grew, so did the Rhodes establishment, adding three more stories in 1911 and eventually two annexes. Photograph damaged upper right corner and bottom left corner. (Photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma;
ca. 1904. Rhodes Brothers store, circa 1904; window display of china. Rhodes Brothers Department Store opened at this location in 1903. Part of the appeal of the structure at 950 Broadway was its many merchandise display windows. This display was of china and small figurines. (Photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee)
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma; Tableware; Porcelain;
ca. 1904. A window display of wedding dresses at the Rhodes Brothers Department Store, circa 1904. When Henry A. Rhodes opened his three story grand emporium at 950 Broadway in November of 1903, it quickly became famous for its lavish decorations and extensive window displays. Huge plate glass windows presented the most current fashions by seasons. The store employed a full time window trimmer and decorator, Herbert A. Foster, who had an office and studio on the third floor of the store. (Photograph donated by the Rhodes Reunion Committee) (TDL 11/8/1903, pg. 17)
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma; Wedding clothing & dress--1900-1910; Window displays--1900-1910;
View of Rhodes Department Store Building, Fredrick Heath and A.J. Russell, Architects, 1903. View from across street, pedestrians and traffic in foreground. Publicity for three day sale.
Business Enterprises - Department Stores - Tacoma - Rhodes Brothers
Trikskirts window display. Rhodes Brothers Department store first opened up on "C" Street in Tacoma, then within a few years had expanded into Seattle and a few other states as well. View of Trikskirts window display, showing a variety of colors and prices.
Department stores--Tacoma; Skirts; Window displays; Merchandise displays--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);
On December 26, 1942, young patriot John Flood perched on a table in the Rhodes Brothers Victory window and purchased enough war stamps to fill out his book and turn it in for a war bond. The department store's windows were devoted to the sale of war bonds and stamps and a huge sign called attention to the "Victory Window" as a center for sales. It was staffed by members of the Tacoma Council of Parent-Teacher Associations from 11-4 each day. Pictured left to right are Mrs. Edward T. Bowman, Mrs. Mary Gehri, Mrs. A. M. Ray, young Master Flood and Mrs. William H. Flood. (TNT 12/28/1942, pg. 8)
Department stores--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Flood, John; War bonds & funds--Tacoma--1940-1950; World War, 1939-1945--Economic aspects of war--Tacoma;
At the end of December of 1942, Rhodes Brothers Department store devoted its windows to the sale of war bonds and stamps. The Tacoma Parent Teacher Association staffed the Victory Window, selling stamps and bonds from 11-4 each day.
Department stores--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); War bonds & funds--Tacoma--1940-1950; World War, 1939-1945--Economic aspects of war--Tacoma;
Rhodes Bros., Tacoma's premiere department store, offered quality merchandise and a plethora of services. One of those services was the 6th floor podiatrist's office of Dr. August C. Mirenta where downtown shopper's aching feet received attention. In this publicity photograph, Dr. Mirenta is describing his trade-marked shoe insert to an unidentified woman patient. Dr. Mirenta was born in Italy and came to Tacoma with his family in 1896. The enterprising podiatrist manufactured foot remedies and deodorants as the A. Mirenta & Co. and the In-No-Scent Corp., served as president of several organizations, and raised peaches at Peach Acres, his property near Chambers Creek where the Charles Wright Academy is located today.
Department Stores--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Medical offices--Tacoma; Health care; Mirenta, August C.,1888-1951;
Publicity for Rhodes Department Store extension sale. Jerry Hurley and Everett T. Smith looking at a map of Pierce County. Smith was the store's General Manager. Hurley (circa 1908-1970) and later Sales Promotion Manager for Rhodes.
Business Enterprises - Department Stores - Tacoma - Rhodes Brothers
Olympic Peninsula Playground display in window of Rhodes Department Store. American flag, maps and photographs, two mannequins in summer dresses and hats. Photograph taken prior to 1940's 4th of July.
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Window displays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Mannequins; Flags--United States; Maps;
Night exposure "back to school" window at Rhodes. August is alway the month for buying school wardrobes and this window shows what the fashionable 1953 student will be wearing that first day of school. Plaid and double breasted coats were the fashion of choice. Girls are attired in dresses and the layered look appears popular. TPL-9346
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Window displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mannequins; Clothing stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Originally built as a three story building in 1903, the Rhodes Brothers Department Store at 950 Broadway had two stories and a roof garden added in 1911; the building continued to undergo considerable remodeling through the years. To modernize the front of the store, a new facade was added at the end of the 1940s. The facade was removed in 1980 when the building was bought by the University of Puget Sound and became home to the Norton Clapp Law Center. In the early days, in an effort to bring more trade into Tacoma from the outside, the Rhodes brothers came up with the idea of highway signs, Washington's first. The signs claimed "All Roads lead to Rhodes" and gave the number of miles to Tacoma. These signs were erected as far south as the Columbia river and into southwest Washington and the Grays Harbor areas. In the days when there were few automobiles, these signs became landmarks.
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Rhodes Brothers showing new sign above doorway. Coast Neon Displays, Carl Eckstein. Rhodes Brothers Department Store was built at the corner of 11th and Broadway in 1903. Over the years the front has been remodeled several times. Here is a view of the front as it appeared in June of 1950. Coast Neon Displays of Tacoma had just installed a new neon sign above the front entrance. Note that there is a parking meter next to the right front fender of the Cadillac convertible.
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Clothing stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960; Coast Neon Displays (Tacoma); Cadillac automobile;
New neon sign lights up the night over the entrance to Rhodes, Tacoma's largest department store at 11th and Broadway. Rhodes was founded in 1892 by Henry A. Rhodes as a tea and coffee shop. The small shop operated in various downtown locations until it opened at its Broadway location in 1903 as a grand department store, on the model of Wanamaker's or Marshall Fields. The store continued to expand until 1925 when Henry Rhodes retired and the family business was sold. The store eventually became part of the Western Department store chain, until it closed in 1974.
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma; Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960;
ca. 1937. Rhodes Department Store, showing elaborate linoleum work around elevators. Shoe Repair and Shine station to right, vacuum cleaner in far right foreground. Dress displayed on mannequin and man working behind column at left.
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Mannequins; Department stores--Tacoma--1930-1940; Shoe shining--Tacoma--1930-1940;
Rhodes Millinery Mirror Room along with other departments had recently been remodeled and modernized. The room featured modern fixtures in a renovated spacious room. Rhodes offered fashionable and chic hats for the modern woman. View of Mirror Room with hat displays and comfortable areas for women to try on their favorite hat styles (T. Times, 5/16/46, p. 10).
Millinery; Hats--1940-1950; Merchandise displays--Tacoma; Department stores--Tacoma; Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma);
Rhodes Department Store lingerie section as photographed on April 29, 1946. The venerable downtown department store was located at 950 Broadway and offered quality merchandise at reasonable prices. Its slogan "All Roads Lead to Rhodes" was famous throughout the Puget Sound region. Rhodes had been in business in Tacoma since 1892 but would close its flagship store in late December of 1974.
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lingerie;
Rhodes Department Store trimmings section. This view of the fabric department was taken in late April of 1946. Rhodes had been in business since 1903. It finally closed in 1974.
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1940-1950;
