Exterior of the Kokura Restaurant. Located on the Broadway level of the Winthrop Hotel, the Kokura restaurant opened in the summer of 1964. It featured the finest Japanese cuisine which was prepared and served by those of Japanese descent. The restaurant was named after Tacoma's city-sister, Kokura, Japan. The Winthrop would later be sold in 1970 and rooms converted to senior housing. TPL-5021
Kokura Restaurant (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
This is what the exterior of the Kokura Restaurant looked like in October of 1964. It had opened during the past summer in the Winthrop Hotel with its entrance on Broadway. The restaurant specialized in fine Japanese cuisine served in an atmosphere reflecting its origins. Kokura was named in honor of Tacoma's city-sister in Japan. It would remain open until about 1970 when the hotel was sold.
Kokura Restaurant (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Winthrop Hotel executive William R. Conant, Sr., and Sonia Fowler (now Sonia Gray) watch as their kimono-clad waitress in the Kokura Restaurant pours a small cup of tea on July 13, 1964. The Kokura was the Winthrop Hotel's latest major improvement, an authentic Japanese restaurant located on the Broadway level. Named after Tacoma's sister-city in Japan, the Kokura served only Japanese food. To add to the atmosphere, the chef and waitresses were of Japanese descent. Customers entered the Kokura through a torii, an orange-red gate, and were directed to small private dining rooms separated by shoji screens. Tables were low and customers sat on padded cushions resting on tatami mats, much as they would in Japan. Bamboo-covered walls and hanging paper-like lighting fixtures added to the dining experience. The Kokura closed in 1971. (Photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel.) (TNT 5-10-64, B-10, TNT ad 10-14-64, A-8) TPL-9851
Kokura Restaurant (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Dining rooms--Tacoma--1960-1970; Waitresses--Tacoma; Kimonos; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Conant, William R.; Fowler, Sonia;
Interior of Kokura restaurant. The next major improvement to the Winthrop Hotel would be the Kokura restaurant in the summer of 1964. Named after Tacoma's sister-city, Kokura, Japan, it would serve only authentic Japanese food prepared and served by Japanese. Located on the Broadway level of the Winthrop, there was seating for 40. Shoji screens would divide the dining areas, providing both privacy and atmosphere. As a glimpse into a dining room shows, customers would sit on thick padded cushions placed on tatami mats. Stone lanterns and simplistic naturalistic decor would add to the serene environment. Photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel. (TNT 5-10-64, B-10)
Kokura Restaurant (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Dining rooms--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
ca. 1964. Hardy stalks of bamboo are examined by three unidentified men outside the new Kokura restaurant located on the Broadway level of the Winthrop Hotel. The Kokura, named after Tacoma's sister-city on the island Kyushu, Japan, opened in the summer of 1964. The bamboo plant was probably destined for the restaurant's interior whose furnishings were either directly from Japan or associated with that culture. TPL-5022
Despite the early 7:30 a.m. hour, the large accounting staff of Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. look pleased to attend the company's Christmas party on December 24, 1963. An elaborate chandelier, lit sconces, and towering Christmas tree form the decor at the Winthrop Hotel. Photograph ordered by Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone.
Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone Co. (Tacoma); Telephone companies--Tacoma; Christmas trees--Tacoma; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Elegant remodeled lobby of Winthrop Hotel featuring entrances to the hotel coffee bar and newly-renamed Three Keys main dining room. This September 5, 1963, color photograph displays the rich tones of gold and wine that decorate the lobby. Three oversized brass gate keys hang at the entrance to the main dining room. A gold tufted elongated bench provides a comfortable place to rest in the lobby; behind it are three Italian colored glass panels, each 15 feet tall, which separate the main dining area from the lobby entrance. The theme colors of gold and wine continue into the coffee shop where a solid red-wine carpet provides contrast to the gold-toned seats. A unique feature of the Winthrop coffee bar is the placement of individual toasters on the counters so that customers could brown their bread to their own taste. (TNT 5-1-63, A-6)
Lobbies--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Luxurious bedroom suite at the Winthrop Hotel. Several rooms, #619, 801and 825, were photographed on August 7, 1963. This particular bedroom featured a circular bed, thick new wall-to-wall carpeting, portable television and comfortably padded armchairs. Lighting was provided by several table lamps and dropped lighting over the bed. New management in 1963 planned extensive remodeling of the venerable hotel. BU-12179
Beds; Bedrooms--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Winthrop Hotel. Large bedroom suite at the Winthrop Hotel. By 1963, the Winthrop was 38 years old and new management undertook the renovation of the downtown hotel. This room, along with other refurbished rooms, was photographed on August 7, 1963. It contained two double beds, a pair of comfortable arm chairs, large mirror and writing desk. Modern lighting helped to brighten the room. Photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel. BU-12178
Hotels--Tacoma--1960-1970; Beds; Mirrors; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Sabre Room - Winthrop Hotel. The Sabre Room underwent a colorful remodel in 1963 with the addition of maroon chairs and banquet seats, red floor coverings and splashes of red on walls and accessories. It had previously been remodeled in 1955. Musical acts were featured nightly in the Sabre Room. Color photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel. BU-12177
Sabre Room (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Color photograph taken in May, 1963, of the elegant Three Keys restaurant. Managed by Max Jaunzems, the Three Keys was located in the Winthrop Hotel. Decorated in subdued earth tone shades, the restaurant would have provided comfortable dining under the soft lighting of chandeliers and sconces. The main dining area had been re-named the "Three Keys" by new hotel owner/manager William Hamman to stand for the three keys to fine dining: carefully prepared food, properly aged wines and excellent service. The $65,000 remodeling project included gold tufted banquettes and curved settees. (TNT 5-1-63, A-6)
Three Keys (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chandeliers; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Dining at the Winthrop Hotel. Four diners are enjoying a beautifully served meal at the Winthrop Hotel in April of 1963. Two waiters attend their table; one is preparing to pour from a bottle of wine while the other carefully displays a platter of onions, mushrooms and beef. The Winthrop had several banquet rooms, the Sabre Room, a coffee shop, and the remodeled and renamed Three Keys main dining room. Photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel.
Hotels--Tacoma--1960-1970; Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Waiters--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
A large group of well-dressed women gathered on March 24, 1963, for the charter installation of the second Tacoma chapter of the American Business Women's Association at the Winthrop Hotel. Vice-president Mrs. Theodore Kagarice and president Mrs. H.W. Akam display the ABWA banner. The ABWA was formed nationally in 1949 with the aim of bringing together businesswomen of diverse occupations and offering support in professional development and career advancement. (TNT 3-26-63, p. 12)
Meetings--Tacoma--1960-1970; American Business Women's Association (Tacoma);
Lucille Larson was installed as president of the first Tacoma chapter of the American Business Women's Association at its charter meeting on Sunday, January 20, 1963. The meeting was held in the Mayfair room of the Winthrop Hotel. Sixteen women are pictured above with a small "ABWA" banner hung behind them. (TNT 1-18-63, p. 13)
Business people--Tacoma--1960-1970; American Business Women's Association (Tacoma); Clubs--Tacoma--1960-1970; Women--Tacoma--1960-1970;
On July 2, 1962, guest lecturer Peter Gowland of California gestured as he demonstrated photographic techniques with an unidentified barefoot model dressed in a two-piece swimsuit during the Professional Photographers of Washington convention. The three-day meeting was held at the Winthrop Hotel and this particular session before about 100 lensmen was held in the hotel's Crystal Ballroom. The woman with microphone at the left is believed to be Alice Gowland, Peter's wife and herself a photographer. Even in 1962 Mr. Gowland was acclaimed as a famous glamour photographer who would go on to create 25 books, develop several large-format camera designs, photograph some of Hollywood's biggest stars and the interiors of many beautiful Los Angeles homes. (www.doubleexposure.com/CoverStory_Gowland.shtml)
Gowland, Peter; Photographers--Tacoma--1960-1970; Meetings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fashion models--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Chandeliers;
Famed commercial photographer Victor Keppler posed with Miss Tacoma at the Professional Photographers of Washington convention held at the Winthrop Hotel in early July of 1962. The duo are being photographed by a pair of girls in Scotch plaid who worked for Morley Studios in Tacoma. Mr. Keppler of New York had been invited to speak and demonstrate his photographic and lighting techniques at the convention along with famous glamour photographer Peter Gowland of California. (TNT 7-2-62, p. 11-article)
An unidentified photographer is shown adjusting lights for a photo shoot demonstration of an unidentified model in evening gown and fur stole, at the Winthrop Hotel on July 2, 1962. He was part of the 1962 three-day convention of the Professional Photographers of Washington where lectures and demonstrations were of interest to members. Photograph ordered by Professional Photographers of Washington.
Photographers gathered in July of 1962 at the Winthrop Hotel for the Professional Photographers of Washington convention in order to exchange tips of the trade and listen to experts in the field. Guest lecturer Victor Keppler (second from left) is shown working with unidentified photographers in demonstrating how to light clear glass goblets on a glass table. Mr. Keppler was a famous commercial photographer from the East Coast. (TNT 7-2-62, p. 11-article on convention)
Victor Keppler, well-known national commercial photographer, was a special guest at the Professional Photographers of Washington convention here in Tacoma in July of 1962. He is shown working with a young woman dressed in plaid, believed to be Lynda Pederson of Tacoma who was employed by Morley Studios, 720 Pacific Avenue, at the Seattle's World Fair. In his addresses to convention attendees, he advised his fellow photographers to continually experiment in order to keep ideas flowing and not stagnant. A photographer since the 1920s, Mr. Keppler worked with the nation's largest advertising agencies as well as cover photos for the Saturday Evening Post. He founded the Famous Photographers School in Westport, Conn., in 1961 which attracted such famed photographers as Richard Avedon, Alfred Eisenstardt, and Richard Beattie as guiding faculty. (www.luminous-lint.com/app/photographer/Victor_Keppler/A/)
The chef at the Winthrop Hotel's Sabre Room was armed with bow and arrow and apparently had plenty of support from four unidentified women dressed in "Robin Hood" costumes in this March 10, 1962, photograph. Each woman clutched a sabre, blade pointing downward. The Sabre Room, created by internationally known restaurateur Trader Vic, opened in 1949. It was designed to look like an old-English tap room and featured an authentic tavern menu, including roast beef cooked in rock salt, barbecued ribs, steak and kidney pie and trifle for desert.
Forty-three young ladies, all dressed in billowing evening gowns, pose under the chandelier in the Winthrop Hotel's Crystal Ballroom on December 27, 1961. The Holiday Cotillion was held under the auspices of the Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club for college-age daughters of prominent Tacoma families. A 12-piece orchestra performed at the event. As the nation's newest cotillion, it was scheduled to appear on a nationally televised documentary narrated by Cornelia Otis Skinner. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club. (TNT 11-23-61, C-17, names in TNT 12-31-61, D-3)
Evening gowns--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club (Tacoma); Balls (Parties)--Tacoma--1960-1970; Chandeliers; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
The National Association of State Savings & Loan Supervisors held their nineteenth annual conference in Tacoma on November 12-14, 1958. The 44 men and women were photographed in the Bayview Room of the Winthrop Hotel. Judging from the number of well-dressed women in the group, they were taking a more prominent role in the banking industry. There were a total of 75 delegates in attendance; they represented every state in the union. It was the first time the association had met in Tacoma. W.C. York of Raleigh, North Carolina, was elected president. Photograph ordered by the National Association of State Savings & Loan Supervisors. (TNT 11-14-58, A-1)
National Association of State Savings & Loan Supervisors (Tacoma); Meetings--Tacoma--1950-1960;
The Presidential Suite at the Winthrop Hotel was used for a sales meeting for Marchant Calculators employees on November 13, 1958. Each table has at least one calculator on it. Employees are shown busily reconciling figures and assorted paperwork. Marchant Calculators was located at 2330 E. 11th St. and managed by Seymour L. Johnson, Jr. Photograph requested by Marchant Calculators.
Six employees of the Winthrop Hotel's Sabre Room pose for a group picture on November 12, 1958. The waitresses are dressed in Old English costume as the restaurant featured Elizabethan dishes, focusing on beef. Heavy wooden beams and panels and plain furniture accentuated the Old World atmosphere. The women stand before an Oak Room sign; this may have been a separate dining room contained within the Sabre Room. The Winthrop Hotel was now part of the Western Hotels, Inc., chain. This, and other photographs taken that day, were scheduled to be published in a magazine. Photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel.
Dining rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Waitresses--Tacoma; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Interior of Sabre Room, Winthrop Hotel. The Sabre Room had been extensively remodeled in 1955 but kept its Old World atmosphere. It featured a predominately Old English menu with plenty of roast prime rib. Flaming shish kebab and English pastries were new dishes added. View of the Sabre Room shows a heavily wooded decor with sturdy beams and an open cooking area. Two crossed swords and a breastplate of armor hang on the wall. Customers could dance to the tunes of the Mary Van Trio on Fridays and Saturdays without worry about feeding the meter; the restaurant allowed two hours of free parking. Dinners ranged from $2.10 upward. This, and other photographs taken that day, were scheduled to be printed in an unidentified magazine. Photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel. (TNT 10-14-58, p. 22- Ad)
Dining rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Daggers & swords; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
The Mary Van Trio was apparently appearing in the Sabre Room at the Winthrop Hotel in mid-April, 1958. They were a dance orchestra. View of Mary Van Trio includes an accordionist, guitarist and presumably Mary Van herself. The Sabre Room, originally opened by Trader Vic in a gala celebration in 1949, had been completely remodeled in 1955. It retained its Old World atmosphere in the design by Seattle's Arthur Morgan & Associates. This may have been the first time that dancing was available in the Sabre Room. There was no cover or minimum for the Friday and Saturday night appearances by the Mary Van Trio. Photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel. (TNT Ad 5-2-58, p. 14)
Mary Van Trio (Tacoma); Music ensembles--Tacoma--1950-1960;Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Glen Fansler of Spokane shows a pamphlet to fellow Liquified Petroleum Gas Service Association member R.J. Munzer of Long Beach as the gas executives register for a conference on March 28, 1958, at the Winthrop Hotel. Delegates from Sacramento and North Bend look on with amusement. 250 members of the bottled gas industry opened the first Northwest district convention held in Tacoma. This was the 11th annual gathering of the Liquified Petroleum Gas Association. Delegates attended from six Western states and British Columbia. Photograph ordered by the Liquified Petroleum Gas Service Association, Chicago. (TNT 3-28-58, C-12)
Meetings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Liquified Petroleum Gas Service Association (Chicago, IL); Fansler, Glen; Munzer, R.J.;
A benefit ball for the City of Hope was held at the Winthrop Hotel on June 9, 1957. The City of Hope is a free medical center in Duarte, California. The Tacoma Chapter of the City of Hope was organized less than a year ago by Mrs. Max LeBid. It has over 165 charter members. Honored guests at the benefit ball included Governor and Mrs. Albert Rosellini and Supreme Court Justice and Mrs. Hugh Rosellini. Photograph ordered by Max LeBid. (TNT 6-8-57, p. 5, TNT 6-10-57, p. 3)
Rosellini, Albert D.; Tacoma Chapter, City of Hope (Tacoma); Fund raising--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Convivial Shriners enjoy themselves at the "Jesters" banquet in early June, 1957. Tam-o'-shanters seem to be the fashion of the evening. A seated guest extends his hand toward the head table; he appears to be speaking directly into a microphone. Their "Book of the Play" had been held earlier. Photograph ordered by Pacific Northwest Shrine Association. (TNT 6-6-57, A-1)
Banquets--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hats; Pacific Northwest Shrine Association (Tacoma);
