The Winthrop Hotel was designed by W. L. Stoddard and Roland E. Borhek; it was built by F. A. Pratt and A. I. Watson. It first opened in May 1925 and was named after Theodore Winthrop, explorer and writer. In 1940 they began offering residential apartments on the top floors of the hotel. Exterior view of the Winthrop Hotel; photo ordered by Pioneer Incorporated, a printing, lithography and stationary business.

Hotels--Tacoma; Business districts--Tacoma; Signal lights--Tacoma; Pedestrians--Tacoma; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Pioneer, Inc. (Tacoma);

The Tacoma Chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartets was having their annual meeting at the Hotel Winthrop. The Tacoma Chapter is part of a national organization which includes President Harry Truman among its distinguished members. View of Barbershop members who attended the annual meeting, 40 men were expected to attend (T. Times, 4/10/47, p. 10).

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Men--Clothing & dress--Tacoma; Barbershop quartets; Singing--Tacoma; Meetings--Tacoma; Society for the Preservation & Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartets (Tacoma);

Exterior of the back side of the Hotel Winthrop, a multi-storied brick building. The hotel was the site of many community events at the Crystal Ballroom and the Roof Garden. The hotel also had suites available for permanent residents.

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950;

An unidentified bellman receives a room key from one of the employees working behind the front desk of the Hotel Winthrop in fall of 1947. In October of that year the hotel entered into a long term lease with Western Hotels Inc. The president of the Winthrop Hotel Company, E. J. Calloway, announced that Edward E. Carlson, Vice-President of Western Hotels and a native Tacoma, was to become the new general manager of the hotel, effective immediately. The Hotel Winthrop opened in May of 1925; it was converted into apartments for senior housing in 1973. (Photo ordered by Botsford, Constantine and Gardner, an advertising agency based out of Seattle.) TPL-9493

Hotel employees--Tacoma; Hotels--Tacoma; Lobbies--Tacoma; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Winthrop Hotel would have new and improved facilities to offer to their clients. Western also planned to remodel the guests rooms after the public facilities were completed. Western Hotels Inc. President S. W. Thurston stated "A good hotel is more than just a business in the city, it is the center of civic activity." View of the dining room, the hostess and restaurant staff are ready to serve, photo ordered by Botsford, Constantine and Gardner, an advertising agency based out of Seattle.

Hotel employees--Tacoma; Hotels--Tacoma; Uniforms; Waitresses--Tacoma; Cash registers; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Western Hotels Inc. had allocated money to modernize and improve the Winthrop facilities. They were planning to redecorate and refurbish many of the public facilities, including the lobby, dining room, Crystal and Junior ballrooms, private dining rooms and the presidential suite. View of hotel laundry room, laundry and housekeeping workers are ready to make everyone's stay more enjoyable, photo ordered by Botsford, Constantine and Gardner, an advertising agency based out of Seattle.

Hotel employees--Tacoma; Hotels--Tacoma; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Patricia Clarke modeled a yellow and black formal with an over skirt for the Fisher's Department Store style show held in the recently opened Wedgewood Room at the Hotel Winthrop in February of 1948. Beginning in March, Fisher's started a series of monthly fashion shows held on the first Thursday of each month. Starting at 1 p.m. the fashion shows were held in connection with a "musical" luncheon with music provided by Bob Dickinson and his orchestra; there was no charge other then the cost of the luncheon. (T.Times, 2/20/1948, p.11)

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fisher's Department Store (Tacoma); Fashion shows--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fashion models--Tacoma; Clarke, P.; Evening gowns--Tacoma--1940-1950; Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Fisher's style show. The model is standing on the roof of the Hotel Winthrop wearing a light-colored dress with shoulder padding. The sleeves are 3/4 length and there is light shirring at the waist. A peplum with a longer back is also featured. The model wears a broad-brimmed, straw hat and carries a purse and cloves to match her platform shoes. The Medical Arts building is shown in the background. Clothing for the fashion show was furnished by Fisher's Department Store.

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fisher's Department Store (Tacoma); Fashion shows--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fashion models--Tacoma; Dresses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hats--1940-1950; Handbags; Gloves;

Fisher's style show. Two models show new dresses for the bride and bridesmaid. The bride's dress, modeled by Gail Haberling, is floor length with long sleeves and a sweetheart neck-line. The fabric has a low sheen which looks especially lovely with the calla lilies she is carrying. The veil is finger-tip length with a crescent shaped headdress. The bridesmaid wears a floor length dress with off-the-shoulder triple-ruffle neckline with a net insert to the neck, elbow-length gloves and a no-brim headdress. (T.Times, 3/5/1948, p.13)

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fisher's Department Store (Tacoma); Fashion shows--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fashion models--Tacoma; Wedding costume--1940-1950; Gloves; Veils--Tacoma--1940-1950; Headdresses;

Fisher's style show. The model, Patricia Clarke, shows a two piece suit to a table of women still seated at their lunch table. The suit shows the fashionable lower hem length. The jacket has large, decorative buttons and an extra decorative flap at the shoulder. The model wears a dark hat with veil and carries a dark handbag and gloves. The show took place at the newly opened Wedgewood Room at the top of the Hotel Winthrop. The style show drew several hundred women to view the Fay Fray styles from Fisher's. (T.Times, 2/20/1948, p.11)

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fisher's Department Store (Tacoma); Fashion shows--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fashion models--Tacoma; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Westinghouse Appliance Show at Winthrop Hotel, Westinghouse Electrical Supply Company, Betty Dahl. This view of appliances by Westinghouse on display at the Hotel Winthrop include drinking fountains, standing roasters, a two-burner hot plate, electric irons, coffee pots, toasters, a mixer and waffle irons. Electric blankets and a heat lamp sit on the floor by the floral arrangement.

Westinghouse Electric Co. (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Appliances;

Westinghouse Appliance Show at Winthrop Hotel, Westinghouse Electrical Supply Company, Betty Dahl. Westinghouse also displayed electric blankets, vacuum cleaners with all the attachments needed to clean your home, clothes washers and water heaters.

Westinghouse Electric Co. (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Appliances; Blankets; Vacuum cleaners; Water heaters; Washing machines;

Westinghouse Appliance Show at Winthrop Hotel, Westinghouse Electrical Supply Company, Betty Dahl. This portion of the Westinghouse display features radios and record players. Two console models, one in a dark wood cabinet and one in light wood, are seen on the left. Smaller players flank an easy chair; and portable players and radios are lined up on shelves. Westinghouse referred to the popularity of radio thrillers aired at that time in their advertisements for their radios, "It's a crime not to hear it" and "Listen to the evidence, your ear will prove it."

Westinghouse Electric Co. (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Radios; Phonographs;

Westinghouse Appliance Show at Winthrop Hotel, Westinghouse Electrical Supply Company, Betty Dahl. Two combination radio/phonographs encased in beautiful wooden cabinets are shown in this view in a home-like setting. Westinghouse advertised "crystal-clear reproduction of programs and records with Rainbow Tone FM, a Rainbow Dial, Full-width record storage space holds 52 albums or 360 singles".

Westinghouse Electric Co. (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Radios; Phonographs;

24 men at Ohmer Sales Meeting, Club Room 5, Hotel Winthrop, Mr. R.E. Barrett, Ohmer Corp., Dayton, Ohio. Ohmer Corporation were makers of the cash register displayed here among a group of business people who came to learn more about the machine.

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Ohmer Corp. (Tacoma); Meetings--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; Sales personnel--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cash registers;

Bob Dickinson and his Orchestra have recorded for Victor and Columbia. They have played at St. Francis in San Francisco, California, and the Davenport in Spokane, Washington. They will be opening at the Winthrop Hotel's Wedgwood Room in late June of 1948. View of Margie Smith, vocalist, Bob Dickinson and six members of his Orchestra at the Wedgwood Room in the Winthrop Hotel (T. Times, 6/18/48, p. 8).

Hotel employees--Tacoma; Orchestras--Tacoma--1940-1950; Musicians--Tacoma--1940-1950; Musical instruments--Tacoma; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Dickinson, Bob; Smith, Margie;

Boat show at Hotel Winthrop, Hotel Winthrop, Mr. Boyd. A boat show, sponsored by the Tacoma Yacht Club, was held in the lobby of the Hotel Winthrop August 17 - 22, 1948. Mayor C. Val Fawcett is seen to the right of the helm with several other men at the boat show. (T.Times, 8/9/1948, p.2)

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fawcett, Clarence Valdo, 1900-1965; Mayors--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Boat show at Hotel Winthrop. The first major Tacoma Boat Show in several years was held the week of August 17-22, 1948 in the lobby of the Hotel Winthrop. Western Boatbuilding displayed their Torpedo Flyer speed boat, and Pleasurecraft brought a fully rigged sailing dingy with a 19-foot mast. There were several models of boats on display including a cabin cruser built by Western Boat along with Chinese sampans and junks.

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Boats; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma); Exhibitions--Tacoma--1940-1950; Motorboats--Tacoma; Sailboats--Tacoma; Models;

Ellensburg Drill Team taken in Junior Ballroom, Hotel Winthrop, Mrs. L.B. Smith. Twenty-two women wearing matching floor-length gowns and nineteen men wearing white shirts and ties pose with four American flags.

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1940-1950; Drill teams; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950;

The Tacoma Orthopedic Association's Tahoma Guild was having their third consecutive annual Wishing Candle fundraiser. The money raised would go towards the building of the future children's hospital; eight candles were placed in popular Tacoma restaurants. View of Winthrop Hotel employees: restaurant waitresses, hotel clerks and restaurant hostesses, lighting a Wishing Candle from the Tacoma Orthopedic Association's Tahoma Guild (T.N.T., 12/3/48, p. 10).

Restaurant workers--Tacoma; Hotel employees--Tacoma; Hotels--Tacoma; Lighting--Tacoma; Candles; Fund raising--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Orthopedic Association (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);

Comus Club dance at Winthrop Hotel, circus theme, Tribune, Mrs. Hosmer. The Comus Club held their February dance, the "Comus Circus," at the Hotel Winthrop February 19, 1949. The welcoming committee is seen at the main entrance to the dance party, L-R, Ethelyn and Joseph Baker, Al and Florence Kemp, Mr. and Mrs. Roscoe Miller, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Peters, and James A. and Verona J. Melbostad. (TNT, 2/27/1949, p.D-1)

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Comus Club (Tacoma); Clubs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Dance parties--Tacoma--1940-1950; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Baker, Joseph; Baker, Ethelyn; Kemp, Al; Kemp, Florence; Miller, Roscoe; Peters, Harold;

Comus Club dance at Winthrop Hotel, circus theme, Tribune, Mrs. Hosmer. The Comus Club held their February dance, the "Comus Circus," at the Hotel Winthrop February 19, 1949. Choosing favors at the circus table are, L-R, Erma Otto, Elmer H. Otto, William Webber, and Ann B. Webber. (TNT, 2/27/1949, p.D-1)

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Comus Club (Tacoma); Clubs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Dance parties--Tacoma--1940-1950; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Otto, Erma; Otto, Elmer H.; Webber, William; Webber, Ann B.;

Comus Club dance at Winthrop Hotel, circus theme, Tribune, Mrs. Hosmer. The Comus Club held their February dance, the "Comus Circus," at the Hotel Winthrop February 19, 1949. A thoroughly amused group stands below a circus rider, L-R, Edgar J. and Mary E. Murnen, Mr. and Mrs. E.D. Thompson, and Arleyne I. and Russell W. Ross. (TNT, 2/27/1949, p.D-1)

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Comus Club (Tacoma); Dance parties--Tacoma--1940-1950; Women--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1940-1950; Murnen, Edgar J.; Murnen, Mary E.; Thompson, E.D.--Family; Ross, Russell W.; Ross, Arleyne I.;

Dinner for Mahncke staff at Hotel Winthrop, Wallace Silversmiths. Employees from Mahncke & Company are shown during a banquet presenting silver service from Wallace Silversmith. Mahncke & Company were a jewelry store at 919 Broadway.

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Mahncke & Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Silverware; Tableware; Dining rooms--Tacoma; Table settings & decorations; Banquets--Tacoma--1940-1950;

New telephone booths in lobby of Hotel Winthrop, Pacific Telephone & Telegraph, Sales Dept., Morris Hickey. Three telephone booths are seen on the right side and three more are on the left. An open telephone book is provided at the opening at the back. The lower portion of the stand is decorated with nail studs through a leather-like material.

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. (Tacoma); Telephone booths--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Banquet in Army-Navy Room for Buick Motor Company Distributors, Mueller-Harkins, Rudy Mueller. Buick dealers and salesmen of Southwest Washington previewed the new Buick Special at the Mueller-Harkins Motor Company. Afterwards the group met for a luncheon meeting where they were addressed by Buick factory officials. (TNT, 8/5/1949, p.18)

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Group portraits; Banquets--Tacoma--1940-1950; Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1940-1950; Mueller-Harkins Motor Co. (Tacoma);

Hotel Winthrop was inviting all of Tacoma to join them in the grand opening celebration for the new Trader Vic's Sabre Room. Trader Vic is an internationally known restaurateur, and he has now brought his world famous menu items to Tacoma. The interior of the Sabre Room is modeled after an authentic old English tap room, with figured red carpet, copper bowl lamps, the walls give the impression of aged plaster in a driftwood color. Trader Vic and his wife will host the grand opening celebration.

Restaurants--Tacoma; Dining rooms--Tacoma; Dining tables; Hotels--Tacoma; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Sabre Room (Tacoma);

Trader Vic and his wife would be hosting the grand opening celebration at the new Sabre Room in the Winthrop Hotel. View of Mayor C. Val Fawcett (second from left) with Trader Vic (second from right) and two unidentified men standing below the sign for the new restaurant, the Sabre room, located in the Winthrop Hotel (T.N.T., 9/21/49, p. 2).

Hotels--Tacoma; Restaurants--Tacoma; Signs (Notices); Events--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Sabre Room (Tacoma); Fawcett, Clarence Valdo, 1900-1965; Bergeron, Victor J.;

Internationally known restaurateur, Trader Vic, had brought his world famous menu items to Tacoma. The Winthrop Hotel and Trader Vic enterprises have remodeled the restaurant site, at an estimated cost of $45,000, and opened up the Sabre Room. View of Mayor C. Val Fawcett (center) with Trader Vic (left) and an unidentified man at the grand opening celebration of the new Trader Vic's Sabre Room, located in the Winthrop Hotel (T.N.T., 9/21/49, p. 2).

Hotels--Tacoma; Restaurants--Tacoma; Events--Tacoma--1940-1950; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Sabre Room (Tacoma); Fawcett, Clarence Valdo, 1900-1965; Bergeron, Victor J.;

Group of approximately 30 at Winthrop Hotel, Pacific Northwest District of Kiwanis, R. Ralstad. It was reported earlier in the month that Edward A. Lane had been elected president of the North-West Tacoma Kiwanis Club for 1950. (TNT, 11/10/1949, p.C-11)

Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Kiwanis Club (Tacoma); Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950;