Interior of Star Iron & Steel plant. Elevated view on May 1, 1963, of interior of the Star Iron & Steel plant shows fabricated steel products ready to be assembled. Star Iron, well-known for crane construction, also made towers, hydraulic presses, power operated grapples, and fabricated steel for buildings, bridges and grandstands. They had built a larger plant on Alexander Avenue in 1963.

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Star Iron & Steel - complete engineering, structural shop and machine shop facilities. Notes from the Richards Studio indicate that their photographer took this April 13, 1963, view of the new Star Iron & Steel Co. facilities from one of the company's own overhead cranes. Several cranes and steel structures are visible as well as the waterways separating the industrial Tideflats area from downtown businesses. Star Iron had moved from its longtime E. 11th St. location to the Port Industrial area that year. The new plant was ideally located for shipment of its products by truck, rail or water. Employment at the plant had apparently more than tripled from 63 to 250 since the move to a new location. It had cost $500,000 to double the plant capacity. Star Iron & Steel was one of the oldest steel fabricating businesses in the Pacific Northwest, having been founded in 1908. It specialized in custom design and manufacture of cranes, hoists, and special machinery. Star Iron's products were shipped for installation throughout the United States and also to foreign countries. There was a total of 97,000 square feet under roof currently being used with another 54,000 square feet available for future expansion. (TNT 7-24-63, A-11; SIS booklet, c. 1965)

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970; Steel industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hoisting machinery;

Architectural office of Star Iron & Steel Co. Men are shown working at desks with architectural plans spread out. One large table in the foreground has an architectural blueprint held down by a book of standards and notepad. Star Iron's new one-story office building was separated from the 100,000 square foot plant to reduce noice level. Star Iron had been in the Tacoma area for decades and was one of the oldest steel fabricating firms in the Pacific Northwest. They built cranes and specialized equipment to handle everything from salmon to missiles. Crane capacities ranged to more than 350 tons. Besides cranes, the company made radio, tv, and power transmission towers, steel for buildings and bridges, and equipment for the lumber industry including log barkers, hydraulic presses, power operated grapples and chip handling buckets. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel. (TNT 9-1-61, B-10, TNT 7-24-63, A-11)

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Offices--Tacoma--1960-1970; Blueprints; Books;

Exterior - Star Iron & Steel. Star Iron & Steel Co. would move into new quarters in the Port Industrial area in 1963. Bldg. 407 shown above in this April 9, 1963, photograph, held the company's offices, which were in a separate building from the large plant. Owned by Edward N. Allen, Star Iron was one of the oldest steel fabricating companies in the Pacific Northwest. They specialized in building cranes, hoists, towers, and equipment for the lumber industry. During WWII, they made some of the heaviest and largest cranes for the U.S. Navy. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel. (TNT 7-24-63, A-11)

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Facades--Tacoma--1960-1970; Signs (Notices);

Pencil in hand, an architect at Star Iron & Steel Co. surveys a model of a steel sign and girts on April 9, 1963. His glasses rest on a large sheet holding design data. Besides being well-known for their hoisting machinery, Star Iron also built towers, fabricated structural steel for buildings, bridges, and grandstands, and equipment for the lumber industry. They moved from their longtime location on E. 11th St. to Alexander Avenue in the Port Industrial area in 1963. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel.

Star Iron & Steel Co. (Tacoma); Steel industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Architectural models; Blueprints; Eyeglasses;