Photograph taken in November of 1947 of the Captain's Quarters at the Tacoma Athletic Commission's Club, located on the upper level of the Top of the Ocean, 2217 Ruston Way. Top of the Ocean housed Tacoma Athletic Commission, which retained its own private Club on the top level. The lower portions of the facility were open to the public. Organizations could also rent the facilities for parties. A cocktail area in the TAC Club is pictured; with a small dance floor, cocktail tables and comfortable chairs, a full bar and slot machines against the back wall. Photo ordered by Condon Advertising. (T. Times, 11/28/47, p. 5).

Dance floors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Tacoma Athletic Commission (Tacoma);

In November of 1947, Tacoma's Top of the Ocean was in such high demand, that the restaurant had to reduce the general operating hours for the public. Clubs and organizations now had more time options in reserving private dining rooms. Interior view of the main dining room and dance floor. Orchestra area in background, where Hal Gullett's Orchestra appeared on the weekends, photo ordered by Condon Advertising. The Top of the Ocean was also home to the Tacoma Athletic Commission. They maintained their own private club on the upper level with its own private entrance. (T. Times, 11/28/47, p. 5). TPL-8248

Dance floors--Tacoma--1940-1950; Table settings & decorations; Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Interior decoration; Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Tacoma Athletic Commission (Tacoma); Condon Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

The Towers' kitchen measured 33 feet by 66 feet. It had all electric appliances and was finished in stainless steel. Bruce Parkers was the head chef, he was very well known throughout the Pacific Northwest. Interior view of the Towers' kitchen and dinner china, photo ordered by Dohrmann Hotel Supply.

Kitchens--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tableware; Cooking utensils; Nightclubs--Tacoma; Restaurants--Tacoma; Towers Restaurant (Tacoma);

Building front, Mondau's Tug Boat Tavern, Louie Mondau. Located in one of the brick buildings along Pacific Avenue, this view of Mondau's Tug Boat Restaurant and Tavern shows the entrance to the restaurant and on the left, the entrance to the James Hotel, above. Neon signs outline the letters and the tug boat that are part of the restaurant's sign, connected to their marquee. Louie Mondau was the owner of the restaurant and tavern. Warwick's Saloon had been at this location from 1893 until 1916.

Mondau's Tug Boat Restaurant & Tavern (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Bars--Tacoma--1940-1950; Electric signs--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);

On Thanksgiving Day in 1948 the Snappy Cafe at 1539 Pacific Avenue hosted a special Thanksgiving dinner party for military personnel away from home. The small cafe was crowded with cooks, waitresses and other workers celebrating the holiday with many military men in uniform. Raymond Chuck Crabb has been identified as the Fort Lewis soldier standing at far right. Chuck Crabb, then 19, was a 1947 graduate of Chapin High School in Iowa. He remembered the holiday dinner party as a "special deal." Afer his discharge from the service in February of 1950, he returned to Iowa and sent for and married Joyce Kerr, a student from Tacoma whom he had originally met in a bus line. The Snappy Cafe was a short-lived restaurant owned by June Westre and Edna Laffaw. June Westre was formerly a cook at the Army-Navy Service Club restaurant. (Additional information provided by a reader; Hampton Chronicle, 12-22-10, p. 3) TPL-10292

Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Military personnel--Tacoma--1940-1950; Holidays--Tacoma; Restaurant workers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Military uniforms; Thanksgiving Day; Snappy Cafe (Tacoma); Crabb, Raymond Chuck;

Grand Opening, Blue Moon Tavern, John Monta. Interior of the tavern showing seating along one wall, a pay phone, electric game board and the juke box. More bouquets sent from well wishers decorate the tables. Large paintings of mountains and the ocean are hung along the walls.

Blue Moon Tavern (Tacoma); Bars--Tacoma--1940-1950; Jukeboxes; Telephones; Pinball machines--Tacoma;

Tacoma Athletic Club Dinner for Gretchen Fraser. More than 600 people jammed the Top of the Ocean to pay tribute to the Olympic Champion, Gretchen Kunigk Fraser. The Tacoma Ski Team was also honored that evening. Several young men line the outdoor stairway to the top of the Top of the Ocean singing and holding ski poles. (TNT, 4/6/1948, p.1) TPL-2220

Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fraser, Gretchen Kunigk, 1919-1994; Skiers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Medals; Celebrations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Ski Team (Tacoma); Tacoma Athletic Commission (Tacoma);

On April 5, 1948, the Top of the Ocean had out a Welcome banner for Gretchen Kunigk Fraser, the first American skier to win an Olympic event. Mrs. Fraser won a Gold Medal (first place) for the special slalom and a Silver Medal (second place) for the Alpine combined downhill and slalom in the 1948 Winter Olympics. The Tacoma Athletic Commission was hosting a dinner at the Ruston Way restaurant for Mrs. Fraser. More than 600 people, including Tacoma mayor C. Val Fawcett, crammed the restaurant to its ceilings to honor the former Tacoma resident. (T.Times, 4/6/1948, p.5) TPL-2220

Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fraser, Gretchen Kunigk, 1919-1994; Skiers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Signs (Notices); Electric signs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Celebrations--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Athletic Commission (Tacoma);

Tacoma Panhellenic Conference at Top of the Ocean, TNT, Frank Lockerby. The Panhellenic Association chose the theme of "Wear Your Pin" for their luncheon and bridge party on February 7, 1948. The decorations followed the sorority pin theme with large replicas of the embossed gold pins of each national sorority. A valentines motif was followed in the table decorations with red candles and heart-shaped table markers. Greek symbols are seen on the drapery behind these women. (T.Times, 2/2/1948, p11)

Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Tacoma Panhellenic Conference (Tacoma); Clubwomen--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fraternities & sororities--Tacoma--1940-1950; Candles;

On February 6, 1948 the first Tacoma Panhellenic day luncheon was held at the Top of the Ocean. The theme for the day was "Wear Your Pin", and all Tacoma alumnae of national college sororities were invited. A prize was given to the sorority having the largest attendance. At the close of the formal program, the guests were escorted to the Tacoma Athletic Commission rooms for an afternoon of bridge. (T.Times, 2/2/1948, p.11)

Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Tacoma Panhellenic Conference (Tacoma); Playing cards; Clubwomen--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fraternities & sororities--Tacoma--1940-1950; Smoking--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cigarettes;

Dick Bevington's new Triple XXX Barrel drive-in restaurant. Six waitresses and six carhops lined up in front of building with neon trim and giant barrels on roof. The restaurant offered booths, counter service, car side service and XXX root beer on draft. TPL-1514 (T. Times 6/4/1940, pg. 7)

Drive-in restaurants--Tacoma; Bevington's Triple XXX Root Beer Restaurant (Tacoma); Waitresses--Tacoma--1940-1950;

ca. 1938. "Red Pig." Scenes taken under new management in 1938. New manager Bernice Fox is fixing two cups of coffee behind counter. The counter is empty, a stark contrast to the packed area pictured in A7529-1 just a few minutes before. The Red Pig restaurant was located on busy Tacoma-Seattle Highway (Highway 99) just beyond Fife. (T. Times 10/26/1938, pg. 7) (filed with Argentum)

Red Pig Restaurant (Fife); Restaurants--Fife--1930-1940; Restaurant workers; Fox, Bernice;

Dick Bevington's new Triple XXX Root Beer Barrel drive-in. Exterior of restaurant at night, giant root beer barrels on top of building, neon signs on cornice, automobiles parked in front. The restaurant was built at a cost of $29,000. Mr. and Mrs. Bevington resided in an apartment on the premises. The restaurant had booths, counter service, car hops and round the clock service.

Fast food restaurants--Tacoma; Bevington's Triple XXX Root Beer Restaurant (Tacoma);

Exterior view of Pucci Inn, a roadside restaurant owned by Guido Pucci. The two-story wooden building features a steep roof with projecting bay on the second floor .

Business Enterprises - Food Enterprises - Restaurants - Roadside Restaurants - Pierce County - Lakewood - Pucci Inn

Interior of Bar-B-Q Inn at Tillicum. Made for Pabst salesman. Three men, one is a soldier or marine, sitting on bar stools. Woman behind bar. Bottles of Pabst beer displayed.

Bar-B-Q Inn (Lakewood); Beer--Eating & drinking; Diners (Restaurants)--Lakewood;

Richard Wagner (center) won this handsome turkey at the Pharaoh Club's 5th annual Thanksgiving dance held on Thursday November 24, 1949 at the Top of the Ocean. Holding Mr. Wagner's turkey, while Miss Janet McMath tickles its breast feathers, is Gene Nelson. The Pharaoh Club was a young men's social group organized by a small number of students in 1939; by 1949 the groups membership had grown. Since Mr. Wagner did not win his turkey until Thanksgiving evening, we must assume that he kept it as a pet - at least until Christmas. (TNT 11/13/1949 p.D-4; 11/27/1949 p.D-1)

Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Nightclubs--Tacoma--1940-1950; Pharaoh Club (Tacoma); Turkeys; Nelson, Gene; Wagner, Richard; McMath, Janet; Dance parties--Tacoma--1940-1950; Holidays--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Banquet for 25 Year Club and Pensioners at Towers, E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., Mr. George Collins. DuPont Works Annual Dinner, Pensioners and 25 Year Men. The Grasselli division of E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company began manufacturing lead and calcium arsenates for fruit, cotton and ground crops in May 1944. They also warehoused millions of pounds of agricultural chemicals manufactured by its eastern plant. The company had another plant for the manufacture of high explosives in Dupont, Washington. Names were listed in the newspaper November 18, 1949. (TNT, 2/17/1949, p.6-A; 11/18/1949, p.B-9; T.Times, 1/30/1946)

Banquets--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business people--Tacoma--1940-1950; E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (Dupont)--People; Towers Restaurant (Tacoma);

Interior and exterior for submitting to Liquor Board, Valley Cafe, Sumner, Frank Guisti. Swivel stools with back rests line the counter. Booths line the opposite wall and open sided booths create a center seating area.

Cafes--Sumner--1940-1950; Valley Cafe (Sumner);

On Friday the 13th of January, 1950, the worst blizzard in years hit Tacoma. The gale brought five foot snow drifts, twenty degree chills, several hours of 40-60 mph winds and an estimated million dollars worth of storm damage in Tacoma. As pictured, the bulkhead near the "bow" of the Top of the Ocean, the Tacoma Athletic Commission's Ruston Way nightclub shaped like a ship, collapsed. However, the club itself did not suffer extensive damage. Waves 20 feet high broke over Ruston Way during the storm. The freezing temperatures brought in by the storm stayed until the middle of the following week. In the background is the Henry Mill. Ordered by the Tacoma Athletic Commission. TPL-8836

Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Waterfronts; Storms--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The "noon rush" filled the booths, tables and counter space at Peters' Golden Gate Oyster House, 1122 Pacific Avenue, in February of 1950. The restaurant, in the heart of Tacoma's financial and office building district, was owned and operated by Gus and Mike Peters. The brothers came to Tacoma from the Island of Crete in Greece in 1912 and entered the restaurant and seafood catering business while still teenagers. Gus Peters' original Greek name was believed to be Paneoto Constantine Rodakalikis. They had owned and operated restaurants in Tacoma for 26 years when they opened this new cafe in 1948. It was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (TNT 12/9/1948 p.B-9) (Additional information provided by a reader)

Restaurants--Tacoma--1950-1960; Eating & drinking--Tacoma--1950-1960; Counters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Restaurant workers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Waitresses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Peters Golden Gate Oyster House (Tacoma);

A luncheon meeting at the Top of the Ocean was one of the highlights of the annual convention of the Washington State Council of Administrative Women in Education held in Tacoma April 21 and 22, 1950. Visitors came from each of the five branch organizations within Washington. Ordered by Miss Mildred White, President of the Tacoma branch, a concultant in elementary education for Pierce County schools. Names are listed in the newspaper. (TNT, 4/21/1950, p.C-5; 4/26/1950, p.12)

Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Hats--1950-1960; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950; Washington State Council of Administrative Women in Education (Tacoma); Meetings--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The Tacoma Chamber of Commerce entertained the armed forces Friday night of Armed Forces Week at the Top of the Ocean in May of 1950. A Military Ball was to complete the week's festivities on Saturday night and was held at the Elks Ballroom. Ordered by the Tribune, Barbara Dana. (TNT, 5/24/1950, p.11)

Top of the Ocean (Tacoma); Balls (Parties)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Military uniforms; Ball dresses;

Tacoma's Rudder Club offered their members a number of social activities throughout the year. Hat and style shows, stag and doe parties, children's events, dinner and cocktails at the club's facilities, and many other functions for their members and guests. Interior view of private dining room at the club's facilities, located at 735 Commerce Street; a lovely table is set with five unidentified waitresses ready to serve at the private party.

Table settings & decorations; Dining tables; Waitresses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Dining rooms--Tacoma; Restaurant workers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Organizations' facilities--Tacoma; Clubs--Tacoma; Rudder Club, Inc. (Tacoma);

Several exposures of after remodeling of Manning's Market. This angled view of the serving area of Manning's Market's cafe section shows a large container of crushed ice where cold salads and other foods could be displayed and several units for holding hot dishes. Looking through the long horizontal windows, a customer could easily see and then order his selection for the day. The breakfast menu on the wall shows that cereal, fruit or juice, toast and coffee could be purchased for 50 cents and an egg, potatoes, toast and coffee meal would only cost 45 cents. TPL-9506

Manning's Market (Tacoma); Manning's Inc. (Tacoma); Cafeterias--Tacoma;

Several exposures of after remodeling of Manning's Market. The coffee counter in the remodeled Manning's was situated between the Jackson Brothers Meat Market and the Bakery. There were an abundance of stools for weary customers to refresh themselves with cups of Manning's coffee or tea. TPL-9508

Manning's Market (Tacoma); Manning's Inc. (Tacoma); Jackson Brothers Meat Market (Tacoma); Stools;

Several exposures of after remodeling of Manning's Market. Manning's Market, at the corner of 11th and Commerce, was part of Manning's Inc., a multi-million dollar food chain. Manning's in Tacoma contained a coffee store, cafe, bakery, meat market as well as a beauty salon and gardening supplies. This photograph, taken on July 31, 1950, highlights the coffee and bakery sections of the store. The gleaming showcases contain a selection of tea selling from 33 cents per quarter pound to 65 cents per half pound and a variety of coffees starting from 74 cents a pound. There is a lone two layer, heavily frosted, cake along side the coffee and tea. And, if a customer had a craving for peanuts, Manning's also supplied freshly roasted bags of peanuts for year round enjoyment. TPL-9507

Manning's Market (Tacoma); Manning's Inc. (Tacoma); Showcases; Coffee--Tacoma; Tea--Tacoma; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Crawford's Sea Grill, located at 505 Broadway, opened its new Star Room Terrace in August of 1950. Owned by Jack Meaker, Crawford's was built on the site of the Nelson Bennett Mansion in 1946. It was a very popular restaurant with Tacoma residents and visitors alike who enjoyed the unique Terrace which was completely enclosed in glass to take advantage of the view of Commencement Bay. The Town & Country Shop and the Wild West Veterans Club (Post #91) shared space at the same location. Crawford's closed in the early 1950s. (TNT, 8/30/1950) TPL-9848

Crawford's Sea Grill (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1950-1960; Town & Country Shop (Tacoma); Wild West Veterans Club (Tacoma);

Exterior of Dandy Cafe. Located at 917 Tacoma Avenue South, the Dandy Cafe shared a building with the Dandy Barber Shop in 1950. Owned and operated by Fred and Louise Fries, the Dandy Cafe was a small eating establishment. As the signs on the building advertised, they offered Coca-Cola and Flett's Ice Cream as part of the menu.

Dandy Cafe (Tacoma); Cafes--Tacoma--1950-1960; Signs (Notices); Fries, Fred; Fries, Louise;

Murphy's was located at 938 Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma; the beer parlor was owned by Leland C. Lund, who also owned the Drift Inn Tavern. Interior view of Murphy's tavern; pin ball machines with signs indicating "No Minors" on right side; men and women are sitting at long eating counter, a waitress and cook are behind the counter.

Bars--Tacoma--1940-1950; City & town life--Tacoma--1940-1950; Taverns (Inns)--Tacoma--1940-1950; Beer halls--Tacoma--1940-1950; Restaurants--Tacoma--1940-1950; Murphy's (Tacoma);