Four Safeway employees surveyed newspaper food ads at the University Place Safeway store on March 13, 1961. The store was located at 7506 27th St. W. and was preparing for its grand opening in two days. This would be Safeway's 13th and newest market. Safeway shared space in a new University Place shopping center with Value Store and Thrifty Drug. From L-R: meat department manager Alvin Glasgow, store manager Leslie Carl, produce department manager Robert Arneberg and Tacoma Safety district manager, Fred Bucholtz. Safeway was running a canned food sale for seven days which included 5 cans of Del Monte green peas at $1.00, 3 cans of asparagus spears for 89 cents, 4 cans of Elberta peaches at 95 cents and 7 cans of pork & beans for $1.00. Photograph ordered by the News Tribune. (TNT 3-14-61, p. 6, 7) TPL-6171

Safeway Stores, Inc. (University Place); Grocery stores--University Place--1960-1970; Glasgow, Alvin; Carl, Leslie; Arneberg, Robert; Bucholtz, Fred; Newspapers--University Place;

March 13, 1961, photograph of twelve small girls in classroom. Scholastic Magazines news map dated 1959-60 on blackboard wall behind them. These children, wearing school uniforms, were from the Lower School of Annie Wright Seminary.

School children--Tacoma--1960-1970; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1960-1970; Private schools--Tacoma; Classrooms--Tacoma--1960-1970; Maps;

Parking garage at night. View of exterior of Rhodes Department Store's multi-story concrete parking garage with large sign "Park" lit up on March 9, 1961. What appear to be young trees are planted in the parking strip outside the garage; variety of shrubs and plants alongside garage. The ramp-style, self-parking garage provided four levels of parking with no pillars, posts or stall obstructions. Cars could enter and/or leave on Market St. or Court D. Photograph ordered by the News Tribune. (TNT 3-12-61, B-1, 2)

Parking garages--Tacoma--1960-1970; Electric signs;

View of kitchen taken for Home Builders of Greater Tacoma. Designed for convenience and family living, the "Greenbriar" model home was photographed on March 9, 1961, in preparation for the annual Tacoma Home Show. Built by James Griffin, the Puyallup-area three-bedroom rambler was one of three model homes built for the home show. View of kitchen shows built-in stove, ample walnut cabinets and plenty of convenient, accessible workspace. Aurora vinyl covers the floor. Built-in oven with cabinets above and below stands separate from the stove, next to the refrigerator. Brick wall or fireplace is on right edge of photograph. There is room enough for a small dining room table and four chairs. The home, located in the Greenbriar Estates, was designed by Louis M. Pedersen. (TNT 3-13-61, p. 32)

Kitchens--Puyallup;

Boatbuilder attaching wooden ribs to keel. This is possibly Tacoma Boat Building. Photograph ordered by West Coast Lumber Association. TPL-5546.

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boats--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Progress March 3, 1961, photograph of a lone worker who appears to be sanding down the ribs that will be connected to the rest of a boat. This may be at Tacoma Boat. Photograph ordered by West Coast Lumber Association. TPL-9393

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boats--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Boat under construction. Progress photographs of a fishing boat under construction were taken on March 3, 1961, at Martinac Shipbuilding on behalf of West Coast Lumber Association. TPL-9121

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boats--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Contemporary home with beautiful view of the Narrows Bridge, ca. 1961. Apparently built on a hillside, this modern home appears to have large skylights and a two-car garage. Two vehicles are parked nearby. This is the home of George Franklin at 636 No. Fairview Dr., and was built for him by famed Tacoma architect, Robert Billsbrough Price about 1956. Mr. Price built schools, temples and even a fire station. The William Weaver family were the second owners of the home, living there from about 1972 to 2003. (Additional information provided by a reader)

Houses--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma); Franklin, George--Homes & haunts; Weaver, William P.--Homes & haunts;

Tacoma's landscape in the 1960's would slowly be changing as nearly all of the vacant land and woods near the Sixth Avenue and Orchard area would be occupied by new homes and businesses. The tip of Cheney Stadium can be seen in the upper right hand corner. Busch's Drive-In is the long building with dark roof towards the center of the photograph; the bare area next door would become part of Kmart in the future. Boulevard Texaco service station is next to Busch's at the intersection of Sixth & Orchard. Across Sixth Avenue from Busch's is the relocated First Christian Church which was dedicated on February 19, 1961. The church had originally been located in downtown Tacoma since 1906; a new building was constructed at 6th & Orchard for $400,000. The large rectangular building with dark roof near the bottom right of the picture is believed to be Stebner's Inc, located at 5510 Sixth Ave. Stebner's was located two blocks west of Busch's and had celebrated its grand opening at that location on November 17, 1960. Photograph ordered by Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In.

Aerial photographs; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1960-1970; Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In Restaurant (Tacoma); Boulevard Texaco (Tacoma); First Christian Church (Tacoma); Stebner's, Inc. (Tacoma);

Mayor Ben Hanson on Tacoma Escalade at 1129 Broadway. The mayor and several city councilpersons including Mrs. Ellen Price (at his side), W.G. "Gerry" Bott and deputy mayor James Porter (behind them) were photographed in February, 1961, at the new 100-foot escalade that was built between Broadway and Commerce at 12th St. The $205,000 escalade was the first of four ramps planned for local pedestrians. Unlike store escalators, the "rubber belt" had no steps but did have a moving handrail. Its speed was about 120-feet a minute, a little slower than the average walking pace. This escalade, designed by local architects Lea, Pearson & Richards and built by the Jardeen Bros. Co., was meant to make downtown's steep hills a bit easier for pedestrians. There would be a week-long trial run before it was shut down for ten days for final tweaking. Mayor Hanson was reportedly not in town at the time of the February 27, 1961 escalade dedication so deputy mayor James Porter did the honors of snipping the three-inch white ribbon officially opening the escalade. This picture was probably taken either days before or after the actual dedication. (TNT 2-27-1961, p. 1-article; TNT 2-26-1961, A-1-article)

Belts & belting (Equipment); Pedestrians--Tacoma; Hanson, Ben; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970; Municipal officials--Tacoma--1960-1970; Price, Ellen; Bott, Gerry; Porter, James;

At the intersection of Bridgeport and 27th W. in University Place in 1961 was a new one-stop shopping center where customers could easily get gas, groceries, fill prescriptions and buy inexpensive variety store items. Stores and services included the University Place Service gas station, Value Stores, Safeway, and Thrifty Drugs. Free parking appeared to be readily available. Photograph ordered by Klaus Werner. TPL-7189

Shopping centers--University Place--1960-1970; Signs (Notices); Value Stores (University Place); Safeway Stores, Inc. (University Place); Thrifty Drugs (University Place); Variety stores--University Place; Grocery stores--University Place--1960-1970;

An anxious crowd gathers for the dedication of Tacoma's first escalade. Tacoma claimed to be the first city in the nation with modern "moving sidewalks. Four ramps connected Pacific Avenue, Commerce Street and Broadway. The noble experiment was discontinued in 1983, due to vandalism and mechanical problems. City photographer. TPL-6161

Conveying systems--Tacoma--1960-1970; Crowds--Tacoma;

Tacoma Escalade at 1129 Broadway. Drizzle failed to shoo away the hundreds of spectators who had gathered on February 27, 1961, at the dedication of the new 100-foot, $205,000 escalade, or "moving sidewalk," next to the Giant 88 store in downtown Tacoma. They all wanted a chance to hop a ride onto the ramp that was built between Broadway and Commerce at 12th St. on the site of the former Blue Mouse Theater. This escalade was the first of four ramps designed to make climbing the steep hills of the downtown area a little easier for its pedestrians. It differed from a store escalator as there were no steps on the ribbed rubber surface but did have a moving handrail. The second escalade was scheduled to open in the near future between Pacific and Commerce about 10th St. A bond issue passed in 1958 had set aside $875,000 for moving sidewalks. TPL-6161 (TNT 2-27-1961, p. 1-article)

Belts & belting (Equipment); Pedestrians--Tacoma; Crowds--Tacoma--1960-1970; Giant 88 (Tacoma);

Studio portrait of three young men in identical jackets and dark pants. They are tentatively identified as Steve Mehiel, Henry Trattini and Ronald Thompson. The men may have been part of a musical group, "The Chessmen." TPL-10431

Men--Clothing & dress--1960-1970;

The February, 1961, sun casts a long shadow of the photographer on the dark parking lot of Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In Restaurant. The drive-in had opened in 1960 near the intersection of Sixth and Orchard. It was owned by William Busch, who also owned a Busch's Drive-In on South Tacoma Way. View of large lot, with extended roof that offered partial coverage of vehicles and walkway to dine-in service at the restaurant.

Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In Restaurant (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Interior of restaurant, ca. 1961. This is believed to be the interior of Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In Restaurant which opened in 1960 and was owned by William Busch. A long curved laminated counter has room for ten seats; miniature jukeboxes on counter for patrons' listening pleasure. Padded booth seating is also available. Glimpse of diagonal parking with covered walkway.

Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Counters--Tacoma;

Exterior of Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In. Directional arrows guide hungry customers to the Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In on February 16, 1961. This was the second Busch's restaurant in the Tacoma area; the first was the longtime establishment famous for its car hops located on South Tacoma Way. Busch's Sixth Avenue was designed by Percy G. Ball and built in 1960. It featured covered parking and walkway along with dine-in service. TPL-5805

Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In Restaurant (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Signs (Notices);

B.D. Lamb, driver for Williams Bros., stands next to his Ford truck outside of Eleanor's Restaurant on (Old) Hwy. 99 on February 2, 1961. Mr. Lamb has the driver's door open. There are large signs on the truck advertising Hartz Western Style Beer and Pilsener Beer.

Lamb, B.D.; Ford trucks; Signs (Notices);

Full front of Bernice Building, Pacific Avenue side. Located on the ground floor of the Victorian era Bernice Building was Bender's, women and men's clothing store owned by Jack R. Bender. Customers seem to be flocking to the ready-to-wear store, drawn by the low prices in the quitting business sale. The Bernice Building, as well as the adjacent Pacific First Federal Savings & Loan Assn. building, would be demolished to make way for a modern, expanded Pacific First Federal structure. The new building would open in September, 1964.

Bernice Building (Tacoma); Bender's (Tacoma);

Commerce St. side of Bernice Building. By 1960, there were many vacancies in the venerable Bernice Building located in the 1100 block of Pacific Avenue. The building would be demolished later to make room for the new Pacific First Federal Savings & Loan Assn.site. Pacific First Federal had requested photographs of the front and rear of the Bernice Building with adjoining buildings removed.

Bernice Building (Tacoma);

Pacific First Federal Savings & Loan building at intersection of S. 11th & Commerce Sts. Pedestrians wait to cross busy Commerce St. on February 1, 1961. The savings & loan association had announced two weeks before that they would be constructing a new building on the original site and including the Bernice Building location next door. Both buildings had been built in the late 1800's and heavily utilized the semi-circular Roman arch feature. Photograph ordered by Pacific First Federal Savings & Loan Assn.

Pacific First Federal Building (Tacoma); Bernice Building (Tacoma);

Originally built in 1891 as the Merchants National Bank, the building on the corner of 11th and Pacific Avenue became home to Pacific First Federal Savings & Loan in 1939. When the building was remodeled in 1949 many innovations were added to the venerable structure including Tacoma's first escalator. Both the Pacific First Federal building at 1102-04 Pacific and the Bernice Building next to it were torn down shortly after this photograph was taken in 1961; a new, larger Pacific First Federal Savings & Loan Association building was built on the site. The new savings and loan had its grand opening in September 1964. Today it is home to Washington Mutual Bank. (Photograph ordered by Pacific First Federal Savings & Loan Assn.)

Pacific First Federal Building (Tacoma); Bernice Building (Tacoma); Bender's (Tacoma);

Looking northward, the Lincoln district in 1961. Lincoln High School is group of buildings near the center of the photograph; street to its right is South G. South 38th St. runs horizontally near bottom. Large trees are part of Lincoln Park. Holy Rosary Church with tall steeple is less than a mile away from the school. Photograph ordered by Lincolnian, Lincoln High School's yearbook. TPL-9695

Aerial photographs; Lincoln High School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Outfitted in a sleeveless black dress in January, 1961, Chic Styling Salon owner Bette (Mrs. Bert) La Pore poses in her beauty shop located in the Gamble Building on No. Proctor St. Three hair dryers are visible along with an equal number of work stations. A spritely mannequin is on display in the background. This photograph ran with a large ad in the February 5, 1961, issue of the News Tribune. The Chic Styling Salon was welcoming back Miss Marlene and announcing the addition of two new stylists, Mr. Jim and Miss Lynne. (TNT 2-5-61, D-4)

La Pore, Bette; Chic Styling Salon (Tacoma); Beauty shops--Tacoma--1960-1970; Mannequins;

Small cruiser in process of making turn parallel to new plywood boathouse at the Fairliner boat plant. The boathouse already has most of its stalls occupied. Fairliner had three houses with 31 berths adjoining its plant on the Port Industrial Waterway. All berths were occupied by privately owned Fairliner pleasure craft owners. Fairliner was a division of the Western Boat Building Corp. Its boats were especially adaptable to the area's choppy waters and could hit speeds over 40 knots. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (TNT 12-4-60, B-15, TNT 4-12-62, C-19)

Plywood; Boathouses; Boats--Tacoma;

Dining room of the Doric Tacoma Motor Hotel. Upholstered in gold leather and midnight blue, the semi-circular seating provides comfort and some privacy in the dining room of the new Doric Hotel. Walls were constructed of cedar panels and paintings highlighted of Native Americans. The patrons look pleased to be dining at this new facility, the "Tahoma." Chef John Espinoza offered a menu of many speciality dishes, including sauerbraten and wiener schnitzel. The hotel had opened in August, 1960, at 242 Saint Helens Avenue. It was conveniently located to downtown businesses and shopping with ample free parking. (TNT ad, 1-31-61, A-7) TPL-9886

Doric Tacoma Motor Hotel (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1960-1970; Dining rooms--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Exterior of Swasey library. The 7,000 square foot George O. Swasey Memorial Library was dedicated on October 7, 1960, and opened for business the following day. Designed by the Tacoma architectural firm of Lea, Pearson & Richards, the West End branch library cost $160,000 including land, construction, equipment and books. The entire cost was funded from the estate of the late George O. Swasey who had lived here for fifty years after his arrival in 1908 from the east. The opening of the branch would inaugurate public library service in the West End of Tacoma. At that time it was Tacoma's largest branch library. Norman McDonald would serve as the branch's first librarian. (TNT 9-25-60, C-15, TNT 10-7-60, A-11))

Tacoma Public Library, George O. Swasey Memorial Branch (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma;

The George O. Swasey Memorial Branch Library opened at 7001 Sixth Ave. in October, 1960, to serve the readers of the growing West End of Tacoma. The open house and dedication on October 7th drew several hundred visitors; they were able to take a look at the 65 magazine and nearly 15,000 title collection. In this night exposure, the interior of the Swasey library can clearly be seen through the building's floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The library branch was designed by Lea, Pearson & Richards and built by McKasson Bros. Construction. Landscaping was provided primarily by the West End Gardeners League. The building was later renovated with funds provided by 1984's 15.8 million dollar bond project. (TNT 10-7-60, A-11-article, 10-8-60, p. 2-article)

Tacoma Public Library, George O. Swasey Memorial Branch (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1960-1970;

This aerial view of Tacoma, taken from 1,200 feet, shows I-5 and the 38th Street cloverleaf as they appeared in January of 1961. The simple curve of the highway had not yet been complicated by the addition of the Highway 16 interchange. The houses to the left are surrounded on the north and west by I-5 and on the south by 38th Street. The buildings at the bottom, right are on South Tacoma Way.

Aerial photographs; Express highways--Tacoma--1960-1970;

March of Dimes window display. A poignant appeal from the March of Dimes for funds to fight crippling diseases was on display in the Capital Finance office on January 16, 1961. "Please say yes" was the slogan for the 1961 campaign. Photographs of youngsters in braces, including a large cutout of a wide-eyed boy with crutches, are prominently displayed. A child mannequin in wheelchair also emphasizes how disease can strike the very young.

March of Dimes (Tacoma); Fund raising--Tacoma--1960-1970; Poliomyletis--Prevention; Window displays--Tacoma--1960-1970; Wheelchairs; Capital Finance Co. (Tacoma); Signs (Notices);