Interior beauty salon. The Grandchamp Beauty Salon in Seattle offered the latest in modern equipment to its discerning customers in July, 1954. Comfortable padded wide-bodied chairs were provided so the customer could relax while having her hair dried and possibly permed. Current fashion magazines like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar were within reach; an ashtray was positioned on a tri-legged table for smokers' benefit. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Beauty Supply Co.
Bold checkered linoleum highlights the selection of Frigidaire appliances at Schoenfeld's Furniture in September, 1954. The white stoves and refrigerators gleam when contrasted with the darker flooring. Schoenfeld's occupied a multi-level skyscraper so there was room enough for many displays without the customer feeling close and crowded. There was always much to choose from Schoenfeld's selections in a wide variety of prices and styles.
L. Schoenfeld & Sons (Tacoma); Home furnishings stores--Tacoma; Appliances;
In September of 1954, there was no doubt as to which business occupied 1423 Pacific Avenue--Schoenfeld's blazed their name in massive letters on both sides of the historic Sandberg Building. Owned by L. Schoenfeld & Sons, the furniture and home furnishings store was a downtown fixture for over ninety years. Brothers Herbert and Ralph Schoenfeld were the owners; they were the sons of Louis Schoenfeld who started the business in 1848. They offered the latest styles in furniture, appliances and home decoration. This photograph is of the exterior of the building showing new display windows and a brand new marquee extending the length of the building, including the new adjacent four story addition. Schoenfeld's finally closed its doors in November, 1996. The building was purchased and renovated by Total Renal Care in 1998; they later changed their name to DaVita. (TNT 9-12-54, B-2) TPL-6242
L. Schoenfeld & Sons (Tacoma); Home furnishings stores--Tacoma; Furniture stores--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Television department-Schoenfeld's. Schoenfeld's was a downtown fixture for ninety-four years. Occupying the oldest reinforced concrete skyscraper on the West Coast, it had a well-known reputation for quality goods and service. There was always a wide selection of merchandise to choose from; view of television sets on display on the sixth floor. An August 26, 1954, News Tribune article mentioned that there were 362,000 black and white television sets in the Puget Sound region. Shoppers could certainly have purchased one of those sets from Schoenfeld's. (TNT 8-26-54, D-4)
L. Schoenfeld & Sons (Tacoma); Home furnishings stores--Tacoma; Televisions--1950-1960;
The living room of Joe L. Long, Jr.'s residence takes full advantage of the beautiful lakeview through the expansive glass picture windows. The contemporary styled home appears to be two-storied as it has an elevated view of the waterfront. The large living room comes equipped with enormous brick fireplace; exposed beams bring in a touch of the northwest into the home. Photograph ordered by Timber Structures, Inc., Portland, Oregon.
Living rooms--Lakewood--1950-1960; Fireplaces; Lamps; Long, Joe L.--Homes & haunts; Timber Structures, Inc. (Portland, Or.);
The National Lead Co. opened a new store at the corner of South "M' St. and Center in July, 1954. An ad in the News Tribune dated August 20, 1954, welcomed shoppers to the Dutch Boy Paint Store; the store may have changed its name after that date. It specialized in a full line of quality Dutch Boy Paints, wallpaper, and painting supplies. Floyd Chapman was listed as manager in the 1955 City Directory; he had previously been listed as the manager of the Dutch Boy Paint Store on A Street in the 1954 City Directory. View of exterior of paint store with neon sign, large plate glass windows allowing customers to see store's merchandise of brushes and paint cans. Special events at the grand opening included a home decorating show, free drawings for prizes, gardenias for the ladies and balloons for the kids. (TNT 8-20-54, p. 21- Ad)
National Lead Co. (Tacoma); Dutch Boy Paint Store (Tacoma); Paint industry--Tacoma; Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Sears, Roebuck held a summer appliance sale on the rooftop parking area of their parking center at 1140-50 Court C in August of 1954. During the summer clearance sale customers could save up to $72 on a Kenmore washer and $81 on a Kenmore dryer. Wringers, refrigerators and chest freezers were also on sale. Beyond the parking garage further up the South 13th Street hill can be seen: the Dewey Hotel, 1308 Market Street; the Coliseum Bowling Alley, 407 South 13th; and (top right, just beyond the bowling sign) the Crescent Ballroom, 1308-10 Fawcett Avenue. The brick building at top center is the Eagles Hall, 1305-07 Fawcett Ave.; it was demolished in April of 2007 several days after its roof collapsed.
Tacoma Bread Co.'s main product appeared to be their Kream Krust Bread. It was heavily advertised on both the wholesale bakery's building and on their fleet of delivery trucks. Employees of Tacoma Bread stand proudly alongside the neatly aligned row of trucks on a foggy August, 1954, morning. The company was owned and operated by the Manthou family, with Mrs. Irene Manthou listed as president-treasurer in the 1954 City Directory. They had been at their (then) Center St. location for over 20 years. Begun as a small one-man shop by owner Chris Manthou, Tacoma Bread had expanded to a 37-employee bakery by 1954. It was Tacoma's oldest bakery. (TNT 8-30-54, p. 9) TPL-9774
School principals and directors for the Tacoma School District are all smiles as they pose for a group portrait on August 31, 1954, prior to the start of the 1954-55 school year. The names of these individuals are listed in a brief News Tribune article dated September 8, 1954. (TNT 9-8-54, p. 12)
Tacoma Public Schools (Tacoma); Group portraits; School principals--Tacoma--1950-1960; Central School (Tacoma);
Members of the Edward Rhodes Post No. 2's Last Man Club met for their annual reunion banquet in the Rhodes Memorial Hall on November 12, 1954. Honored attendees were past commanders of the American Legion post who served in WW1. Ten flags are draped over empty chairs in front of the group of men, to honor those commanders who had passed away. A special guest from California was expected to be Frederick J. Shaw, the first commander of Post #2 in 1919, who would be attending the reunion for the first time. The post's Last Man Club was founded in 1937. (TNT 11-7-54, D-15)
American Legion Edward B. Rhodes Post No. 2 (Tacoma); Patriotic societies--Tacoma--1950-1960; Flags--United States; Last Man Club (Tacoma);
A little girl touches a stuffed animal whose head emerges from a toy storage unit in a September 20, 1954, photograph. A variety of toys are scattered on the floor including a football helmet, glove, drum, dolls and books. These are probably going to be picked up and stored in the two wooden toy boxes. The boxes have wheels and are marked "delivery truck" and "moving van". It would make cleaning up faster and more fun as the toy chests are mobile; the child would be in charge of "driving" to pick up or deliver her toys. The "vehicles" could then be parked under the wooden desk for convenient storage. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Children playing with toys--Tacoma--1950-1960; Toys;
Plywood was a versatile product. It seemed like you could make anything out of plywood, including these charming store window Christmas cutouts. Two little wooden children, mouths wide open, are singing Christmas carols. This particular store was offering free Christmas plans using fir plywood for gifts, decorations and toys. A do-it-yourselfer could use the plans to create similar cutouts and then paint them in whichever colors he desired. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Gaye Titcomb, an Annie Wright senior, smilingly glances down at her matching makeup accessories in a September 23, 1954, sepia photograph. The compact, lipstick, lipstick case and small bag appear to have an identical jeweled theme. She is dressed in a lovely white nylon lace peignoir over petticoats of multicolored ruffles. Photograph ordered by the News Tribune for the Fall Fashion layouts. (TNT 9-28-54, C-5) TPL-9347
On October 2, 1954, two couples from the Lakewood Dance Club took a load off their feet and sat back to admire the high-stepping dancing boots of "Gold Rush Girl" Mrs. Earl Davidson. The "Alaska Gold Rush Dance" was held in the Recreation Hall at the Lakewood Center. The sourdoughs and their best gals were, left to right, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Cooley, Mrs. and Mrs. Gordon Bennett (holding a couple of gold bricks) and Mr. and Mrs. Earl Davidson. Two amusing posters are behind the smiling group; the cartoons poke fun at the rugged, and unattached, gold miners. Photograph ordered by the News Tribune. (TNT 10-9-54, p. 5)
Exterior of school. Various local schools were photographed on October 24, 1954, on behalf of Ostruske-Murphy, Inc., contractors. This may be part of Browns Point School on 51st St. N.E. The buildings were constructed with flat roofs, long rectangular lines, and many multi-paned windows. A sign urging voters to cast their ballots on behalf of good schools is already on site despite the fact the election is not until May 18th.
Public schools--Tacoma--1950-1960; Signs (Notices); Ostruske-Murphy, Inc. (Tacoma);
A proud and happy group of school patrol leaders pose in front of Dupont School on October 1, 1954. The boys and girls all sport sashes with patrol badges pinned on them. School patrols provided protection for children walking to school by keeping a close eye on oncoming traffic; they may have had other duties as well. School administrative staff and honored guests were invited to join the children in the above photograph. One man seated in the front row holds a plaque with engraved names.
School children--Dupont; Dupont School Patrol (Dupont);
Evergreens could be used year round as decorations for both indoor and outdoor locations. Although it is only September, this home has an evergreen swag on the front door and evergreens serving as a border around the doorway and windows. L & L Evergreen also had a thriving business in shipping fresh evergreens across the country in time for the Christmas season. The company was founded in 1938 by Tony Lipoma and had its headquarters in Puyallup next to the Meridian Street Bridge. Trees were freshly cut from the 980 acre Lipoma Tree Farm near Firgrove. Thousands of Yule trees and 3,000 hand-made artistic decorations, including cedar garlands, wreaths, swags and charms, are worked on per day by L & L Evergreen employees. Photograph ordered by L & L Evergreen. (TNT 11-21-54, D-14)
Christmas decorations; L & L Evergreen (Puyallup);
A large wooden Santa seems to wave his arm in friendly greeting as he maintains his post on the lawn of a 1950s style rambler. A wreath and decorated fir tree help to promote the holiday season. Components of this Santa came from a kit; with step-by-step instructions, individuals could easily build and paint these cutouts. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Christmas decorations; Plywood; Handicraft; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
The Miller Construction Co. built many homes in the Skyline Terrace housing development in the 1950's. Each lot had beautiful views of either the city lights, Narrows or Olympic Mountains. The contemporary home at 1101 Lenore Drive would not be an exception. It was labeled the "Idea Home of the Year" and probably contained many new innovations. Designed by Cleveland architects Robert A. Little & Associates, it merited a 19 page listing in the September, 1954, Better Homes & Gardens magazine. View of home's fenced back yard; patio has a small section set aside for a small tree surrounded by concrete block. The 1955 City Directory listed its owner as Fremont C. and Virginia Gault; Mr. Gault was an executive with Weyerhaeuser Timber. Photograph ordered by Miller Construction Co., Inc. (TNT 9-19-54, E-7)
Gault, Fremont C.--Homes & haunts; Miller Construction Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Operations at Heidelberg Brewing Co. were highly mechanized by the mid-1950's. A second brewing line was installed in the summer of 1954 which doubled the brewhouse capacity. Here a brewery employee keeps a careful eye on his large machine which appears to be in the bottling section. Photograph ordered by the Radio Corps. of America.
The home at 1101 Lenore Dr. was built as a model home by Miller Construction Co. It was located in the modern Skyline Terrace housing subdivision where all lots had beautiful views of either the water, mountains or city lights. This particular home was called the "Home for All America" and was later purchased by Fremont C. Gault. Space was set aside in the home for a display of home designs, photographs, pamplets and an architectural model of a new house for interested home buyers. Photograph ordered by Miller Construction Co. (TNT 9-19-54, E-7)
Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Architectural models; Miller Construction Co., Inc. (Tacoma);
Exterior Lakewood Thriftway. The sleek modern lines of the Lakewood Thriftway supermarket were photographed on October 3, 1954. The flat overhanging roof jutting out from the concrete block building would provide protection from the weather for waiting customers . The Lakewood Thriftway would celebrate its grand opening October 7-9, 1954, with an impressive array of free gifts. Orchids, coffee, cake, ice cream, merry-go-round and pony rides would be provided free of charge. 7,500 different varieties of foods would be offered for sale in the 12,000 square foot store. Stan Engle was the co-owner and general manager of the new supermarket. Photograph ordered by the Condon Co., Inc., an advertising agency. (TNT 10-6-54, B-5)
Thriftway Food Stores (Lakewood); Grocery stores--Lakewood--1950-1960; Condon Co., Inc. (Tacoma);
Church classrooms. The University Place Assembly of God church had many small children attending church along with their parents. The church provided cozy classrooms with appropriate sized furniture for the youngsters. View of cheerful classroom was taken on October 21, 1954; small wooden chairs with curved armrests are just the right size for the rectangular working table. Bright stars decorate the nearby chalkboard and colorful pictures are positioned on walls and even on the toy chest. A thick rug gives additional warmth to the room.
University Place Assembly of God (University Place); Protestant churches--University Place; Churches--University Place; Sunday schools--University Place; Classrooms--University Place;
A huge circular safety-deposit door is wide open to invite customers to deposit their items of value in the safe and secure confines of a bank vault. Metal bars within the vault provide additional security. The back of a high desk is at the door's entry, behind the bars, so that customers could remove their boxes and place them there for easier access. The actual safe deposit boxes can be glimpsed further toward the rear of the vault; they may have come in a variety of sizes. Photograph ordered by Condon Co.
Vaults (Strong rooms); Safe-deposit boxes; Condon Co., Inc. (Tacoma);
View of Market St, taken on September 15, 1954. Across the street from the future home of United Pacific Insurance Co. was the Young Men's Christian Association. Designed by architects Bullard & Hill, it was built and completed by R.B. Teeter in 1909. It was dedicated in October, 1909, completely paid for. Neighboring businesses included Spillman Insurance, Tribune Cleaners, Tribune Barber Shop, JT's Tavern and further down the street, B & B Glass. Photograph ordered by Comfort, Davis & Blangy. TPL-8749
Young Men's Christian Association (Tacoma); Commercial streets--Tacoma--1950-1960;
ca. 1954. Copy of customer print. Mm, mm, good! Two little chefs are preparing bowls of Campbell's Soups using their Campbell Kids Cooking Set on a miniature electric stove. The Cooking Set may have come with the actual cans of soup, a Campbell Kids Junior Cook Book, and the fully functional stove. The little boy, wearing apron and white cap, stirs the pot of soup while his companion smiles admiringly. She has a tray prepared nearby with napkins, bowl, spoons, and an additional can of Campbell's Beef Soup. The stove was undoubtedly made by Tacoma Metal Products, a toy manufacturer located on Puyallup Avenue, who were well-known for their electric toy stoves. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Metal Products. The actual date of the photograph is unknown; a print was made on September 25, 1954.
Tacoma Metal Products Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Toys; Children playing with toys--Tacoma; Children cooking--Tacoma;
ca. 1880. Copy of customer's damaged print. Date of original picture is unknown; it could possibly have been taken in the 1880s. Two groups of boys and girls are photographed sitting outside at separate tables. The boys appear to be in the process of making brooms while the girls are doing handiwork. There is a possibility that these children were in some type of custodial living arrangements in a foreign country. Two of the older boys are wearing sweaters with a crown and cross design, possibly signifying they were part of a religious school or home. Photograph commissioned by Peter Anderson on October 22, 1954.
Group portraits; Children; Brooms & brushes; Handicraft;
Seattle businessman Cliff Warling (left) presented Lincoln football players Duane Lowell (center) and Jack Walters the trophy bearing his name at the Lincoln High School football banquet held at the Top of the Ocean on December 8, 1954. The trophy was given each year to the team selected as the best high school football team in the state by a poll of the Associated Press sportswriters in Washington. This was the second time that Lincoln had received this honor in the award's eight years. They also won the Class A trophy in 1948. Norm Mayer was the coach in both 1948 and '54. Lowell played left end and Walters left guard as starters for the Lincoln team. Both players were named to the All-City team in a poll of head coaches; Lowell and Walters were also team co-captains. Photograph ordered by Lincolnian yearbook. (TNT 12-1-54, C-9; TNT 12-5-54, C-18; 1955 Lincolnian yearbook) TPL-9113
Awards; Lincoln High School (Tacoma); Football players--Tacoma--1950-1960; Warling, Cliff; Lowell, Duane; Walters, Jack;
Aluminum panels nearly cover the entire roof of a new steel hangar at McChord Field on November 18, 1954. Two workers are in the process of marking and drilling nails into the panels. Aluminum and other steel products were seen as an alternative to wood design. Hangars were used to house and repair jet aircraft; McChord was finding it necessary to construct more of them because of the growing number of military aircraft stationed there. Photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corporation.
Two couples sport large grins at a Chi Omega costume dance on November 5, 1954. A stuffed Mother Goose appears in the background; this costume ball may have had sorority members and their guests dress as Mother Goose poems, includig Little Bo Peep and several sleepy children. The Chi Omega chapter at the College of Puget Sound was the 115th chapter of the national sorority and received its charter in 1953.
Chi Omega (Tacoma); Fraternities & sororities--Tacoma--1950-1960; Dance parties--Tacoma--1950-1960;
