Work continues on the construction of a new plant for Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel in Seattle on January 3, 1958. The plant's steel frame is already in place while Lorain Cranes are employed to aid in further steel erection. Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel provided the steel necessary for many local projects, including the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge and Alaskan Way Viaduct. A series of progress photographs, some sepia-toned, were taken on behalf of Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel for later usage in the company's annual report. $25 million was allocated for the Seattle expansion program. This included new finishing facilities and two new 100-ton electric furnaces. (TNT ad 1-2-58, B-8)
This was how Tacoma's Tideflats appeared from the air on January 3, 1958. The area was crowded with pulp and paper mills, lumber yards, log ponds and warehouses. Tacoma's easy access to rail and water made the transport of industrial and wood products a simpler process. View of, left to right, the City, Middle, St. Paul and Puyallup Waterways. The St. Regis plant was located on the finger between the Puyallup and St. Paul waterways in the buildings with the "L" shape. The St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber sawmill and buildings were close by, at the rear of the waterway in the loaf shaped buildings. In August 1957, St. Paul became an operating subsidiary of the St. Regis Paper Co. Photograph ordered by Malcolm McGhie.
Aerial photographs; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
New facilities of Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel make abundant use of its product during construction of the new steel plant in Seattle. Progress photographs were taken on January 3, 1958, for later usage in the company's annual report. Cranes would be used to hoist the steel trusses and joists. This construction was part of the $25 million dollar expansion program in Seattle. The first of two new 100-ton furnaces was already in operation; the furnaces would boost steelmaking capacity 70% to 420,000 tons annually. In addition, new finishing facilities were also part of the expansion program. Sepia photograph ordered by Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel. (TNT ad 1-2-58, B-8)
Back of Photo: Stockholders Will Sell Woman's Club House The Tacoma Woman's Club House at 426 Broadway is being put up for sale after more than 40 years as a business and social center for women's groups. The property has a 125-foot frontage on Broadway, is 130 fee deep, and parts of its five lots are paved for parking.
ca. 1957. A banjo player, believed to be Barney Stallone, deftly picks out a tune as he joins fellow musicians in a jam session in an undated sepia photograph possibly taken about 1957. This tight quartet is composed of drums, accordion, banjo and two guitars. They are sitting close together on a small stage; a piano and instrument case are nearby. The guitarist to Mr. Stallone's right is believed to be a Mr. Naccarto. Photograph ordered by Joyce Kinkela Hergert. (Additional information provided by a reader)
ca. 1957. Brightly lit, spacious interior of the Fashion Shoes store in the new Villa Plaza Shopping Center. Besides shoes for the family, a wide selection of purses and socks was available for purchase. The Villa Plaza location was the second store site for Fashion Shoes who also maintained a store at 11th & Broadway in downtown Tacoma. Fashion Shoes was part of the Roe Brothers chain which had served shoe needs of West Coast families for over 25 years. The Villa Plaza store's first manager was Mr. M. Barnes. (TNT 5-15-57, A-7-article)
Fashion Shoes (Lakewood); Shoe stores--Lakewood--1950-1960; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;
ca. 1957. Copy of customer print. A worker is shown driving a tractor into a large barn, possibly a piggery, in an unidentified photograph. The wood framed structure was built with many ventilation windows, apparently unglassed. There is another building with a steep roof peering over the barn. The ground outside the building is covered with greenery. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association from 35 mm slides. Date of original print is unknown; copy was made on September 18, 1957.
Pig houses; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
ca. 1957. Exterior of Ghilarducci's Villa Plaza Florists. Opened in 1957, Ghilarducci's newest store was located in the Villa Plaza Shopping Center in Lakewood. The firm had two other locations: one in downtown Tacoma and the other, Gilly's, also in Lakewood. The Villa Plaza store was managed by Charlotte Gronlund. (TNT Ad 6-2-57, D-7, alt. photographs)
Ghilarducci's Villa Plaza Florists (Lakewood); Florist shops--Lakewood; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;
ca. 1957. Five men may be comparing an architectural drawing to an actual model of a bridge in an undated photograph. Stacks of cement blocks are placed in rows on a plywood arched structure. The bridge is resting upon wooden blocks strengthened by metal rods. The team may also have been testing the strength of such a structure. Photograph made into 35 mm slides from customer negative on September 23, 1957, and requested by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Building materials; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
ca. 1957. Copy of customer print. The interior of a Northern Pacific Railway refrigerator car shows it empty of any cargo. Warning signs are posted on each door; nails are not permitted to be driven into the doors. A smaller sign indicates that thresholds must be cleared before the doors are closed. Floor of the refrigerator car appears to be made of wood. This was a new car; put into action September, 1957. Photograph requested by Pacific Car & Foundry.
This aerial photograph of the St. Regis pulp mill looking toward Mt. Rainier was taken on behalf of Malcolm McGhie in December, 1957. The St. Regis plant was flanked by the Puyallup Waterway (L) and St. Paul Waterway (R) with the Middle Waterway to the extreme right. Smoke pours from the St. Regis plant facilities on a typical winter day; the plant employed multiple shifts so that operations could be conducted 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The multi-wall bag plant and kraft-pulp division are in the center of the photograph. The long narrow building is for kraft-pulp, adjoining the white-walled rectangular bag plant. The St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. sawmill is in close proximity to the kraft pulp and paper mill. In August, 1957, St. Paul became an operating subsidiary of the St. Regis Paper Co. St. Paul had the largest retail lumber yard in the state of Washington. Its sawmill had furnished chips to St. Regis for a number of years, providing about 35% of the pulp mill's wood requirements. (TPL-5890, St. Regis Annual Report - 1957, p. 14-15)
Aerial photographs; St. Regis Paper Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);
ca. 1957. Exterior of Heidelberg brewery. Smoke billows from Heidelberg's chimneys in a 1957 photograph. Formerly Columbia Breweries, the business had been located in Tacoma since 1900. Heidelberg continued Columbia's line of popular beers and ales and employed about 350 local residents. In 1959, the brewery was sold to Carling Brewing Co. who maintained the plant until 1979 when it closed permanently. Photograph ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Co.
ca. 1957. Interior- Thriftway supermarket. A customer would not need to linger in lines for any length of time as the new Villa Thriftway came equipped with at least eleven check-out stands. At least one stand was expressly for quick check-out with six items or less. Customers were asked to place items on the movable belt with the prices up for faster service. Scales were provided at each stand so that produce could be weighed. Boxes of cigarettes were readily available on top of each cash register. The new 22,000 square foot supermarket was located in the Villa Plaza shopping center in Lakewood at the site of the former Visitation Villa. Photograph ordered by Associated Grocers, Inc. (TNT 4-2-57, B-7)
Villa Thriftway Food Stores (Lakewood); Supermarkets; Cash registers;
ca. 1957. Exterior- Thriftway. The Villa Thriftway supermarket would open for business in April, 1957. The store's name is in large neon letters on the building's porch roof. The overhanging porch would also protect customers from the elements as they entered or exited the store. Following an architectural trend, enormous windows are positioned at the supermarket's front. Located in Lakewood's new Villa Plaza Shopping Center, the 22,000 square foot store was built to order for a Thriftway market. It cost approximately $200,000. The shopping center boasted of plenty of parking; there was room for 4000 cars. Photograph ordered by Associated Grocers, Inc. (TNT 4-2-57, B-7)
Villa Thriftway Food Stores (Lakewood); Supermarkets; Electric signs--Lakewood;
ca. 1957. Rowland Pontiac - Cadillac dealership. New Cadillacs in showroom, used Pontiacs, Cadillacs and other automobiles in carport area and outside. Neon service sign, moved here from Commerce St. side of old downtown location, at far right in photo. Rowland Pontiac-Cadillac was located on South Tacoma Way, the city's "auto row." Irwin-Jones Motor Co.'s Truck Department was the former occupant of this site.
ca. 1957. Exterior of the National Bank of Washington located in the Villa Plaza Shopping Center. The bank sponsored an open house on July 13, 1957, at its new banking office located in the north wing of the Lakewood shopping center. It was one of eight Tacoma area offices. The one-story building was 50-feet wide, 104-feet deep and totaled 5,200 square feet. The exterior was constructed of mottled blue ceramic tile with large areas of plate glass. The facility was designed by Lea, Pearson & Richards and built by general contractor Merritt Construction. Six teller units, a conference room and officers quarters were located on the east side lobby. There was a modern vault in the rear. The Villa Plaza-Lakewood branch of the National Bank of Washington had as its first manager Marc H. Miller. (TNT 7-11-57, A-6-article & alt. photograph; A-7 full page ad)
National Bank of Washington (Lakewood); Banks--Lakewood; Electric signs--Lakewood; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960; Facades--Lakewood--1950-1960;
ca. 1957. Copy of customer print. A worker in hard hat peers into a bin which may disperse food to the pen's occupants; he appears to be stirring the contents. The wooden barn is separated into several pigpens framed with plywood. The pigs would be under cover, protected from the elements, while receiving fresh air from the open, unglassed windows. There is a possibility that this piggery may have belonged to the Carstens Packing Co. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association from 35 mm slides. The date of the original print is unknown; copy was made on September 18, 1957.
Pig houses; Swine; Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
ca. 1957. Copy of customer print. A litter of pigs squeeze under plywood partitions to get to their mother who is encased in a coffin-sized box . Another animal, possibly another pig, is stationed close by in another long, plywood container. Whether these narrow boxes were used only for feeding purposes is unknown. There are no lids for the containers; however, space would be severely limited and the pigs would have difficulty in turning around. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association from 35 mm slides. The date of the original picture is not given; copy of print was made on September 18, 1957.
Swine; Pig houses; Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
ca. 1957. Interior of Ghilarducci's Villa Plaza Florists. Ghilarducci's maintained their longtime flagship store in downtown Tacoma but chose to expand to the suburbs as that area grew in population. They offered the latest in refrigerated storage, ready to serve floral needs. One of the early occupants of the Villa Plaza Shopping Center, Ghilarducci's enlarged their shop there by October of 1957 to add a gift shop where assorted ceramic, brass and wood items and glassware could be purchased. (TNT Ad 6-2-57, D-7-alt. photograph; TNT Ad 10-13-57, D-4-alt. photograph)
Ghilarducci's Villa Plaza Florists (Lakewood); Florist shops--Lakewood; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;
ca. 1957. Copy of customer print. A Northern Pacific Railway refrigerator car is stationary on tracks in a 1957 photograph requested by the Pacific Car & Foundry Co. All vital information regarding the boxcar is listed on its side, including weight, dimensions and capacity limits. Apparently this was a newly engaged car as of September, 1957. TPL-5838
ca. 1957. Santa and his prancing reindeer, six choir boys and a quartet of angels are illuminated on a winter's evening as these cutouts are propped up before the Hopkins' residence. One large picture window of the home, unusual in its semi-circular shape, is opened to display the glittering Christmas tree. The Christmas cutouts are made of wood and could easily have been constructed using simple instructions from a kit. The 50's was still the decade of the do-it-yourselfer and many families found that they were skilled enough to create their own holiday decorations, without the help of professionals. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. See A111074-3 for daylight version of this photograph.
Christmas decorations; Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
This view of the new Tacoma Building, 1015 A Street, designed by Frederick G. Frost & Associates of New York, was taken for the Cole & Weber Advertising Agency on December 31, 1957; to the left of the building, Mt. Rainier is barely visible through the haze hanging over the Tacoma tideflats. The old Tacoma Building, 1017-21 A Street, is next door. It is also twelve stories and was built in 1910. The original Tacoma Building was first occupied by the Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. and the Tacoma Commercial Club. The new modern style building became the Weyerhaeuser Bldg. after the Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. moved its corporate offices into the new structure. In 1971 the Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. built another headquarters building in Federal Way.
ca. 1957. Copy of customer print. The lobby of the new Industrial Development Co., Inc., is well-lit on a winter's evening. Large insulated glass panels mark the entrance door and adjoining wall. An unusual architectural design extended and curved an inner wall outward to form a small roof over the entry way. Additional lighting was set under the roofline to further illuminate the building. The firm of mechanical engineers was located at 3828 So. Pine near Barcott's Sea Food restaurant.
Industrial Development Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Facades--Tacoma--1950-1960; Lobbies--Tacoma; Engineering--Tacoma;
ca. 1957. Building under construction. Rolls of wire and forms attract the eye when observing the Samuel R. Guggenheim Museum under construction in 1957. Plywood forms over which steel-reinforced concrete will be placed are on the circular ramp. For a more complete overview of the museum construction, see C113379-4. This was to be the only major work by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in New York City. The museum was designed to display the growing collection of contemporary art collected by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim. Copy of customer's print was made on March 25, 1958. Photograph ordered by Tom Sias, Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Building construction--New York--New York City; Samuel R. Guggenheim Museum (New York City, NY); Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
ca. 1957. This unidentified plant was being constructed by Paul Hardeman, Inc.'s Gill Division, Los Angeles, in 1957. Smokestacks are already up as well as assorted pipes. Photograph ordered by Paul Hardeman, Inc.
ca. 1957. Budget Finance Plan's one-story building at the Villa Plaza Shopping Center circa 1957. Budget Finance Plan had offices in principal cities throughout the United States including an office at 823 Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma. They offered auto, salary, and furniture loans up to $500. Hours of operation included Saturday as well as weekdays. Neighboring businesses included the Pantry restaurant and Ghilarducci's Villa Plaza Florists. (TNT 8-7-57, B-16)
Budget Finance Plan (Lakewood); Business & finance--Lakewood; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;
ca. 1957. Copy of customer print. All eyes are focused on the teacher in this undated, unidentified classroom. This may be an American history class in either junior high or high school. There is a bulletin board with the heading "Current Events" alongside the blackboard. Important vocabulary for students is listed on the blackboard; words include pilgrims and puritans. Students have open copies of a publication entitled "Junior Review" on their desks. Date of original print is unknown; copy was made for Douglas Fir Plywood Association on April 26, 1957.
Students--1950-1960; Teachers; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
ca. 1957. Clover Park High School's Class of 1957 is appropriately capped and gowned prior to graduation ceremonies held in the school's gymnasium. Rows of empty chairs face them, to be filled with hundreds of family and friends. Graduation ceremonies were held on June 6, 1957, with 284 blue-and-white clad seniors receiving diplomas. Bonnie Jean Chavis, Nancy Hannaford, and Edwin Hall made speeches regarding the senior class motto, "Men and Ideas." The class presented their gift of $500 to the school for use in the purchase of a stage curtain. Photograph ordered by the Seattle P-I. (TNT 6-7-57, p. 8)
Clover Park High School (Lakewood); Public schools--Lakewood; Graduation ceremonies--Lakewood;
ca. 1957. Fashion Shoes at the Villa Plaza Shopping Center. There were two locations of this family shoe store, one at Villa Plaza in Lakewood and the other in downtown Tacoma at 1128 Broadway. The Villa Plaza store, like most stores in the shopping center, had both a front and rear entrance. Fashion Shoes, part of the extensive Roe Brothers chain, opened on Thursday, May 16, 1957 with a three-day grand celebration. The chain was known for good quality shoes at very reasonable prices. Mr. M. Barnes was the Villa Plaza store's first manager. (TNT 5-15-57, A-7-article; TNT ad 7-7-57, D-8; TNT 8-7-57, B-13)
Fashion Shoes (Lakewood); Shoe stores--Lakewood--1950-1960; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;
