Modular Structures, Incorporated was a structural engineering business firm, they worked on residential and commercial contracts. The company officers were: Win E. Wilson, President; James E. Dallas, Vice-President; and Mabel Wilson, Secretary-Treasurer. View of unidentified laborers working on prefabricated plywood panels that will be used for prefabricated grain bins; photo ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Laborers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Construction industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma)--Products; Modular Structures, Inc. (Tacoma);
The interior Weyerhaeuser's bleached Kraft mill at Longview, Washington, showing overhead duct work and machinery in place. Ordered by Drew Engineering Company, Portland, Oregon, manufacturers of industrial air systems.
The interior Weyerhaeuser's bleached Kraft mill at Longview, Washington, showing the "wet end" of the paper producing process. The prepared pulp is diluted in the "headbox" with large quantities of water and evenly distributed on a fine, large, bronze wire woven as an endless belt 130 feet long and 216 inches wide and traveling at a speed of several hundred feet a minute. Ordered by Drew Engineering Company, Portland, Oregon, manufacturers of industrial air systems.
Plywood was used for sheathing and concrete forms during construction at the new Custer School. The school was designed by Lea, Pearson & Richards. The building was dedicated September 30, 1953. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Reinforced concrete construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Custer School (Lakewood);
New DFPA offices in the Fuller Building as pictured on September 18, 1953. This appears to be the mailroom. The Douglas Fir Plywood Association's headquarters in Tacoma was the center of the industry's national promotion of fir plywood. The cost of this promotion was over 2.5 million a year, much of it spent in postage. The DFPA was the highest volume customer of the Tacoma Post Office. TPL-8393
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Offices--Tacoma--1950-1960; Office workers--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Douglas Fir Plywood Association created laboratories to maintain high quality standards of its plywood; plywood was constantly being tested for durability and to detect any flaws. View of sheets of plywood in the D.F.P.A. warehouse undergoing testing. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Plywood; Product inspection--Tacoma; Testing--Tacoma;
United States Plywood Corp.'s logging operation at Kosmos, Wa., eight miles southeast of Morton in south central Lewis County. A tall timber is circled by ropes and pulleys. A piece of large hoisting machinery can be seen. The ropes possibly helped bring down the trees down safely when the timber was cut.
Plywood; Lumber industry--Kosmos--1950-1960; United States Plywood Corp. (Seattle);
St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company milled lumber used by 20th Century Construction Company in building DeLong School. View from off-site of building under construction with rough framing and roof beams in place.
St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company milled lumber used by 20th Century Construction Company in building DeLong School. Interior view of office building or house. Plan for school on panel; signs leaning against wall describing concrete subfloors.
The exterior of the Georgia Pacific Plywood Company building in Olympia, Washington. The two-story building with a flat roof reflects 1950's styling and architecture. A smoke stack with the letters "GP" on it can be seen on the left.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Georgia Pacific Plywood Co. (Olympia);
A stark office in the Georgia Pacific Plywood Company building in Olympia provides desks and equipment for fourteen people. Each desk has been provided with a calculator in the middle of the desk with a waste can to catch the tape as it runs from the machine. Telephones are seen on a few of the desks and most of them also have a typewriter on a pull-out shelf on the left. Florescent lighting provides a bright overhead light. Companies were attempting to apply assembly-line techniques to office work.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Georgia Pacific Plywood Co. (Olympia); Offices--Olympia;
Large piece of equipment, the "Challoner 790", for auction at Wheeler Osgood factory liquidation. The door manufacturer closed its doors in 1952 and liquidated all assets. Certain former employees of the plant announced that they intended to form a co-operative to acquire and operate the factory, after the new owners announced their intention to liquidate. This move was opposed by the Lumber and Sawmill Worker's union and never came to fruition. Other companies that looked at the plant included Boeing, who were looking for a warehouse for its Seattle factory. The building was finally scheduled for demolition when no sale went through and burned down during the process in July of 1959. (TNT 2-26-1952, pg. 1)
Large desk with 2 swivel chairs behind it, 4 other chairs and a sofa. Exposures of office furniture for auction at Wheeler Osgood factory liquidation. Once the world's largest manufacturer of doors, the factory went out of business in 1952 and was sold for liquidation for approximately $650,000. The company suffered from labor troubles, reorganization and finally a strike by the Lumber and Sawmill Workers' union. (TNT 2-26-1952, pg. 1)
Elevated view of Tacoma Fire Station No. 16 under construction. Workers install roof sheathing by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Narrows Bridge and old Highway 16 in background. Area just being developed. This $24,000 structure at 6th Ave and Meyer St. was dedicated on July 20, 1952. The 12 man crew and one engine provided fire protection to the Highlands district from Stevens St. to the Narrows bridge and also to University Place. This building was razed and replaced in 1999.
Plywood industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Carpentry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fire stations--Tacoma; Tacoma Fire Department, Fire Station No. 16 (Tacoma);
Exposure of "concentrated load test" at DFPA lab. Scientists measure results as several 50 pound weights, totaling 500 lb., are place on top of a circle of plywood. Random testing of the plywood produced in all mills provided quality control. Two laboratories, one in Tacoma and another in Eugene, conducted a continuing program of testing and research funded and supported by the industry itself.
Plywood industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Testing; Experiments; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
The Douglas Fir Plywood Association presented a display showing how plywood was used by several industries in the Northwest in the Washington Hall in Portland, Oregon. Washington Hall was part of an earlier exposition in Portland. The hall where the display was housed has been built with columns the look like the trunks of trees. Sky lights in the roof allow plenty of natural light into the interior of the large hall.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland;
The Douglas Fir Plywood Association presented a display showing how plywood was used by several industries in the Northwest including the boat and ship industry, heavy construction, home building and on farms.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland;
The Douglas Fir Plywood Association presented a display showing how plywood was made and some of its many uses in the Washington Hall in Portland, Oregon.
Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Portland); Exhibition buildings--Portland; Exhibitions--Portland;
Testing hardwood at the Plywood Research Foundation. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma); Plywood; Research facilities--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Laboratories--Tacoma--1950-1960; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Product inspection--Tacoma; Testing--Tacoma;
A workman moves a stack of cartons of Wesco's sweet peas using a forklift in a large warehouse. The pallet supporting the cartons has been made using plywood. Cartons of StarKist tuna are stacked on the other side of the doorway. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Shipping--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Logging mill at Summit. Men working on-site with portable log sawing machinery. Cut logs and lumber, automobiles and truck in background. For Export Pacific, taken on November 23, 1951.
Mill at Summit. Part of a series taken on November 23, 1951 of lumber operations with portable log sawing machinery, lumber and logs on wooded site. For Export Pacific.
Two men observing gages in humidity chamber of plywood laboratory at Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Testing--Tacoma; Product inspection--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Research facilities--Tacoma; Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma);
Two men observing mechanical equipment in humidity chamber of plywood laboratory at Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Line in upper left is deteriorating diacetate negative damage.
Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Testing--Tacoma; Product inspection--Tacoma; Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Research facilities--Tacoma; Plywood Research Foundation (Tacoma);
One of the final stages in plywood manufacture is setting the glued and layered sheets of wood veneers in a hot press as shown at Anacortes Veneer, Inc., Anacortes, Washington. A sheet of plywood is placed on each layer of the press and the stacks are placed under pressure for differing lengths of time depending on the type of plywood being manufactured. This produces an irreversible bond between the plys stronger than the wood itself. The press is open in this view showing the sheets of plywood. Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (The Plywood Age, Robert M. Cour)
Anacortes Veneer, Inc. (Anacortes); Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
On February 17,1941, a log from a great fir tree has been delivered to St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. where it has been loaded on the carriage in the mill. The slab cut has been taken off and the saw is going into the log for the second cut. (T. Times 2/26/1941, pg. 13)
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Logs; Saws;
On May 22, 1939, employees at the St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. mill walked out, halting operations in support of their fellow striking employees at the logging camps. The workers at the camps had ceased work on May 15th. Employees at the mill walked out and filed formal charges of unfair labor practices against the company when they found out that officials planned to keep the mill running, processing logs from other sources. (T. Times 5/23/1939, pg. 3-article only)
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma); Strikes--Tacoma--1930-1940;
Several unidentified members of Tacoma's Chamber of Commerce paid a visit to the Danish motorship "Tacoma" when she docked at the Defiance Lumber Mill on her maiden voyage January 14, 1927. They posed with members of the crew for this portrait. The "Tacoma" was built in Copenhagen for the Orient Steamship Company of Copenhagen. She was loading Northwest lumber enroute to Japan. She was 400 feet in length with a beam of 55 feet. She ran under the power of two diesel engines with a crew of 15 officers and 34 crewmen. (TNT 1/14/1927, pg. 20) (WSHS)
