ca. 1979. View from the intersection of 17th and Fawcett Ave., circa 1979. The house in the center of the photograph is 1554 Fawcett Ave. It was built around 1900. Directly across the street was the location of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), Local 612, at 1555 Fawcett Ave. Seen in the background is the curved outline of the new (1974) St. Joseph's Hospital at 1718 So. I St.
ca. 1979. Side of the Sprague Building, 1501-09 Pacific Ave., and view of parking lot behind. The structure was built in 1889, designed by the architectural firm of Pickles & Sutton and is on the City and National Registry. It has, since 1996, been occupied by United Way as their Betye Martin Baker Human Services Center.
ca. 1979. South 19th St., circa 1979; looking up the hill past the railroad tracks on the left are the Tioga Building (1901 Jefferson) and the Swiss Hall (1902-04 Jefferson.) In 1995, South 19th St. between Pacific and Jefferson was closed to traffic and made part of the University of Washington, Tacoma campus. It is the site of the school's grand staircase.
University of Washington (Tacoma); Tioga Building (Tacoma); Swiss Hall (Tacoma);
ca. 1979. View of the back portion of the original St. Joseph Hospital, 1812 So. I St. circa 1979, with the J St. Standpipe in the right background. The hospital was built in 1914 and demolished in 1982. The standpipe was completed in 1890 and is located near St. Joseph Hospital.
Water towers--Tacoma; Tacoma Dept. of Public Utilities, Water Division (Tacoma); J Street Standpipe (Tacoma); St. Josephs Hospital & School of Nursing (Tacoma); Hospitals--Tacoma--1970-1980;
ca. 1979. Fawcett Ave., circa 1979, looking north. The last three buildings seen clearly on the left are, left to right, the Auditorium Building (1308-10), the Ford Building (1302) and the ornate turrets of the Samson Hotel (1152-56.) In 1979, the Auditorium and Ford buildings had been remodeled into one structure known as Crescent Hall. The more modern structure in the foreground of the left hand side of the picture is the Carpenters Building, 1322 Fawcett, which housed several Labor Union offices.
Auditorium Building (Tacoma); Ford Building (Tacoma); Samson Hotel (Tacoma); Cityscapes--Tacoma--1970-1980;
ca. 1979. The skyline in 1979 was adorned with the ornate turrets of the Samson Hotel, 1152-56 Fawcett Ave. It was built in 1889 and designed by F.A. Sexton, architect. The Hotel was converted to apartments in 1928. After several fires, the building was demolished in 1989. The site, in 2007, is a vacant lot.
ca. 1979. View of lower Pacific Ave., 1300 block, in 1979. On the left is the Tacoma Magazine Center, specializing in adult material, at 1346 Pacific. On the right is the J& M Tavern at 1344 Pacific. Both businesses were located in the Cogswell & Meath Building built in 1908; Darmer & Cutting, Architects. The building was demolished around 1986 in a attempt to clean up lower Pacific Ave.
Building deterioration--Tacoma--1970-1980; Tacoma Magazine Center (Tacoma); J & M Tavern (Tacoma);
ca. 1979. View of lower Pacific Ave., 1300 block, in 1979. On the left is the Tacoma Magazine Center, specializing in adult material, at 1346 Pacific. On the right is the J& M Tavern at 1344 Pacific. Both businesses were located in the Cogswell & Meath Building built in 1908; Darmer & Cutting, Architects. The building was demolished around 1986 in a attempt to clean up lower Pacific Ave.
Building deterioration--Tacoma--1970-1980; Tacoma Magazine Center (Tacoma); J & M Tavern (Tacoma);
ca. 1979. Door padlocked; pop art poster of Mick Jagger on door window, partial street number 1?07. Chairs sit on the tables inside, seen through glass windows.
ca. 1979. View from Commerce St. of the deteriorating 10th St. Escalade. The escalade housed a "moving sidewalk." The system, built in the early sixties, was designed to carry shoppers uphill from Pacific to Commerce to Broadway with ease. There were four in all: two from Pacific to Commerce and two from Commerce to Broadway. The escalades were discontinued in 1983, due to vandalism and mechanical problems. The Pythian Temple can be seen clearly at 924-26 Broadway, directly above the Escalade.
Conveying systems--Tacoma--1970-1980; Knights of Pythias, Commencement Lodge #7 (Tacoma); Building deterioration--Tacoma--1970-1980;
ca. 1979. Graffiti on an unidentified wall, circa 1979; includes the epitaph "Nixon in 1984," interesting because President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 when faced with impeachment. The '84 election was between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale.
ca. 1979. Photograph taken in 1979 of the Commerce side of the Crystal Palace Building (1508-16 Jefferson), built in 1889. 1527-35 Commerce appears to be vacant, including the Aerie formerly located at 1527. (To see the Jefferson Ave. side, view CYS image T355)
Cityscapes--Tacoma--1970-1980; Business districts--Tacoma--1970-1980; Building deterioration--Tacoma--1970-1980;
