The exterior of the Charles Pearson home. This one-story ranch-style home has been faced with stone around the front entrance. Dark-stained clapboards cover the remainder of the exterior with the exception of around the smaller windows on the front. A line of clerestory windows is seen over the lower roof line. A two-car garage is to the left, not shown in the photograph. Charles T. Pearson was an architect with Lea, Pearson and Richards . Ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Interior exposure of the home of Harry Rinker at 1254 So. Fairview Dr. for Tietz Construction. The large stone fireplace extends out into a built in planter box for house plants, and also divides the living and dining rooms. The living room is separated from the sitting room, or library, by folding pocket doors. For another view of the same room from the opposite angle, see A56012-8.
Living rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Furniture--1950-1960; Studies (Rooms)--Tacoma--1950-1960;
This photograph of the recently completed million dollar F.W. Woolworth Co. building, 955 Broadway, was taken from across Commerce St., for the Roy T. Earley Co., engineers in January of 1951. The Woolworth store replaced the Fidelity Building that had stood at the corner of 9th and Broadway from 1890 until it was demolished in 1949. The News Tribune called the new building "the most up-to-date beautiful store of its kind in the world." After the store closed in 1993, it was sold and transformed into a giant telephone switching station with no public access, and its people-oriented uses limited to the art gallery space created in its street level windows.
1950's Contemporary home with a boxy design. A late model car is parked in front of the one car garage. There is a living area over the garage. The house is extremely square and appear to have a balcony on the flat roof.
Rain damage to hillside at Pearl Richards' home. Mrs. Richards was the widow of Paul Richards and the mother of Turner, Bob, Ed and Nelson Richards, owners of the Richards Studio. The damage was the result of Tacoma's worst rainstorm in 30 years, on Feb. 8-9, 1951. (TNT 2/9/1951 & 2/10/1951, pg. 1)
Rain damage to hillside at Pearl Richards' home. Pearl Richards was the widow of Paul Richards and the matriarch of the Richards Studio clan. Tacoma's worst rainstorm in 30 years began at 6 p.m. on 2/8/1951, and devastated the city of Tacoma and Pierce County causing several hundred thousand dollars of damage. (TNT 2/9/1951 & 2/10/1951, pg. 1)
Exposure to show the rain damage at the residence of Mrs. Pearl E. Richards, 103 East Road. Tacoma's worst rainstorm in almost 30 years began at 6 p.m. on Feb. 8, 1951. Between 6 p.m. Thursday and 6 p.m. Friday, 3.12 inches of rain fell; the heaviest since 1921. Damage was reported throughout the city and county, mostly due to landslides and flooding. Salmon Beach was evacuated and portions of Portland Ave. and Marine View Dr. were closed due to washout. Loss topped several hundred thousand dollars. Mrs. Richards was the widow of Paul Richards and the mother of photographers Turner, Bob, Ed and Nelson Richards. (TNT 2/9/1951 pg.1, TNT 2/10/1951 pg. 1)
This house at the corner of North 27th and Tyler was built in 1907 not as a private residence but as a grocery store. From 1908 through 1918 it was the Andrew Larson Grocery. In 1919 the store was taken over by Boe Pederson. Shortly after that, Mr. Pederson opened a grocery at 313 So. 9th. He remodeled his store at 4202 No. 27th into a single family home. This photograph was taken in February of 1951. TPL-9485
New carpet at the Rialto Apartments. These apartments were constructed in 1918 and originally named the Rhodes Apartments. During this fifties common area remodel, the wainscot on the walls was topped by molding and new wall paper. Apartment doors open off of the narrow halls and a fire extinguisher is attached to the wall. A window at the end of the hall supplies light and air.
New carpet at the Rialto Apartments. These apartments were constructed in 1918 and were originally named the Rhodes Apartments. The staircase provides access to the floors of the multi story building. New carpet and wall paper have been installed in the fifties common area remodel.
Exposure from Lloyd Suiter Tire Co., 1955 Pacific Ave., looking each way down Pacific Ave. On the right hand side of the picture is Hunt and Mottet Co. wholesale hardware (2112), Coast Auto Wrecking (2120) and Tacoma Junk Co. (2128). On the left hand side of the street is the G.L. Walls Gas Station (2101), the Bone Dry Shoe Manufacturing Co. occupies 2113-2115 Pacific Ave. The city bus headed for Manitou occupies the foreground.
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1950-1960; Business districts--Tacoma--1950-1960; Buses--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Exposure from Lloyd Suiter Tire Co., 1955 Pacific Ave., looking each way down Pacific Ave. On the right hand side is Union Station (1735 Pacific Ave.), Schoenfelds and the Eleventh Street bridge. On the left hand side is Harry Brown Confections Inc. Wholesale (1932-34), Westinghouse Electric Corporation (1930), Webster-Robinson Machinery and Supply Co. (1924), Johnson Brush Co. (1920), American Plumbing and Steam Supply Co. (1908-16) and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is on the corner of Pacific and 19th. Streetlights are on either side of the wide thoroughfare. TPL-9382
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1950-1960; Business districts--Tacoma--1950-1960; Union Station (Tacoma);
Combination living and dining room designed and built by Tietz Construction for William Tietz. The formal dining room was not a feature of fifties home design; dining rooms extended off of the living room for more casual dining. The combined living-dining room is 38 feet long with 24 feet of six foot deep windows. Massive sandstone forms the modern fireplace, continuing into the slight partition and into a planting wall behind the sofa. Each stone was hand-chipped on the scene. Deep toned walls of the dining area shade into a paler tone in the living room and blend with soft rose broadloom carpet. Except the kitchen, baths and recreation room, the entire house is finished with wall to wall broadloom carpet. (TNT 4/28/1951, pg. C-12)
Living rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Dining rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fireplaces--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tietz Construction Inc. (Lakewood); Tietz, Bill--Homes & haunts;
Interior of home at 1254 So. Fairview Dr. The dining room is divided from the living room with a stone extension from the fireplace used as a planter for houseplants and a room divider. A sitting room is separated from the main living area with pocket doors, open in this picture. For another view of the same room from the opposite angle, see A55971-6.
Living rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Furniture--1950-1960; Studies (Rooms)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Dining rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960;
A two-story home is shown from the lower level that has an outside door from the basement built into the sloping property. The exterior of the home has been painted a light color and an arbor that has been built across the entire back of the house is painted a dark color. Lawn chairs, a sand box, a tricycle, a lawn mower and a bench can also be seen. Ordered by Beattie Construction (Beatty).
The exterior of the reconditioned General Paint store. This nighttime view shows the illuminated neon sign in the shape of a toy soldier. O'Connell-Regan company is located on the second floor of the building.
Buildings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Stores & shops--Tacoma--1950-1960; Paints & varnishes; General Paint Corp. (Tacoma); Window displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960; O'Connell-Ragan Co. (Tacoma);
The living room or waiting room of the combination home & dental office of Dr. William R. Taylor. This photo shows the tiled entry to a door to either the outside or another room, possibly the dental office. The bookcase/desk side of the built-in cabinet is also seen. Large picture windows line the opposite wall, with a baseboard heating unit underneath. The home had excellent views of Vashon Island, Puget Sound and Dash Point to the north. The small chairs are very modern and spare in design.
Taylor, William R.--Homes & haunts; Health care facilities--Tacoma; William R. Taylor Clinic (Tacoma); Dental offices--Tacoma; Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960;
In April of 1951, Buford L. Payson of Wire Electric demonstrated their new device for the efficient installation of TV antennas. Wire Electric, located at 1115 Center Street, used this photograph to advertise their new antenna installation service. The company used an antenna attached to a 50 foot extension mast that was operated by air pressure and mounted on a service truck. The truck mounted antenna was used to determine the best height and direction before a roof mounted antenna was installed. They claimed that this method eliminated expensive guesswork and saved half the time and cost of installation. (TNT 4/16/1951, pg. 17)
Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Television antennas; Payson, Buford L.; Wire Electric Co. (Tacoma);
Exterior of Pacific First Federal Building, home of the Savings and Loan Association, at the corner of 11th and Pacific Ave. Gerrit Vander Ende, President. This Romanesque style building was originally built in 1891 and designed by Proctor & Dennis, Architects. It was demolished and replaced by the current First Federal Building in the sixties.
The bedroom of four year old Christa Taylor in the combination home & dental office of Dr. William R. Taylor. The twin bed sports a chenille bedspread. Built in floor to ceiling cabinets have lots of storage space for the young girl's treasures.
The dental office of the combination home & dental clinic of Dr. William R. Taylor. The dental office appears to be on the bottom floor of this two story structure. The office is equipped with two dental chairs and a sink, plus cabinets for instruments.
Taylor, William R.--Homes & haunts; Health care facilities--Tacoma; William R. Taylor Clinic (Tacoma); Dental offices--Tacoma; Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Dental equipment & supplies;
Modernistic living room or waiting room of the combination home & dental office of Dr. William R. Taylor. The recently complete Lowell School, located in the next block to the west, can be seen through the large wall to wall windows. The room has very high ceilings with recessed lighting and a rectangular fireplace. A built-in unit has a bookcase and desk on one side, and a radio built into the short side. Another built-in unit encloses houseplants. The furniture is very angular and stark.
Taylor, William R.--Homes & haunts; Health care facilities--Tacoma; William R. Taylor Clinic (Tacoma); Dental offices--Tacoma; Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960;
The living room or waiting room of the combination home & dental office of Dr. William R. Taylor. The walls appear to be wood panelling. The large built-in unit of wood has a bookcase and desk on one side, and a flat surface on the other (shown in this picture) where two long necked lamps protrude for reading comfort on the couch. This same built-in unit also has a radio and controls on the side. The ceilings are very high with ceiling level windows and recessed lighting. The furniture is very square and utilitarian.
Taylor, William R.--Homes & haunts; Health care facilities--Tacoma; William R. Taylor Clinic (Tacoma); Dental offices--Tacoma; Houses--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Four year old Christa Taylor and her sister two year old Randie in their bedrooms in the combination home & dental clinic of their father Dr. William R. Taylor. Accordion doors separate the girls' quarters for sleep and open up for joint play. Built in storage units on the wall have a shelf that folds down and can be used as a desk. The girls' bedrooms appear to be on the second floor. They have high windows for light and privacy.
Apartment house under construction. Piles of concrete block building materials are stored in front of what will be an under living unit parking structure. A pickup truck is parked in front. Photo ordered by Holroyd Co., manufacturer of cement blocks.
The interior of the Berk Apartments, 702 1/2 Saint Helens Ave., showing the stairway to the double exterior doors. This apartment building was demolished in 1967 after a fire.
Apartment houses--Tacoma; Berk Apartments (Tacoma); Stairways--Tacoma;
Exterior of unidentified new fifties style ranch home, Rex Harrington, contractor, built by Kendall Construction. The rambler has a one car garage, a chimney indicating the presence of a fireplace and steps leading up to the front door. A brick surround flowerbed in front of the house remains empty until landscaping is complete.
