View of Pacific Avenue looking south at 10th St. Streetcars and buses are blurred as they scud by along Pacific Avenue on a wintery day in 1923. Prominent among buildings is the unfinished Scandinavian-American Bank structure on the left; it would not be completed until 1925 for the Washington-California Co. and named the Washington Building. The spire-topped Puget Sound Bank Bldg. (formerly National Realty Bldg.) can be spotted beyond at 11th & Pacific. Among other businesses on the left are the Peerless Grill, Argonaut Hotel, Union Tailors, Parker E. R. System Dentists and Thomas Billiards. Across the street at 950 Pacific is the Rust Building. TPL-5837; G61.1-030 (photograph has been damaged on the left)
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Business districts--Tacoma--1920-1930;
A wet, overcast day lends to this tranquil view of Sixth Avenue, looking west from Prospect Street, in February of 1923. The Sunset Theater, at left, was built in 1919 by Louis Perunko. It is now occupied by Speedy Auto Glass. The Red Cross Drug Store and F. C. Jonas Hardware occupied the building at the right. Several children on bicycles pause on the wet roadway while three men and a small boy huddle near the awning of the drugstore. G57.1-067; TPL-1797;
Sunset Theater (Tacoma); Red Cross Drug Store (Tacoma); F.C. Jonas Hardware (Tacoma); Bicycles & tricycles--Tacoma; Street railroad tracks--Tacoma;
The R.L. Courtney Building, located at 1105 South 11th Street, was designed by architect George Trost and built for $37,000 by Peter Madsen in 1922. The Hill Top Confectionery occupied the corner level and Dr. Eugene Hallan (dentist) and a Dr. Lynch (physician & surgeon) had offices on the second floor. Businesses at the 11th & "K" St. location were easily accessible by private car or streetcars. In 1922 the businessmen of "K" St. (now Martin Luther King Jr. Way) saw a rapid growth of business in this section of Tacoma. Six new buildings replacing older units included the Dobson-Nelson Motor Co. at 12th & "K," Normanna Hall Association's new business block at 14th & "K," the Nasser Building, also on 12th & "K," occupied by the Piggly-Wiggly and a branch of the National Bank of Tacoma, the Langlow Building at Sixth & "K," the Woolen Cleaners Building adjoining the Dobson-Nelson structure and the Courtney Building. TPL-896; G19.1-071; BU-10,064 (TNT 12-29-22, p. 22)
R.L. Courtney Building (Tacoma); Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Business districts--Tacoma--1920-1930;
11th Street street scene. This is a view of 11th St. looking east toward the 11th St. Bridge and the tideflats in January of 1924. Strolling up and down the steep street are several groups of people. On the photograph's left are the Rhodes Brothers Department Store, the Fidelity Building, the Rust Building, and the unfinished Scandinavian-American Bank building (later to be completed and called the Washington Building). On the right in the foreground at 11th & Broadway is the Stone-Fisher Department Store which would have its name changed to the Fisher Co. store in 1925 and later on, the Bon Marche. G57.1-140
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Business districts--Tacoma--1920-1930; Fidelity Building (Tacoma); Rust Building (Tacoma); Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Fishers Department Store (Tacoma); 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma);
Bustling downtown street scene. This is 11th St. looking east near Broadway as it appeared in January of 1924. Pedestrians scurry across the road aided by the helpful policeman holding the "Stop" sign before the few cars. It apparently was a dry, sunny day with no umbrellas in sight. Some of the business district's notable buildings are in view: the Fidelity Building, the Rust Building, and the unfinished Scandinavian-American Bank building (later completed and named the Washington Building) on the left with the Stone-Fisher (name changed the following year to Fisher Co.) Department Store on the right foreground. The 11th St. Bridge (name changed later to honor Murray Morgan) is in the far background. G57.1-141
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Business districts--Tacoma--1920-1930; Fidelity Building (Tacoma); Rust Building (Tacoma); Fishers Department Store (Tacoma); 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma);
ca. 1928. The Perkins building. The Perkins building was constructed in 1906 and named after its builder, Sydney Albert Perkins. It was designed by Russell & Babcock, Architects. At the time it was built, it was the first fireproof building and the tallest structure (at eight floors) in Tacoma. It housed the Tacoma Daily Ledger and the Daily News and it was the first home to the University of Washington, Tacoma. (WSHS- negative A655-0)
This photograph from May of 1928 shows the buildings on the east side of St. Helens Avenue from 7th Street looking south. Second in from the corner is the building that was shared by the News Tribune and the Tacoma Daily Ledger from 1918 to 1937. Built in 1910 by Darmer & Cutting for the News Tribune, the Ledger moved into the building when it was bought out by the Tribune in 1918. Both papers published independently from this building until the Daily Ledger went out of business in 1937. The News Tribune kept the name of the Ledger alive in the masthead of its Sunday paper until August of 1979, The Tacoma News Tribune and Sunday Ledger.
Cars and trucks line both sides of the 1300 block of Broadway in this photograph from July of 1931. All the buildings on the west side of the street including the Goodwill Store at 1320 Broadway, the Hotel Victoria at 1316 1/2 and the Brenden Hotel at 304 South 13th Street have been demolished. This whole block is currently occupied by the Sheraton Hotel, 1320 Broadway, which opened in 1984. Photograph taken for W.H. Opie & Co. Bowen # 310-266
ca. 1929. Conjunction of Pacific Ave., and Commerce, Jefferson and South 17th Streets circa 1929. At the far left edge is the Carlton Hotel, 1552 Jefferson Ave. The building at 1701 Commerce St. (near lower center) was built on the site of the old Northern Pacific Railroad passenger station, dubbed "Villard Depot," which was subsequently moved across the street and demolished in 1909. The Teamsters & Chauffers Hiring Hall occupied the 1701 Commerce St. address from 1928-1977. In the 1500 block of Pacific Ave. (center) are the Hotel Croft and other businesses. Puget Sound National Bank's familiar spire is in the center background.
ca. 1908. Bicycle shop and Storage business. The bicycle shop is probably the Amzie D. Browning Bicycle & General Repairing business. The bicycle shop has an advertisment painted on it for the Tacoma Baking Co. Print is somewhat out of focus.
ca. 1913. A view of the west side of the 5200 block of South Union (now South Tacoma Way) looking north. The Bobbi Burns Wine House was at 5238 South Union. A boy stands by a water fountain.
ca. 1905. Copy from glass plate, Richards Studio. View of South 11th and Pacific Ave., circa 1905. Streetcars once ran up 11th Street, an additional source of transportation besides the horse & cart and the occasional automobile. A few pedestrians are spotted crossing carefully as there are no visible "stop" signs for oncoming traffic. United Cigars, Tacoma Oyster and the Union Dental Co. are some of the visible businesses in a building on the corner of 11th & Pacific. That building was later demolished and the Rust Building constructed in its place. The building at the left foreground is the Equitable Building, 1102-04 Pacific. The Fidelity Building is on Broadway at the northeast corner of 11th. Additional stories would be added later. The tower on the County Courthouse is dimly seen to the rear of the photograph. Copy from glass plate made on October 3, 1958. TPL-9912
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Street railroads--Tacoma--1900-1910; Equitable Building (Tacoma); Fidelity Building (Tacoma);
ca. 1910. Copy made from glass plate, Richards Studio. South 11th Street looking east. The steepness of South 11th St. is evident in this view from possibly the early 1900's. Traffic seems very light, with only a streetcar, one automobile and one man keeping pace with his team of horses. Tacoma would not experience parking problems in the downtown area for quite a few years. A glimpse of Peoples Store on the corner of 11th & Pacific can be seen as well as a meat market believed to be owned by William T. Dickenson further up on 11th. The Perkins Bldg., on A St., has flags flying. The Stone-Fisher department store, later known as the Fisher Department Store then the Bon Marche, is to the foreground, far right at the corner of Broadway and 11th. Copy made from glass plate on October 3, 1958.
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Street railroads--Tacoma; Signs (Notices); Horses;
ca. 1915. Copy made from glass plate, Richards Studio. Looking east on South 11th St. toward bridge. Giant letters proclaiming "Municipal Light and Power, Cheapest in the U.S.," are painted on the 11th Street Bridge. Downtown Tacoma appears vibrant, with streetcars providing convenient transportation, and plenty of people on the sidewalks. Businesses located on or near 11th at that time included the Purity Lunch and the Warburton Apartments; signs for those can be hanging on buildings on the right side of the photograph. The Warburton was listed then on South "C" Street; this would become Broadway. The Perkins Bldg. is on A St. near the entrance to the bridge. Copy of glass plate made on October 3, 1958.
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1910-1920; Street railroads--Tacoma; Signs (Notices); 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma); Bridges--Tacoma;
An early automobile shares Pacific Avenue with two street cars and a horse drawn wagon in August of 1907. The buildings on the east side of Pacific include: the Tourist Hotel, 1013 Pacific Avenue; The Royal saloon, 1015 Pacific Ave.; the Berlin Building, on the corner of South 11th and Pacific Ave.; and the Peoples Store, 1101-07 Pacific Avenue. Of the buildings in this two block section of Pacific Avenue, only the Peoples Store is still standing. TPL-8101
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Business districts--Tacoma--1900-1910; Street railroads--Tacoma--1900-1910; Automobiles--Tacoma--1900-1910;
ca. 1928. Broadway in the late 1920's was already known as the "heart of the shopping and theatrical district." Businesses were crammed cheek by jowl up and down the street. The New York Building at 1117-19 Broadway still listed the Horgan-Parker Department Store's advertisement of "The new daylight department store" even though the store was no longer in existence; Hotels Ritz and Warburton were doors apart; Feltman & Curme sold wonderful $6.50 and $5.50 shoes, and the Blue Mouse theater sold tickets at a mere 25 cents. Kimball's sold guns and sporting goods. The Winthrop Hotel on the right in the distance had opened in 1925. The 12-story Fidelity Building at 949-55 Broadway was also open; it was near the much smaller Hotel Warburton. More people had cars and were using them, as well as public transportation, to visit downtown. (Copy of glass plate negative made on October 3, 1958.) TPL-8477
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Fidelity Building (Tacoma); Blue Mouse Movie Theatre (Tacoma);
ca. 1900. Copy made from glass plate, Richards Studio. This may be a street scene from Yakima, Washington, circa 1900. The street is wide enough for a streetcar and many passing horses and carts. There are some carriages parked along the raised sidewalk. People could conduct business at the Yakima Valley Bank, get their teeth checked at Yakima Dental or buy a $12 suit at the Empire. Copy of glass plate made on October 3, 1958.
Commercial streets--Yakima; Street railroads--Yakima; Carts & wagons--Yakima;
ca. 1900. Copy of print made from glass plate. Pacific Avenue appears devoid of traffic other than one streetcar in the early years of the 20th century. This photograph was taken early one morning in the vicinity of 9th & Pacific; the distinct image of the Old City Hall can be observed clearly a block ahead. The names "Hotel Donnelly" and "Grand Theatre" have been imprinted onto the photograph. The Hotel Donnelly was probably one of the earliest hotels in the city, as it was listed in the 1893-94 City Directory. It was located on the northwest corner of Pacific Ave. & So. 9th St. The Motoramp Garage was to later be built on this site. Hotel Donnelly was in close proximity to the Hotel Revere, whose sign can be seen protruding from the building. The Hotel Revere, by 1907, was operated by John Fawcett and located at 732 1/2 Pacific Avenue. The Grand Theatre's first mention was in the 1907 City Directory. It was located on the northeast corner of Pacific & So. 9th. Sullivan & Considine were listed as proprietors and Dean B. Worley as manager. Date of original print is not known; copy from glass plate was made on October 3, 1958. TPL-8546
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Hotel Donnelly (Tacoma); Hotel Revere (Tacoma); Old City Hall (Tacoma); Cities & towns--Tacoma;
Three blended photographs of the area between Sears, Roebuck & Co. and the Bon Marche building in downtown Tacoma taken in September, 1965. The J.C. Penney company was conducting clearance sales as it had moved its main store to the Tacoma Mall Shopping Center. Longtime downtown fixtures on Broadway pictured above were Mode O'Day, Leroy Jewelers, Bernie's Men's Wear, Fashion Shoes, Karl's Shoes, Lyon's, Frank's Diamond Shop, Spellman's Shoes and Penney's. Photograph ordered by Puget Sound National Bank. TPL-502
Undated copy of customer postcard. View of Main Street in Sand Lake, Michigan. There is no moving traffic on Sand Lake's Main Street although several cars are parked along the town's business establishments. Estimated population in 2004 was barely over 500; it apparently has not changed much since the above photograph was taken perhaps in the 1930's. Photograph ordered by Pierce Powers, Puyallup.
Commercial streets--Michigan--Sand Lake; Business districts--Michigan--Sand Lake;
Undated customer postcard of Lake Street in Sand Lake, Michigan. This undated photograph shows the north side of Lake Street in the very small town of Sand Lake, Michigan. This is probably prior to the common automobile age as the road is unpaved and transportation is primarily horse-and-wagon. Power or telephone poles are present on the north side of the street. Photograph ordered by Pierce Powers, Puyallup.
Undated customer postcard of street scenes in Sand Lake, Michigan. This appears to be one of Sand Lake's commercial streets with establishments close together. Photograph may have been taken about 1900 or before. Sand Lake in 2004 only had a population of barely 500; 100 years ago it may have been about the same or even smaller. The Sand Lake House is the large building closest to the camera. This may have been the town's hotel or even a boarding house. What appears to be a windmill is behind the business. A boots-and-shoe store is one of the businesses close to the Sand Lake House. Photograph ordered by Pierce Powers, Puyallup.
Commercial streets--Michigan--Sand Lake; Sand Lake House (Sand Lake, MI);
ca. 1911. Street scene in Grandview, Washington. Copy of customer print. Asahel Curtis traveled to Grandview in Yakima County in 1911 to photograph several areas of town. Print #20733 was taken of the business district including the Grandview State Bank. Several men are pictured outside the bank while three horse-drawn buggies go by. Photograph ordered by Dr. C.B. Coulter of the University of Puget Sound. (University of Washington Digital Collections)
Commercial streets--Grandview; Grandview State Bank (Grandview); Carriages & coaches--Grandview;
ca. 1900. This view of hilly 11th Street was probably taken in the late 1890s or very early 1900s. The street is relatively empty of traffic with pedestrians having time to stop and talk while still in the roadway. Peoples department store, built in 1895, is on the left side of 11th while the Fidelity Building, built in 1890, is at 9th & Broadway on the right hand side. The Fidelity Building is pictured without its additional six stories which were not added until 1909. The Fidelity Building was demolished in 1949 to make way for the F.W.Woolworth Co. Bldg. TPL-9915
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1890-1900; Peoples (Tacoma); Fidelity Building (Tacoma);
ca. 1887. This view of Pacific Avenue, looking north from 10th, was taken in 1887. Horse drawn carriages and wagons fill the unpaved street. The Fife Hotel, 742-50 Pacific Avenue (at left background), was still under construction with scaffolding visible. The building at 930 Pacific Ave. was home to the Tacoma News. The News and The Daily Ledger, both founded in 1883, were the two biggest newspapers in Tacoma at this time. The Ledger was a morning paper; The News was an evening paper. Some years later, both papers were bought by Sidney A. Perkins. Ultimately, they were taken over by The News Tribune. Copy made August 31, 1950. (TPL-2297 and TPL-8147)
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1880-1890; Carts & wagons--Tacoma; The News (Tacoma); Newspapers--Tacoma--1880-1890; Fife Hotel (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1880-1890; Building construction--Tacoma--1880-1890;
Richards Studio copy exposure. This copy of a photograph from the early 1900s shows Pacific Avenue, looking north from the corner of South 13th Street. Electric streetcars run down the middle of the wide street while horse drawn buggies and carts stay close to the curb. Businesses along this section of Pacific included the California Wine House at 1150 Pacific, H.V. Roberts - Dentist, the Central News Co., and the Warwick Liquor Company at 1205 Pacific Ave. A laundry wagon can be seen in the lower right corner.
Commercial streets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Street railroads--Tacoma
This is a glimpse of busy Fourth Avenue in Olympia post 1947. Cars are lined up on both sides of the street as well as motoring down the long roadway, including a newish Lincoln. On the left foreground are the Olympia Bakery, Liberty Cafe, a bowling alley and a hotel. At right are the Reder's Grocery, Olympia Drug Co.and Gottfeld's men's clothing store. (Photograph courtesy of the William Cammarano Collection) TPL-10430
Commercial streets--Olympia; Lincoln automobile; Automobiles--Olympia--1940-1950; Olympia Bakery (Olympia); Liberty Cafe (Olympia); Reder's Grocery (Olympia); Olympia Drug Co. (Olympia);
ca. 1979. The historic Waddell Building, 1502-04 Pacific Ave., circa 1979. The structure was built in 1890 by builder James Waddell. It has been remodeled and in 2004 it was incorporated into the Marriott Hotel.
Waddell Building (Tacoma); Business districts--Tacoma--1970-1980;
