January and February of 1929 brought severe winter weather to Tacoma with heavy snow and temperatures that dropped into the teens. Snow and slush piled up in the gutters of downtown Tacoma. This early February street scene shows Saint Helens Avenue looking north from So. 7th. Buildings shown include: the Tacoma Radiator & Fender Works, 615 Saint Helens Ave.; the George W. Hess Auto Surgeon, 617 Saint Helens Ave.; and the Webster Apartments, 629 Saint Helens Ave.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Tacoma Radiator & Fender Works (Tacoma); George W. Hess Auto Surgeon (Tacoma); Webster Apartments (Tacoma); Snow--Tacoma;

Street scene showing snow and slush on South 9th Street looking up from Pacific on an early day in February of 1929. Main building shown in photograph is the Motoramp Garage (745 Commerce Street) on right.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Motoramp Garage (Tacoma); Snow--Tacoma;

Travel was hard going as this street scene from February of 1929 shows snow and slush on 11th Street, looking up 11th from Commerce. Buildings in view include French Drug Co. (1101 Broadway) and Fisher's Department Store (1104 Broadway). The harsh weather did not deter pedestrians and some sturdy vehicles.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; French Drug Co. (Tacoma); Fisher's Department Store (Tacoma); Snow--Tacoma;

ca. 1928. Home at 511 No. D St., Tacoma. Photograph ordered by W.H. Opie & Co. The home was built in 1928. By 1938, it was the home of Mrs. W.W. Seymour.

Houses--Tacoma--1920-1930; Seymour, W.W.--Homes & haunts;

In October of 1928, Tacoma Fire Station No. 15 at 3510 East 11th was nearing completion. The station was designed by M. J. Nicholson, architect, of brick, tile and stucco. It was one of three new stations built with funds provided by the passage of a March 1928 bond issue. Station #15 was located at East 11th and Taylor Way, on the east side of the Tideflats. The other two new stations were in Fernhill at South 74th and Park and in North Tacoma at North 41st and Gore. Construction costs of the stations totalled around $27,000 and 30 new fire fighters were added to the rolls to man the stations. Station #15 worked 5 men to a shift, including officers, and was under the command of Capt. Charley Mustoe and Lt. William R. Sherman.The three stations opened at the end of January and the beginning of February, 1929. Station #15 is on the City Registry of Historic Buildings and was added to the National Register on 5/2/1986.

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire Station No. 15 (Tacoma);

ca. 1927. Seventeen children sit or stand on a fire truck in front of a fire station believed to be Fire Station #1 located at 425 Tacoma Ave. So. in this circa 1927 photograph. The station was built in 1919. In the background are the Leroy Apartments, 415 Fawcett Ave. (Additional information provided by a reader)

Tacoma Fire Department (Tacoma); Fire engines & equipment--Tacoma--1920-1930; Fire stations--Tacoma--1920-1930; Children--Tacoma--1920-1930; Leroy Apartments (Tacoma);

This photograph shows the building adjacent to the Puyallup Opera House, at the corner of So. Meridian and E. Pioneer, as it appeared on September 29, 1927. It was home to Hood's Hardware, the Citizens State Bank and the Puyallup City Hall. The Opera House, its onion dome shows at the far right, was built in 1890, at a final cost of $20,000. It was described as, "the finest and costliest theatre building in the state outside of Tacoma and Spokane." It was demolished after being damaged by the 1949 earthquake. The building at the corner is still standing, but has been completely remodeled. Puyallup City Hall (311-13 S. Meridian), Citizens State Bank (301 S. Meridian), and Hood's Hardware (114 E. Pioneer Ave.)

Hood's Hardware (Puyallup); City Hall (Puyallup); Citizens State Bank (Puyallup); Business districts--Puyallup--1920-1930; Puyallup Opera House (Puyallup); Opera houses--Puyallup;

Pacific Northwest Canning Co., 203 5th Ave. N.W., Puyallup. This exterior view of the business was taken on September 20, 1927.

Pacific Northwest Canning Co. (Puyallup); Food industry--Puyallup;

Street scene in March of 1929; view of buildings on east side of Broadway looking south on Broadway from the corner of 9th & Broadway. The Pantages Theater at far left has electric signage " Pantages Vaudeville & Pictures." Buildings include: the previously mentioned Pantages Theater (901 Broadway) on left, Illington Hotel (911 1/2 Broadway) a few buildings down, and the Broadway Theater (902-914 Broadway) on the right. The Broadway was known as the Tacoma Theater prior to 1927. It burned in 1963.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Pantages Theater (Tacoma); Illington Hotel (Tacoma); Broadway Theater (Tacoma);

ca. 1929. Street scene showing east side of Pacific Ave. looking south from 10th Street. Buildings shown include (left to right) First Mutual Savings Bank of Tacoma (1005 Pacific Ave.), Western Union Telegraph Co.& Lindsay Hotel (1007 Pacific Ave.), Bank of California (1011-13 Pacific Ave.), Feeney's Cafe (1017), Washington Building (1019), Peoples Store (1101-07), Bankers Trust Building (1109-13) and Puget Sound Bank (1117-19.) This circa 1929 photograph was one of a series of downtown shots taken on behalf of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; First Mutual Savings Bank of Tacoma (Tacoma); Western Union Telegraph Co. (Tacoma); Lindsay Hotel (Tacoma); Bank of California National Association (Tacoma);

This view of Tacoma's Federal Building, 1102 A Street, which is home to the Main Branch of the U. S. Post Office, is from the corner of So. 12th and A St. The Federal Building, built to house the Federal courts and the main post office in Tacoma, was formally dedicated in July of 1910 after years of delays and construction problems. The initial plans for the building were shown to the public in 1906, but the foundation was not started until September, 1908. In May of 1929, shortly after this photograph was taken, the 12th Street entrance was remodeled to provide a parcel post room . The Federal courts moved out of the building to their new home at the Union Depot in 1992.

Federal Building (Tacoma);

1929 street scene view looking down 9th street (toward the east) taken for the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce. The marquee for the Broadway Theater (902-14 Broadway) is to the right. The Hotel Winthrop (773 Broadway) is on the left. The Tacoma Theater closed down for a remodel and reopened in 1927 as the Broadway Theater. In 1933, under new management, it became the Music Box. It was destroyed by fire in April of 1963.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Theaters--Tacoma; Broadway Theater (Tacoma);

1929 street scene looking up 11th street from the Eleventh Street Bridge. Buildings in photograph include the Federal Building (1102 A St.), and the Kaufman-Leonard Furniture Co. (105-11 So. 11th St.) Streetcar tracks can be seen in the street in the foreground with the streetcar cable above.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Federal Building (Tacoma); Kaufman-Leonard Furniture Co. (Tacoma); Street railroad tracks--Tacoma--1920-1930;

This is a March of 1929 street scene looking down 11th street toward the Eleventh Street (now Murray Morgan) Bridge. Buildings on left side of the photograph are the Rust Building (950 Pacific Ave.) and the Washington Building (1019 Pacific Ave.). On the right is a sign for Manning's Market and another sign for Merrick & Race Jewelers.

Commercial streets--Tacoma--1920-1930; Rust Building (Tacoma); Washington Building (Tacoma); 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma);

ca. 1948. Building #5 at 12th & L St., Tacoma Medical Center, 1206 So. 11th St. Built in 1947, the Tacoma Medical Center was composed of several brick buildings on South 11th Street; each unit contained one or more medical personnel. Photograph taken for Paul A. Hungate, builder. The Center eventually grew to 40 buildings, with the site including 1202-24 So. 11th, 1102-24 So. L and 1101-25 So. M St.

Tacoma Medical Center (Tacoma);

The spring tournament of the Northwest Lawn Bowling Association was held in Wright Park May 30 through June 2, 1946. Mr. & Mrs. Charles Wood of Vancouver, B.C. dominated the tournament. Mr. Wood defeated George Wilkinson in the final of the men's event, and Mrs. Wood defeated Mrs. Lew Thomas of Tacoma to take the ladies title. (TNT 06/03/1946 p.7)

Wright Park (Tacoma); Lawn Bowling--Tacoma--1940-1950; Northwest Lawn Bowling Association;

ca. 1932. House with detached one-car garage at the So. 9th & Washington (820 So. Washington St.), Tacoma, circa 1932. Photograph taken for John Dower Lumber Co.

Houses--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1932. View of the Roxy Theatre, ca. 1932. "The Thirteenth Guest " was the feature film showing at the Roxy at the time of this photograph. The film was released in 1932 and starred Ginger Rogers and Lyle Talbot. Movie marquee advertised that there was "Always a better show at your Roxy." Apparently cost of a ticket was 20 cents after 5 p.m. The former RKO Orpheum theater reopened as the Roxy in 1932; it is now known as the Pantages.

Roxy Theatre (Tacoma); Motion picture theaters--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1932. Masonic Temple, 47 Saint Helens Ave., Tacoma. The Greek styled, with Egyptian detail, structure was designed by architect A.J. Russell. It was dedicated on December 1, 1927. The adjacent theater, right, was originally named the Heilig Theater, but the name was changed in 1932 to the Temple Theater. The building is on the City Registry. In 1992, it was renamed the Saint Helens Convention Center and renamed again in 1995, this time to the Landmark Convention Center.

Masonic Temple (Tacoma); Fraternal organizations--Tacoma--1930-1940; Temple Theatre (Tacoma);

ca. 1931. Tudor Rose Tea Room & Delicatessen, 16 Tacoma Ave. No. The tea room was located in the store building at 16-24 Tacoma Ave. No. The English style building was built by the Lumberman's Investment Co. from a design by Sutton, Whitney & Dugan. First Presbyterian Church can be seen in the background left in this circa 1931 photograph.

Tudor Rose Tea Room (Tacoma); Delicatessens--Tacoma; First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma);

In July of 1931, the Publix Market and Garage at 1110-16 Pacific Ave. was under construction. North Coast Service Garage and Pacific Ave. Building Co. were the builders of the structure and Roberts & Johnson were the contractors. The structure was 9 stories with a "Z System" parking garage.

Garages--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1931. Rhodes Medical Arts Building and Garage, 747 Market, Tacoma. Originally known as the Rhodes Medical Arts Tower, this Art Deco structure was built by the United Rhodes Realty Corp. John Graham, Sr., was the primary architect with the local firm of Heath, Gove & Bell serving as associate architects. The building was dedicated on January 31st, 1931. At 17 stories, it was the tallest building in Tacoma at the time of its construction. It was a full-service medical care building in Tacoma's central business district. An attached garage provided much needed parking. There were two entrances to the Medical Arts Building, one on Market St. and the other on Saint Helens. It was purchased by the City of Tacoma in 1977 for use as government offices and was renamed the Tacoma Municipal Building in 1977. It is currently listed on the Tacoma and national registry of historic structures.

Medical Arts Building (Tacoma); Parking garages--Tacoma; Office buildings--Tacoma--1930-1940;

An insider's view of some of the details of the bootlegging operation at Benston's Farm raided by Federal agents in July of 1931. One Federal agent, in his sleeveless T-shirt, inspects a pipe on part of the still. Another agent climbs a wooden ladder. There are metal beds in the middle of the "room". The fire for the still had to be maintained 24 hours a day. There is a large stack of metal containers waiting to be filled with alcohol, the still actually used an automatic filler system. The distillery operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ironically, the actual dismantling was done by inmates of McNeil Island, some of them incarcerated for bootlegging. The copper and vats from the distillery became the property of the prison and were put to legitimate use. (TNT 7/17-19/1931, pg. 1)

Benston, J. Thomas--Associated objects; Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

Unidentified men pose with several of the large redwood fermenting vats used in illegal alcohol production in the barn located on the property of J. Thomas Benston in Graham, WA. The barn contained eight of these huge circular vats, each having a capacity of over 5,000 gallons. It is theorized that the operation could produce $20,000 of alcohol every 24 hours. Little effort was made to disguise its operation, and it managed to remain in business six months before it was raided. Operators were said to have paid up to $8,000 a month in protection. In an odd twist of fate, the operators were producing their last batch and getting ready to clear out when the barn was raided. Benston maintained his innocence, stating that he only rented the barn and was not aware that it was being used for illegal purposes. (TNT 7/17-19/1931, pg. 1)

Benston, J. Thomas--Associated objects; Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

Large barn on J. Thomas Benston's Farm in Graham that held a bootlegging operation that operated for 6 months undisturbed before it was raided by federal agents in July of 1931. The barn was in clear view of the highway and received frequent shipments of fuel oil, sugar and supplies. It is estimated that it took 25 tons of sugar to produce 1 filling of mash for 1 of its 8 redwood vats. The highway also carried frequent shipments from the farm, trucks loaded with cans and kegs of alcohol. Little trouble was taken to disguise the enterprise and its operation was common knowledge in the neighborhood. The still operated for 6 months and produced over a half million dollars worth of alcohol before it was raided by federal agents. (TNT 7-17-1931. pg 1)

Benston, J. Thomas--Homes & haunts; Barns--Graham; Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

A federal agent stands beside one of the huge redwood vats found in the July 1931 raid of Benston's Farm in Graham, Wa., to demonstrate its awesome size. This vat was calculated to hold 7,500 gallons of fermenting mash. The Prohibition era illegal distillery set up in Benston's barn contained a total of eight of these vats. The still operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week and could manufacture 100 gallons of pure alcohol every hour. At a market value of $10 per gallon, the feds estimated that the plant produced $20,000 worth of alcohol every 24 hours. It was reported that the operation was set up by a California syndicate, that rented the barn from Benston, and that it was backed by local capital. (TNT 7/17-19, 1931, pg. 1)

Benston, J. Thomas--Associated objects; Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

Two men believed to be Federal Prohibition agents worked on July 17, 1931, at dismantling the boiler from the still found in the barn at a Graham, Washington, farm. The illegal operation was as modern and complete as a commercial pre-Prohibition distillery. It was estimated to have been built for $50,000, was in clear view of the highway and operated for six months. The owner of the farm, a Pierce County road district employee, maintained that he rented out the barn and was not aware of the illegal activities. In fact, this location was probably chosen in part due to the respectability that the farmer lent to the operation. In an odd twist of fate, the bootleggers were preparing to abandon the still, or dismantle and move it, and were making their last batch when the raid was made. It is estimated that the operators manufactured over a 1/2 million dollars of alcohol before the still was shut down. 52,000 gallons of mash were seized in the raid. (TNT 7/17-19, 1931, pg. 1-various articles)

Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

ca. 1931. Tacoma City Steam Plant No. 2, 1171 Taylor Way, also known as the Tideflats Steam Plant. The plant was built in 1930 and began operation in 1932. It closed in 1973. After being refitted to burn coal, wood and garbage, it reopened 1991-98. It reopened again 2000-01. It was dismantled and sold for scrap recovery in 2007.

Steam plants--Tacoma--1930-1940;

House at 3403 No. 18th Street, Tacoma. The home was built in 1926 on a corner lot by James McMullen, builder. Photo taken for R.E. Mahaffey & Co. realtors. Photo used in Tacoma Daily Ledger 06-07-1931 D-1, when the home was for sale.

Houses--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1931. Fidelity Building, 949-55 Broadway, Tacoma. The Fidelity Bldg. was built in 1890 from a design by Burnham & Root, architects. It was originally six stories, with six more added in 1909. The structure was demolished in 1949 to make way for the Woolworth Co. building. Bowen # 1061-2

Fidelity Building (Tacoma); Office buildings--Tacoma--1930-1940;