Selden's Inc. had a carpet show in their main store on Broadway in March, 1954. Store employees pictured here on stage hold up samples of drapes and rugs for interested shoppers. Selden's was owned and operated by Sydney C. Selden, Sr., as president and general manager. It specialized in floor coverings but also sold household appliances including televisions, and offered an interior decorating service.
Selden's, Inc. (Tacoma); Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Rugs; Home furnishings stores--Tacoma;
Triangular flags flap in the wind at the site of a Shell Service Station in a March, 1954, photograph. Two mechanics are inspecting an elevated car inside the garage. There are at least four gas pumps at this station. Tires and other auto accessories can be purchased here as well as gasoline.
Interior of Piggly Wiggly Grocery Store, probably Bremerton. Three men stand among the isles between bakery display and canned goods. Sign of wall " Parade of Progress, nationally known grocery products" between two Ritz Cracker advertising panels.
Future home office of the United Pacific Insurance Company. Plywood fencing proudly proclaims the presence of the company and surrounds the construction site. Central School building can be seen in the right background of the picture taken on February 15, 1954. The structure would provide three floors of offices for the only Tacoma based insurance company and two floors of rental space. United Pacific also owned the Medical Arts building next door.
United Pacific Insurance Co. (Tacoma); Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs--1950-1960;
Future home office of the United Pacific Insurance Company. Plywood fencing surrounds the construction site in this February 15, 1954 photograph. Steven Motor Company and the Old City Hall can be seen in the background. Steel framework has been erected for what would become the five story office building of United Pacific. The building was designed with a foundation capable of supporting 10 stories if needed for future expansion. The concrete, steel and glass structure would be completed in January of 1955.
United Pacific Insurance Co. (Tacoma); Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs--1950-1960; Old City Hall (Tacoma);
Progress photograph of the United Pacific Insurance Co. building, ordered by James J. Barnes Construction. The clock tower of the Old City Hall can be seen in the background of this February 3, 1954 photograph. James J. Barnes was the general contractor for the planned five story home office for United Pacific. The building would be built of reinforced concrete faced with glass and designed to complement the Art Deco Medical Arts building, also owned by United Pacific. The finished product would cost over $500,000 and open for occupancy January of 1955.
United Pacific Insurance Co. (Tacoma); Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs--1950-1960;
Steve's (Gay 90's) Cafe, photographed for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. Steve's was owned and operated by Steve Pease and John Stanley. The fantasticly popular restaurant and nightclub included many internal rooms like this one. All were decorated with an old time flair. This room features tall wooden booths and round tables. Above the wainscoting is wallpaper picturing nineties gents stepping up to the bar and ladies at round tables, just like the ones in this room. On the walls are museum framed and lighted photographs of the original Red Front Saloon where Steve's back bar came from. Through the open doorway to the right, you can see a counter with seats or stools. These two rooms may have been the original 20 seat coffee shop and tavern run by Stanley and Pease.
No. 26th St., looking west to the intersection of No. Stevens St. A school bus is turning next to the Hilltop Market at 2517 No. Stevens. Safeway stores ordered these pictures. The City Council was hearing an application from Safeway to erect a $525,000 supermarket at 26th and Stevens. The City Planning Commission had already turned down the application citing the dangers of increased traffic and opposition of the area's residents. The hearing was jammed to overflowing with spectators. Both sides argued their point and the hearing was adjourned without a resolution. (TNT 12/8/1953)
No. Stevens, looking north at the intersection of No. 26th St. On the right is the Hilltop Market at 2517 No. Stevens. On the left is Pop's Service Station at 2601 No. Stevens. Safeway stores ordered these pictures. The City Council would be hearing their application to erect a store at 26th and Stevens on January 4, 1954. The application had been turned down by the City Planning Commission. The hearing was viewed by an overflowing crowd. The main argument against rezoning this area for the erection of a $525,000 Safeway store was the resulting increased traffic. Residents felt that increasing the already heavy flow of traffic would endanger neighborhood children. Safeway argued that traffic was already bad & their off street parking would make the situation better. The supermarket chain also felt that the Planning Commission was protecting the smaller businesses. (TNT 1/5/1954, pg.1) TPL-9908
Hilltop Market (Tacoma); Pop's Service Stations (Tacoma); Safeway Stores, Inc. (Tacoma); Grocery Stores--Tacoma--1950-1960;
On March 11, 1939, the Bachelor Club of Tacoma hosted a large ball and style show in the Crystal Ballroom of the Winthrop Hotel. Several guests were photographed seated at a long banquet table watching the fashion show. More guests are seated on a landing above and to the right. (filed with Argentum)
Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Bachelor Club (Tacoma); Fashion shows;
On March 11, 1939, the Bachelor Club of Tacoma hosted a large ball and style show in the Crystal Ballroom of the Winthrop Hotel. Several guests were photographed seated around small round tables at the event. (filed with Argentum)
Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Bachelor Club (Tacoma); Fashion shows;
On Saturday March 11, 1939, the Bachelor Club hosted a large ball and style show in the Crystal Ballroom of the Winthrop Hotel. The backdrop for the show as an elegant cityscape with outlines of skyscrapers, a large bridge and a late model sedan. (filed with Argentum) (T.Times 3/18/1939, pg. 9)
Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma); Bachelor Club (Tacoma); Fashion shows;
ca. 1939. The Tacoma Times began publication in 1903, and eventually grew into a general circulation daily. This photograph taken in 1939 shows two employees at the Times, identified as Jen (Jean Hudson) on left and Bev (Beverly Thompson), as they joke with each other over desks stacked high with paperwork and photographs. The women worked on the Society section of the paper. The Society Department and women's page features were handled by a staff of three women, the only women writers on the paper. Jean Hudson was the Society Editor. The Tacoma Times ceased publication on March 31, 1949.
Tacoma Times Publishing Co. (Tacoma)--Employees; Thompson, Beverly; Hudson, Jean;
Cliff Sign Co. hoists the new Tacoma Hotel sign to the top of the building. The ground floor is occupied by the National Cash Register Co., Budget Finance Plan, the Western Air Lines ticket office and at the far right, with the sign 1/4 visible, the Servicemen's Center at 115 So. 9th. This was the location of the bowling alley.
Interior of office at Griffin Fuel Company. Four men and two women working in office. Office equipment includes a scale, typewriter, and calculator or comptometer. In February of 1939, Griffin Fuel Co. was celebrating its 50th anniversary. The company was started in 1889 by Fred L. Griffin. Mr. Griffin had a single wagon and horse and delivered fuel in the form of wood that he cut himself. Fifty years later, the company had a fleet of modern trucks and oil tanks. Through the years, the Griffin family was noted for its amicable and long term relationship with company employees. (T. Times 2/27/1939, pg. 2-3)
Richfield oil men and Stadium High School students servicing cars on "Stadium Day," November 25, 1953, at a local Richfield gas station. "Let's Hit the 3000 Mark!" banner on service station with an accompanying tally board nearby. "Richfield Day" was a successful project of the Stadium Student Council, according to a brief mention in the 1954 Tahoma yearbook. (Tahoma yearbook, p. 132)
Automobile service stations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960; Banners; Stadium High School (Tacoma); Automobiles--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Two buses are stopped at the corner of 11th and Pacific in front of Peoples Store to pick up passengers in early February of 1939. Modern bus transportation had replaced the old streetcar system in mid-1938. There were now 95 up-to-date buses operated by the Tacoma Rail & Power system in the city. Routes operated over 76 miles of Tacoma streets carrying 35,000 passengers daily. A group of people dressed in suits and coats prepare to cross Pacific where the old streetcar tracks and brick pavers are visible. (T. Times, 2/8/1939, p. 21-alt. photograph, p. 22-article).
Peoples (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1930-1940; Buses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Mass transit--Tacoma--1930-1940;
Model Bakery truck for International Harvester Co. The delivery truck is parked directly in front of Washburn's Market at 2602 No. Proctor on February 1, 1939. The driver has the rear door open and is in the process of taking out goods sent from the bakery. Model Bakery advertised its "Star Loaf" as Tacoma's finest bread.
Model Bakery (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Washburn's Market (Tacoma);
Model Bakery truck for International Harvester Co. The vehicle is parked along side of Washburn's Market at 2602 No. Proctor. It appears that some baked goods, probably Model's Star Loaf brand, are being delivered to the I.G.A. grocery on February 1, 1939.
Model Bakery (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1930-1940; Washburn's Market (Tacoma);
A Model Bakery truck driver delivers "Star Loaf" bread to Washburn's Market. Wallace and Ella Washburn opened their meat market and grocer store here in 1917 when the building was first constructed. Clesent and Eleanor Washburn continued to run the store until 1966. Dr. Julius C. Bohn opened an office on the second floor in 1921. He closed his office in 1956 after 55 years of practice. The dedicated physician was named "family doctor of the year" in 1951 by members of the Pierce County Medical Association. The building was demolished in 1967 to build a Union 76 service station. In 1991, a new two-story building was built on the site and once again food stores and offices occupy this popular corner in the Proctor District.
Grocery stores--Tacoma--1930-1940; Butcher shops--Tacoma--1930-1940; Washburn's Market (Tacoma); Bohn, Julius C.; Physicians; Medical offices--Tacoma;
View of Rhodes Department Store Building, Fredrick Heath and A.J. Russell, Architects, 1903. View from across street, pedestrians and traffic in foreground. Publicity for three day sale.
Business Enterprises - Department Stores - Tacoma - Rhodes Brothers
National Bank of Washington; Branch & Senior management of bank. Twenty men and one woman gather around the boardroom table. Carl L. Phillips, president of the bank, sits at the head of the table with C.T. Chandler, vice-president, to the right. The man to the right of Chandler in the chair is unidentified. The bank was known from 1913-1938 as the National Bank of Tacoma and was housed in the Italian-Renaissance building at the northeast corner of 12th and Pacific, that since 1971 has housed the Tacoma Art Museum.
Banks--Tacoma; Banking--Tacoma--1950-1960; Bankers--Tacoma; National Bank of Washington (Tacoma)--People; Phillips, Carl L.; Chandler, C.T.;
Progress photograph of the new United Pacific Insurance Co. home office next to the Medical Arts Building, taken on October 4, 1953, ordered by James J. Barnes Construction Co. Steven Motor Co. can be seen across the street at 738 Broadway. The five story addition would complement the Medical Arts Building, also owned by United Pacific. The five story building would take almost 2 years to build and cost an estimated $500,000. It was built of reinforced concrete faced with glass.
United Pacific Insurance Co. (Tacoma); Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs--1950-1960;
Progress photograph of the construction of the new United Pacific Insurance Co. office building. Heavy machinery works in the area that will become the basement and foundation for the new 5 story office building. The structure will be built of reinforced concrete and stone to match the Medical Arts building. The $500,000 building will add 30,000 square feet of office space for the United Pacific home office. United Pacific organized in Seattle in 1928 and in 1941 bought the Medical Arts building and moved its home offices to Tacoma. It was the only insurance company to maintain home offices in Tacoma.
United Pacific Insurance Co. (Tacoma); Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs--1950-1960; Hoisting machinery;
The Sears store, ordered by Fairchild Publications. The entrance to the service station can be seen at the rear of the building. Elevated parking center at 1140-50 Court C.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1950-1960;
National Bank of Washington lobby decorated for the Northwest Territory Centennial Days. Carl L. Phillips, bank president, holds one of the pictures to be displayed. The pictures document Tacoma around 1853. The festivities designed to celebrate the 100 year anniversary included an outdoor drama, a beard growing contest, district street dances & celebrations and a parade. TPL-9204
Banks--Tacoma; Banking--Tacoma--1950-1960; National Bank of Washington (Tacoma); Lobbies--Tacoma--1950-1960; Celebrations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Centennial celebrations--Tacoma; Phillips, Carl L.;
Carl L. Phillips, Bank President, and Mayor Harold Tollefson, left, pose with a mannequin depicting banking one hundred years ago in the lobby of the National Bank of Washington. As the city of Tacoma prepared for the week long celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the Northwest Territory, centennial displays went up all over town. Tacoma's main connection with the centennial was that in 1853 Tacoma's DeLin mill shipped the first lumber from Commencement Bay.
Banks--Tacoma; Banking--Tacoma--1950-1960; National Bank of Washington (Tacoma); Lobbies--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tollefson, Harold M., 1908-1985; Centennial celebrations--Tacoma;
Plywood barricade and superintendent's office at construction site for new United Pacific Insurance Co. addition, between Trovani's Junior Bootery and the Medical Arts Building (also owned by United Pacific Insurance.) The five story addition was scheduled to be built for $500,000. It would have a 90 foot frontage on St. Helens and be built of reinforced concrete and stone to match the existing Medical Arts building. Ordered by the DFPA. (TNT 7/5/1953, pg. C-12)
United Pacific Insurance Co. (Tacoma); Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs--1950-1960;
Plywood barricade and superintendent's office at construction site for new United Pacific Insurance Co. addition, between Trovani's Junior Bootery and the Medical Arts Building (also owned by United Pacific Insurance.) A women walks inside the breezeway formed by the barricade.The completed five story building opened in January of 1955. The building was designed with a foundation able to support 10 stories, so the building could expand upwards if needed. James I. Barnes was the general contractor with F.C. Grosser serving as the mechanical contractor. Ordered by the DFPA. (TNT 7/5/1953, pg. C-12)
United Pacific Insurance Co. (Tacoma); Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960; Progress photographs--1950-1960;
