Church classrooms. The University Place Assembly of God church had many small children attending church along with their parents. The church provided cozy classrooms with appropriate sized furniture for the youngsters. View of cheerful classroom was taken on October 21, 1954; small wooden chairs with curved armrests are just the right size for the rectangular working table. Bright stars decorate the nearby chalkboard and colorful pictures are positioned on walls and even on the toy chest. A thick rug gives additional warmth to the room.

University Place Assembly of God (University Place); Protestant churches--University Place; Churches--University Place; Sunday schools--University Place; Classrooms--University Place;

Federal Old Line Life Insurance Company banquet at First Presbyterian Church on September 12, 1939. Federal Old Line was formed by J.R. Cissna and licensed in the state of Washington in 1937. His vision was a company that paid off claims within 48 hours after death. (filed with Argentum)

First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma); Protestant churches--Tacoma--1930-1940; Presbyterian churches--Tacoma--1930-1940; Federal Old Line Life Insurance Co. (Tacoma);

Federal Old Line Life Insurance Company banquet at First Presbyterian Church on September 12, 1939. Federal Old Line was formed by J.R. Cissna and licensed in the state of Washington in 1937. His vision was a company that paid off claims within 48 hours after death. (filed with Argentum)

First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma); Protestant churches--Tacoma--1930-1940; Presbyterian churches--Tacoma--1930-1940; Federal Old Line Life Insurance Co. (Tacoma);

Sacred Heart Church, photograph ordered by Catholic Northwest Progress. The church also had an attached convent for the Sisters of Providence and a school run by the Sisters. The parish started in 1913 with 35 families. The school was built in 1924 and opened with 103 pupils. By 1955, the parish encompassed 600 families and the school enrollment was 376 pupils. The new church and rectory replaced the old church at 46th & McKinley built in 1914. The new church was built of reinforced concrete with brick facing at a total cost, excluding furnishings, of $316, 000. Architects were McGuire and Muri. (TNT 3/18/1955, pg. A-5)

Sacred Heart Church (Tacoma); Catholic churches--Tacoma;

South Puget Sound Circuit Convention. Our Savior's Lutheran Church. Tacoma-Washington, April 24-26, 1925. Group of people in front of Our Savior's Lutheran Church. Building by A.S. Knight, Architect, 1905. (filed with Argentum)

Our Savior's Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma--1920-1930; Meetings--Tacoma--1920-1930;

ca. 1925. Choir at Our Saviors English Lutheran Church. Director: Mrs. J.A.E. Naess. (WSHS- negative A902-0)

Our Savior's Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma--1920-1930; Choirs (Music);

A special mass is celebrated at St. Ann's Catholic Church honoring the Rev. J. F. Milner on the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. The Most Rev. Thomas A. Connolly, Archbishop of Seattle, presided. Milner was born in Dunmanway, County Cork, and studied for the priesthood in Ireland. He was ordained All Hallows June 22, 1930 at 23 years of age. He was named pastor of St. Anns in 1943. Under his direction, many improvements were made in the church and parish hall. The new school and convent were nearing completion at the time of his Silver Jubilee. (TNT 6/25/1955, pg. 4)

St. Ann's Catholic Church (Tacoma); Catholic churches--Tacoma; Milner, J.F.;

First Methodist Church, general view of exterior. Heath and Gove, Architects; 1916. (T. Times, Special Edition) [Also dated February, 1940]

Methodist churches--Tacoma; First Methodist Church (Tacoma);

First Lutheran Church, taken in April of 1936. General view of brick church by Heath, Gove and Bell, Architects. Construction on the church began in 1925 with the church completed in 1929. Photograph is also numbered D2519 image 11. (photo copied for T. Times, Special Edition Jan or Feb of 1940)

Lutheran churches--Tacoma--1930-1940; First Lutheran Church (Tacoma);

This large frame building was built as First Presbyterian Church in 1889, and later served as Central Lutheran Church. Farrell and Darmer, architects, designed the structure with Opperman and Berens as contractors. The elaborately detailed structure was demolished in 1955 to make way for the County-City Building. (T. Times, Special Edition.) (filed with Argentum)

Presbyterian churches--Tacoma; First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma); Central Lutheran Church (Tacoma); Lutheran churches--Tacoma; Bell towers--Tacoma; Steeples;

Designed by architect George W. Bullard, the First Christian Church at 6th and K St. (Martin Luther King Way) was dedicated June 21, 1908. The classical revival building with a high dome was constructed of Tenino stone and had an array of small but beautiful stained glass windows. Built at a cost of over $40,000, its main auditorium could seat 1,200 persons. It, along with four houses on the same block, was torn down in 1963 to make room for a new building for Western Clinic. (T. Times, Special Edition) [Also dated February, 1940]

First Christian Church (Tacoma); Churches--Tacoma;

First Presbyterian Church, general view of exterior, as photographed in January of 1940. Cram and Ferguson with Sutton, Whitney and Dugan, Architects; 1920-24. (filed with Argentum)

Presbyterian churches--Tacoma; First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma);

First Presbyterian Church ,general view of exterior. Cram and Ferguson with Sutton, Whitney and Dugan, Architects; 1920-24. (filed with Argentum)

Presbyterian churches--Tacoma; First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma);

First Baptist Church, general view of exterior. Wilkenson sandstone building by Heath and Gove, Architects; 1925. (T. Times, Special Edition) [Also dated February 1940] (filed with Argentum)

First Baptist Church (Tacoma); Baptist churches--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Tacoma Oratorio Society at First Congregational Church in "The Creation", J.W. Bixel, conductor. 51 people posed in an auditorium. (filed with Argentum)

Tacoma Oratorio Society (Tacoma); First Congregational Church (Tacoma);

The congregation of the Tacoma Japanese Methodist Church posed for a group portrait on November 27, 1955. A banner reading "Forward with Christ" is placed before them. There appear to be many young people in the congregation. Rev. Alpha H. Takagi was listed in the 1955 City Directory as pastor. The church underwent a name change to Whitney Memorial United Methodist Church in the 1960's but later closed in 1999 due to declining attendance. It had served Japanese-American families for more than 90 years, from its start in 1907 as a mission society for Japanese immigrants. The church was closed from 1942 to 1946 due to the war; membership increased following the reopening with the return of those in relocation camps. The University of Washington purchased the church and property in October, 1999, with plans to develop its Tacoma campus. (TNT 12-11-99, p. 1)

Tacoma Japanese Methodist Church (Tacoma); Whitney Memorial United Methodist Church (Tacoma); Protestant churches--Tacoma; Japanese Americans--Tacoma;

Midwinter Concert by Alexander Melovidoff's Junior Symphony Orchestra at First Christian Church. Large group of young musicians and conductor in auditorium. Photograph taken on April 3, 1940. (filed with Argentum)

Melovidoff, Alexander S., 1897-1961; Junior Symphony Orchestra (Tacoma); First Christian Church (Tacoma); Children playing musical instruments; Youth orchestras--Tacoma--1940-1950; Musicians--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Three hundred participants in the ninth annual Northwest Young Buddhist League Convention posed for a group picture in front of the Tacoma Hongwanji Buddhist Church at 1717 Fawcett Avenue on February 19, 1956. The three-day conference was coming to a close. Seated in front row of the mostly Japanese-American gathering, wearing black robes and sashes, were nine Buddhist ministers including Sunya Pratt, the first woman to be ordained a Buddhist priest in the United States. The Tacoma Hongwanji Church had been established in 1915 and its present temple, still in operation, was built in 1930. The temple is on the Tacoma City Register of historic buildings. (Photograph ordered by the Tacoma Young Buddhist Association.) TPL-3691

Tacoma Hongwanji Buddhist Church (Tacoma); Group portraits;

Designed by Silas A. Nelson, the modernistic Central Seventh Day Adventist Church at 615 North Sprague Avenue was built in 1952. It is triangular in shape, measuring 154 feet on the Sprague Avenue side, 142 feet on the Sixth Avenue approach and 89 feet on the side facing Grant Avenue. Much of the plywood framing work for the poured concrete walls was done by church members who donated their labor. The first service was held in the church in August of 1953, but it was not officially dedicated until February 1963, when the building was free of debt. In the background is the more traditional spanish gothic design First United Presbyterian Church at 1619 Sixth Ave, by 1958 known as Trinity United and shortened to Trinity in the 1990's.

Churches--Tacoma; Central Seventh Day Adventist Church (Tacoma);

Confirmation Class at Luther Memorial Church on May 12, 1940. Seven boys and nine girls pose with Rev. Kettner in front of altar. Building by Emanuel J. Bresemann and Marinus Durfee, Architects, 1910, and originally known as St. John's English Lutheran Church. (filed with Argentum)

Lutheran churches--Tacoma; Luther Memorial Church (Tacoma); Confirmations--Tacoma;

Reverend Father Anthony Hack poses on the steps of the Holy Rosary Church with a large group. Father Hack, the pastor of Holy Rosary, and the church are celebrating his Silver Sacerdotal, marking 25 years of priesthood, with a jubilee. The children dressed in white are taking part in the celebration. The children and adults in dark clothing are believed to be family members. Prior to coming to Holy Rosary in 1935, Father Hack was pastor of the Church of the Visitation in South Tacoma and the Assumption Church in Seattle. His early years in the priesthood were spent in Roslyn and Black Diamond. (T. Times 5/27/1940, pg. 14)

Hack, Anthony; Holy Rosary Church (Tacoma); Anniversaries;

Father Anthony Hack with a large group of children on the steps of Holy Rosary Church, on the occasion of his Silver Anniversary, 25 years, in the priesthood. The children, all dressed in white, are taking part in the celebration. Father Hack was ordained in the Holy Rosary Church, where he is now pastor, by the late Bishop O'Dea. Prior to coming to the church in 1935, he was pastor of the Church of the Visitation and Assumption Church in Seattle. (T. Times 5/27/1940, pg. 14)

Hack, Anthony; Holy Rosary Church (Tacoma); Anniversaries;

ca. 1956. First Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir. The First Presbyterian church was located at Division Ave. and Tacoma Ave. South. They would be presenting A.R. Gaul's "Holy City" under the direction of director Gerald Faber. Choir members are Front row: Mary Anderson, Sally Yoder, Mrs. George Gelderman, Mrs. Jeanette Arnett, Hetty Fikse, Kris Powell, Jane Carpenter, Mrs. Louis Moir, Allene La Bauer. Second row: Mrs. Selmer Thorpe, Irene (Mrs. Ernest) Hopp, Mary K. Anderson, Gloria (Mrs. Don) Pearson, Myra (Mrs. William) Berg, Mrs. Frank Kidd, Arlene (Mrs. John) Stenger, Dianne Kludt, Gen (Mrs. Nels) Anderson, Donna Kludt, Miriam (Mrs. Neil) Buchholtz. Back row: Floyd Levee, E. Z. Fredricks, Bob Gee, John E. Davis, Al Pena, Neil Buchholtz, Robert Williams, Ernest Williams, Don Van Volkenburg, Curtis Schon, Nels Anderson, Gerald Faber-director. (TNT 6/24/1956, pg. D-12)

Presbyterian churches--Tacoma; First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma); Choirs (Music);

Copy of a customer's print, McGuire & Muri, Architects; artist's rendering of the St Mary's Parish Church & Parrish Hall, Seaview, Wa.

Catholic churches--Seaview, Wa.;

Wedding of Gertrude McCutcheon and William Fry at the Little Church on the Prairie, Lakewood. Building converted from commercial uses to church in 1940. Gertrude McCutcheon, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Parsneau, exchanged vows with William Landis Fry, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lindsey Fry of Oroville, California, in a double-ring ceremony on August 11, 1940. Mrs. Franklyn Coffield Ellis of San Francisco served as her sister's matron of honor. Burritt Anderson was the best man. The bride wore a silk jersey afternoon dress adorned with white orchids and carried a white prayer book. The new Mrs. Fry had graduated from Stadium High School and Racine's Western Institute (Seattle). The groom graduated from the University of California and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. Their first home will be in Oakland. (T. Times 8-12-1940, p. 7)

Little Church on the Prairie (Lakewood); Weddings--Lakewood--1940-1950; Fry, William Landis; McCutcheon, Gertrude--Marriage; Brides--1940-1950; Grooms (Weddings)--1940-1950; Wedding costume--1940-1950;

Nine children, 7 boys and 2 girls, posed for their Consecration photograph with Rabbi Richard Rosenthal at Temple Beth Israel, No. 4th & J Sts, in September of 1956, a month after he had arrived from Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he had served as an army chaplain for two years. They were: back row, left to right: Doug Kleiner, unidentified, Rabbi Rosenthal, Marc Blau, Larry Heiman and Marty Lyon. Front row, left to right: Glen Barde, Stacey Simon, Jonathan Hurst and Lisa Drost. Many of the children's parents were well known in the community, both in business and civic activities. Born in Germany, Rabbi Rosenthal came to the U.S. in 1939 and settled in Shreveport, La. He was a graduate of the Centenary College in Shreveport and was ordained at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 1954. He and his wife Barbara lived at 409 North Sheridan Ave. Temple Beth Israel identified itself with the reform movement in Judaism. In 1960, it merged with the more Orthodox Congregation Talmud Torah. Rabbi Rosenthal led the combined congregations. The temple at 4th & J was sold in 1964 to the Apostolic Faith Church and the congregation moved to a new temple at So. 12th and Vassault. The old temple was known for its unusual stained glass windows, created as memorials to pioneer families. ("The History of Pierce County, Vol 1;" TNT 8/17/1956, pg. 4-article on Rabbi Rosenthal) (Additional identification provided by a reader)

Rosenthal, Richard; Rabbis--Tacoma; Judaism--Tacoma; Temple Beth Israel Synagogue (Tacoma); Synagogues--Tacoma; Kleiner, Doug; Blau, Marc; Heiman, Larry; Lyon, Marty; Barde, Glen; Simon, Stacey; Hurst, Jonathan; Drost, Lisa;

Studio portrait of Rabbi Richard Rosenthal. In 1956, Rabbi Richard Rosenthal replaced Rabbi Bernard Rosenberg at Temple Beth Israel. This first Jewish congregation in the Tacoma area was organized in 1892 and identified itself with the reform movement in Judaism. Later in 1960, Temple Beth Israel and another more traditionally-minded congregation, Talmud Torah (later renamed Sinai Temple) merged into one community, Temple Beth Israel. Rabbi Rosenthal was elected to lead the combined congregation. Rabbi Rosenthal was a well-known community leader and well respected by all faiths. Besides leading Temple Beth Israel, he also taught at the University of Puget Sound. He was a German immigrant, coming to the U.S. in 1939, and a graduate of the Centenary College of Shreveport, La. and the Hebrew Union College in Cincinatti. He and his wife Barbara resided at 409 No. Sheridan Ave. (History of Pierce County, Vol. 1, p. 15 and TNT 8/17/1956, pg. 4)

Rosenthal, Richard; Rabbis--Tacoma;

Exterior Calvary Lutheran Church. Guests start to arrive for the Nancy Osborn-Richard Watson afternoon wedding ceremony at the Calvary Lutheran Church on June 22, 1957. The church is a modern brick and wood structure with a daylight basement. Windows are open to let in the warm summer breezes. A wooden tower in front of the church appears incomplete although the cross is already in place. Sepia photograph ordered by Nancy Osborn.

Calvary Lutheran Church (Federal Way); Lutheran churches--Federal Way;

Ellen Bell, wife of Rev. Arthur Bell, poses with stones from Westminster Abbey. The stones will be built into the reconstructed St. Lukes Memorial Episcopal Church. They were taken from part of a wall at the Abbey torn out during World War II air raids. The Westminster stones, as well as a piece of jasper from Jerusalem, believed to be from the site of David's temple, and a piece of sandstone from the Cathedral at Washington, D.C., will be placed in an inside wall of the sanctuary. When the original St. Lukes Church at 6th and Broadway was wrecked, the congregation plus that of the St. Marks Church at 36th and Gove had the stones numbered and dismantled to use in the construction of a new church at the Gove location. (T. Times 4/9/1941, pg. 3))

St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Tacoma); St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Tacoma); Episcopal Churches--Tacoma; Bell, Ellen;

This photograph of Lorna Royer, sitting on a window sill at St. Patrick School with her collection of stuffed animals, was taken in 1941. St. Patrick School was built at 1105 No. J Street in 1919. The building was demolished in 1992.

Church schools--Tacoma; St. Patrick's Parochial School (Tacoma); Rotary Club of Tacoma (Tacoma); Stuffed animals (Toys); Royer, Lorna;