Designed by Roland Borhek, the Hiroshimaya Hotel was built at the corner of 15th and Market in the heart of Tacoma's Japantown District. The Japantown District (Nihonmachi in Japanese) was bounded by Pacific Avenue and Market to the east and west, and by So. 11th and So. 17th to the north and south. Within the district there were numerous Japanese-American stores and several hotels. When this photograph was taken in 1941, the hotel was named the Baker Hotel, and it was operated by Seiishi Kano. In April of 1941 the building was purchased by the Tacoma Central Labor Council. After extensive remodeling, it opened in June 1942 as the Labor Temple. It was demolished during urban renewal in the 1960s.
The whole staff of the Tacoma Floor Company, along with their fleet of vehicles and their sanding and polishing equipment, posed for a group portrait in front of their business at 1319 Center Street on November 8, 1957. Tacoma Floor was owned by Leo Nelson and specialized in laying, sanding and refinishing hardwood floors. After the death of Mr. Nelson in 1958, at the age of 53, his wife Margaret managed the business for several years. (Photograph ordered by Tacoma Floor Co.)
ca. 1926. Exterior of Hill Shoe Shop storefront, 781 Broadway, at the Winthrop Hotel. The store was owned by Edwin F. Hill. Pairs of shoes on stands of varying heights decorate the two large display windows. (WSHS) BU-12146
The Peoples Store at South 11th and Pacific was in the middle of its three year program of modernization when this photograph of its exterior was taken late March, 1941. A painter on scaffolding can be seen near the top of the building as painting of the department store's exterior has just commenced. Peoples was a longtime fixture in downtown Tacoma as it began operations in 1895. The store constantly ran ads in the local newspapers with their slogan "more merchandise for less money." It would finally close in 1983.
Department stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Peoples (Tacoma); Facades--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Exterior of Peoples Store after painting with new window awnings. The Peoples Store was founded in 1888. Their first consignment of merchandise left from New York City for the West on December 7, 1988. Newspapers followed the progress of the 27 train cars of goods as they traveled from NYC to the new western metropolis of Tacoma. On December 2, 1892, a retail store was opened at 19th and Pacific. It was first known as Garetson, Woodruff and Pratt. In 1896, the Peoples Store moved to this location at 11th and Pacific. When the store closed in 1983, it had operated at this location for 87 years. It was remodeled and opened as the Puget Sound Plaza in 1985.
Department stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Peoples (Tacoma);
ca. 1926. Interior of Hill Shoe Shop, 781 Broadway, in the Winthrop Hotel. The store was owned by Edwin F. Hill. Rattan chairs and tables are available for customers, as well foot stools for salesmen to use for trying shoes on customers. Several baskets of flowers decorate the room, this might indicate a Grand Opening. (WSHS)
Shoe department of the new Sears store in Bremerton, 252 Fourth St. Signs on the wall indicate that the store has two floors and a mezzanine. Photograph ordered by the Bremerton Sun. Sears was at this location from late 1940 until 1985. The building in now occupied by a daycare operated by the Bremerton Calvary Chapel.
Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Bremerton); Merchandise displays--Bremerton; Shoes; Department stores--Bremerton;
Interiors of the appliance department of the new Sears store in Bremerton. Photograph ordered by the Bremerton Sun. New Coldspot refrigerators can be seen on the back wall. In the center, are new washing machines with wringers on top. Radios sit on shelves on the left. Sears was in business at this location from around 1940-1985.
ca. 1926. Exterior view of the Winthrop Hotel from the southwest, circa 1926. Building designed by W.E. Stoddard and Roland Borhek, Associated Architects, in 1924. On the right is the Pantages Theater and on the left is the Bostwick Building. (filed under Argentum)
Hotels--Tacoma--1920-1930; Pantages Theater (Tacoma); Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Interior- Tacoma Savings & Loan. The new Tacoma Savings & Loan Association building on So. 9th Street had been opened for several months at the time of this November 21, 1957, photograph. The spacious first floor, measuring 96' by 75', included the customer service area as well as the safe deposit vault. There were no apparent walls in the customer service area; desks and bank employees were in plain view of customers. View of teller stations, semi-circular staircase, and employee work area which are all on fine carpet. Office furniture is very modern and sparse with movable chairs; desks are cleared except for telephone, ashtray, pen set, typewriter and tray. For another view of first floor, see A107589-1. Photograph ordered by Puget Sound Office Equipment, Inc.
ca. 1925. Five men with floor sanders prepare the floor of the main lobby of the Winthrop Hotel prior to its Grand Opening May 16, 1925. The five men walk in a line, sanding down the new floors in the building. The Winthrop was designed by W.L. Stoddard with Roland Borhek serving as associate architect. The Citizens Hotel Corp. was founded in April of 1922 to come up with a plan for a grand hotel for the growing city of Tacoma. It was named for explorer and writer Theodore Winthrop. (WSHS) BU-12153
Cleaning personnel; Hotels--Tacoma--1920-1930; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
The Industrial Development Co., Inc., moved into new quarters near So. 38th and Pine Streets in late 1957. They were mechanical engineers formerly located on Chandler St. The firm was managed by Dale L. Schubert. View of modern, 14,000 square foot, one-story concrete and brick building faced with multiple windows but with an unpaved parking lot. The name of the company is in large letters on a brick wall. Industrial Development Co. specialized in designing automatic machines for the hardboard industry. They had projects worldwide. They engineered plant and product surveys, proposed plant layout and engineering, designed special automatic machinery and conveying systems. The firm had been in the Tacoma area for almost seven years. Photograph ordered by Industrial Development Co., Inc. (TNT 12-12-57, A-13)
Industrial Development Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Facades--Tacoma--1950-1960;
View of front entrance to new Industrial Development Co., Inc., offices; photograph was taken on December 15, 1957. Located near So. 38th & Pine Streets, the Industrial Development Co. was a firm of mechanical engineers managed by Dale L. Schubert. The 14,000 square foot brick & concrete building with front windows facing east was recently completed in late 1957, and would hold an open house on December 13. The roof over the front doorway apparently has lights as well as possibly circular skylights. Photograph ordered by Industrial Development Co., Inc. (TNT 12-12-57, A-13)
Industrial Development Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Facades--Tacoma--1950-1960;
ca. 1958. Interior of Pacific 1st Federal Savings building, Villa Plaza. The 2000+ sq.ft. savings & loan opened at the Villa Plaza Shopping Center on January 2, 1958. It held an open house from January 2-10th. Tones of brown and gold decorated the building's interior. Its lobby had a white granite fireplace. Pacific 1st Federal was the largest savings & loan in the Northwest and served more than 57,000 families at the time. It had its main office in downtown Tacoma and branches elsewhere in Washington and Oregon. Rudolph J. Tollefson was the Villa Plaza location's first manager. He had been associated with the savings & loan since 1935 and prior to that had been employed by the University National Bank in Seattle and Bank of California in Tacoma. Mr. Tollefson was the brother of Congressman Thor Tollefson and Tacoma Mayor Harold Tollefson. (TNT 1-2-58, A-6-text only)
Pacific First Federal Savings & Loan Association (Lakewood); Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;
Albertson's Food Centers were starting to expand in the Tacoma/Pierce County communities. There were two Albertson's outside city limits: one in the Lakewood Square shopping center and the other in University Place. View of Lakewood Square's Albertson's Food Center also shows the trend of placing supermarkets in shopping centers; customers could then combine grocery shopping with additional browsings and parking would not be a problem. A Montgomery Ward outlet and a Singers store can be spotted close by. Albertson's followed the practice of posting specials on the storefront windows with apple pies selling for 49 cents, chickens at 33 cents a pound, TV dinners for 59 cents, and pork roasts for 29 cents a pound. Sepia photograph ordered by Loveless Brothers, Inc. , investment brokers, of Olympia.
Albertsons Food Center (Lakewood); Supermarkets; Signs (Notices);
A distinctly Western motif greeted customers of the Branding Iron restaurant in January, 1958. Horseshoes, pistols, gates, and even a steer's head decorated the walls. Jukeboxes would be readily accessible for patrons to play their favorite tunes. Owned by Leo Balistreri and Ernie Zarelli, the Branding Iron was located at 8413 Pacific Avenue across the street from Puget Sound National Bank. Sepia photograph ordered by the Branding Iron.
Branding Iron (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1950-1960; Horseshoes; Jukeboxes;
Customers could dine from 12 noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays and weekdays and until 1 a.m. on weekends at the Branding Iron restaurant. The neon cactus and the restaurant name itself gave some indication of the type of food it served--dishes from the American West, including lots of beef. Parking facilities were available in front and on the side of the brick and wood building. A broad porch would shelter patrons from inclement weather. The Branding Iron restaurant was located at South 84th and Pacific; it was owned by Leo Balistreri and Ernie Zarelli. See A112067-4 for interior of restaurant. Photograph ordered by the Branding Iron.
Branding Iron (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Night exposure- Busch's Drive-In. It appears that patrons preferred to dine in at Busch's Drive-In on a cold winter's night. Busch's provided both curb-side service and interior dining at their South Tacoma Way restaurant. Extensive neon lighting would make the restaurant visible for several blocks. Purchased by Bill & Thelma Busch in 1943, the restaurant was a popular spot for both young and old alike. It was later renamed Busch's Round Table Restaurant. Photograph ordered by Busch's Drive-In Restaurant.
Drive-in restaurants--Tacoma; Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960; Buschs Drive In (Tacoma);
Smoke drifts from a chimney toward the looming hills in Elbe on a rainy February day. The streets appear quiet with no visible traffic proceeding on the two-lane road. There are no cars outside the Chevron pumps at M. Gilliardi's Standard Oil station. A grocery store is further down the road across from a B & O boxcar. Elbe is a small community on the Nisqually River at the east end of Lake Alder in the south central section of Pierce County. Photograph ordered by Standard Oil Co. of California. TPL-8363
Standard Oil Co. of California (Elbe); Automobile service stations--Elbe; Signs (Notices);
ca. 1925. Grocery store interior. Dairy, meat and soft drink cases. Prohibition-era soft drinks made by Rainier Brewing, Fisher's Instant Oats, White King Detergent, Rawlston Bran and Puffed Wheat, Nabisco Shredded Wheat, Kellogg Pep, OK Dairy calendar. (filed with Argentum)
ca. 1926. Meat market interior. Case of fresh meat, other cuts hanging above, scale, cash register, frozen food locker, "Fresh Fish and Oysters Every Day" and "Swift's Premium Ham" advertising signs. (filed with Argentum)
Model Bakery's new truck in front of Olympic Ice Cream Store. Publicity for Titus Motor Company.
Business Enterprises - Food Industry - Bakers - Model Bakery Confectionaries - Olympic Ice Cream Store Truck Dealers - Ford Dealers - Titus Motor Company
Selden's had been located on Broadway since 1942. They advertised themselves as being "first in floor coverings and furniture" and did not charge for their professional decorating service. They were a complete home center, offering the finest in carpets, draperies, furniture, tile & linoleum and shades. A full line of Parker Paints, Frigidaire Home Appliances and Hoover vacuum cleaners were carried by the store. Selden's had two locations in the Tacoma area, one in the Lakewood Center and the main store now located at 11th & A St. View of 65,000 square foot main store was taken on March 30, 1958; rows of Selden's fleet of 26 delivery trucks and vans are lined up on two sides of the two-story building. A large sign with the company's name is prominently on display. Selden's held their grand opening on April 6, 1958. This downtown location was formerly the site of the O.F.Kegel store, opposite the post office. Photograph ordered by Selden's. (TNT 4-6-58, B-2)
Seldens, Inc. (Tacoma); Home furnishings stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Signs (Notices); Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Exterior- Selden's. Selden's, a home furnishings store featuring floor coverings and appliances, moved their main downtown store from Broadway, where they had been located since 1942, to 11th & A St in the spring of 1958. View of store with row of delivery trucks and large Selden's signage. Selden's had been in business in various Tacoma locations since 1940. The downtown store would remain the main store; five branches would be scattered throughout the state from Olympia to Moses Lake. The store would undergo extensive remodeling by G. Kirkebo & Son, contractors, using the design of Lea, Pearson & Richards, architects, in 1964. Eleven years later, in late 1975, the building would be demolished. Photograph ordered by Selden's. (TNT 4-6-58, B-2)
Seldens, Inc. (Tacoma); Home furnishings stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Signs (Notices); Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960;
The one-branch North Pacific Bank had been in the South Tacoma area for over 40 years. Located at the corner of South 56th & South Tacoma Way, the bank was a brick structure designed by architects Lundberg & Mahon. Protruding from the bank's exterior was a Time and Temperature sign, a combination which was becoming more common in the 1950's. The sign was designed to show both the actual time and temperature at that location. Attached to the sign was a smaller one indicating the bank offered 3% time certificates. Photograph ordered by American Sign & Indicator Corp., Chicago.
North Pacific Bank (Tacoma); Banks--Tacoma; Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960;
