ca. 1926. Fischer Apartments. Early two-story frame building with second floor balcony between twin oriel windows. Japanese style flower design in wood at apex of cornice. Retail on first floor with signs: Fishers Blend, Alexander's Bread, Velvet Ice Cream.
ca. 1941. Interior shot of room with electrical equipment, appears to be aboard a ship. This is possibly a side view of the captain's desk, with its wall lamp and built in bookshelf w/rail.
ca. 1941. Interior shot of room with electrical equipment, appears to be aboard a ship. This is a close up of the equipment above a desk. There is an alarm box, a fan, a built in bookshelf with a rail and a built in lamp.
Globe Machine Manufacturing Co.'s new plant on East D Street was in full operation at the time of this November 21, 1958, photograph. Employees in overalls are busy with wrenches and other equipment. Globe Machine manufactured machinery for veneer plywood and woodworking including glue machines, "shim sizer," "sealing spreader," and taping machine. View of interior of plant; heavy-duty machines being constructed having the warning "Do not lift by this bar" on each piece. Photograph ordered by Globe Machine Manufacturing Co.
Machinists at Globe Machine Mfg. Co. are pictured on the job at the company's new plant on East D Street on November 21, 1958. Globe Machine had been in Tacoma since the 1920's. They manufactured veneer plywood and woodwork machinery. The company was run by Calvin D. Bamford, president. Photograph ordered by Globe Machine Mfg. Co.
ca. 1958. The walls of Saunders Health Service were nearly all glass so passersby could easily view the merchandise within the store. Saunders carried a complete line of natural foods, vitamins and minerals. The one-story health food store was located in the Villa Plaza Shopping Center. There was also a Tacoma store located in the 900 block of Commerce St. in the downtown business district.
Saunders Health Service, Inc. (Lakewood); Nutrition--Lakewood; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;
ca. 1958. Interior of Woolworth's at the Villa Plaza. The 15,000 square foot store was getting ready for the Christmas shopping season with decorated trees, assorted bulbs, and even ideas for the handyman on display. Woolworth's heavily promoted their wide aisles, flurorescent lighting, air conditioning and self-service shopping. Although Woolworth's maintained their large downtown store, they also sought to attract customers who lived outside the city limits by building a new store in the Villa Plaza Shopping Center. They joined fellow downtown giants J.C. Penny and Rhodes Brothers in this new concept of dozens of stores clustered in one shopping area with plenty of free parking. (TNT 5-8-57, A-8-article only)
F.W. Woolworth Co. (Lakewood); Variety stores--Lakewood--1950-1960; Merchandise displays--Lakewood--1950-1960; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;
ca. 1958. The Christmas shopping season was rapidly approaching and the Villa Plaza's Woolworth's was set for hordes of shoppers eager to stretch their dollars at the nation's premier five-and-dime store. Clothing for men, women and children could be purchased relatively inexpensively and still prove serviceable. An array of toys were on hand to delight youngsters on Christmas morning.
F.W. Woolworth Co. (Lakewood); Variety stores--Lakewood--1950-1960; Merchandise displays--Lakewood--1950-1960; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960; Signs (Notices);
Villa Plaza Shopping Center in Lakewood continued to grow since its inception in 1957. View of north wing of the shopping center in late 1958 shows a variety of businesses including Pacific 1st Federal Savings, Equitable Mortgage Co., G.W. Paulson, Sherwin-Williams Paint, Plaza Cleaners, Wutzke's Villa Plaza Barber & Beauty Shop, National Bank of Washington, Thrifty Drugs and Thriftway supermarket. Villa Plaza was attracting customers from all over suburban Pierce County with their one-stop shopping concept and enormous 4000 car free parking lot. Large department stores like Penney's and Rhodes had already opened branches here to capitalize on a growing customer base. Photograph ordered by Villa Plaza Development.
Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;
ca. 1958. Lakewood's Firestone Store with neighboring Villa Plaza Garden Center. Firestone offered something for everyone...tires, televisions, bicycles and tricycles, housewares and household appliances, in addition to complete car service. Rather than flipping through magazines waiting for maintenance and/or repairs on their vehicles, families could spend that time perusing and perhaps purchasing non-automotive items for sale. Firestone was located in the SW portion of the new Villa Plaza Shopping Center.
Firestone Store (Lakewood); Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Lakewood; Villa Plaza Garden Center (Lakewood); Gardening equipment & supplies; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;
ca. 1958. Crowded interior of Thrifty Drugs at Lakewood's Villa Plaza Shopping Center.
Thrifty Drugs (Lakewood); Drugstores--Lakewood; Merchandise displays--Lakewood--1950-1960; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood); Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960;
Exterior - State Savings & Loan Assn. Curtains are open in the State Savings & Loan Assn. building showing empty modern foyer and lobby area. The Assn.'s offices were now located at 911 Pacific Avenue in the heart of the downtown business and financial district. They were formerly at 913 Pacific before buying and remodeling the adjoining Floral Building. A large sign and clock illuminate the outer darkness; the Richards photographer ventured out at 12:55 a.m. to take this shot. The State Savings & Loan Assn. celebrated the opening of its new home office with an open house for the public from January 5-9, 1959. The association was founded in 1912 and was one of the oldest in the area. It was headed since 1922 by Calvin W. Stewart. State Savings & Loan also had two branches in Puyallup and Gig Harbor at this time. Photograph ordered by Robert Danhauser, State Savings & Loan Assn. (TNT 1-4-59, B-5)
State Savings & Loan Association (Tacoma); Banks--Tacoma; Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960; Clocks & watches;
It appears that new construction is going up in the vicinity of E. 40th & Portland Ave. in late December, 1958. The smaller unit closer to the intersection is a gas station. The identity of the larger rectangular building is not certain; it may have been a grocery store. The carefully spaced houses across the street from the gas station are part of the Salishan housing project, which was originally built as housing for war workers and military families. The first family moved into Salishan in 1943; the neighborhood consisted of one-story units, single family, duplexes, and four-family units. Aerial photographs were taken on December 22, 1958, by the Richards Studio for a sample book.
Aerial photographs of the E. 40th & Portland Avenue neighborhood were taken on December 22, 1958, by the Richards Studio for inclusion in a sample book. A church and Dairy Queen stand side-by-side across the street from the neatly aligned homes of the Salishan housing development. Each unit in Salishan had a fairly large grass yard; clothes can be spotted hanging to dry in the backyards. New construction is taking place in the upper left hand corner as a gas station and another large building, a new Piggly Wiggly supermarket, are being built. The Piggly Wiggly would open on March 18, 1959. (Additional information provided by a reader)
Aerial photographs; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1950-1960; Building construction--Tacoma--1950-1960;
Aerial photographs of the 111st St. and Bridgeport Way S.W. neighborhood were taken by Richards on December 22, 1958. They were photographing various city neighborhoods by air that day for inclusion in sample books. This area was also known as Lakeview. Belcher Realty's large signage on Bridgeport can be clearly seen from the air; it was owned and operated by Lyle V. Belcher, broker. The realty firm handled homes, farms, acreage and insurance in the Lakes area. Next to Belcher's was Bridgeport Service, a gas station owned by Wesley Baker and James Bohannon. The Bell Fuel Co. had their suburban facility on 111st St. It was a Mobilheat dealer and sold stove and diesel oil. It is possible that across the street from Bell Fuel was the A.A. Meat Co.
Aerial photographs; Neighborhoods--Lakewood--1950-1960; Belcher Realty (Lakewood); Bell Fuel Co. (Lakewood);
This aerial photographs of the area around South 80th & South Tacoma Way, close to Tacoma's city limits, was taken in December of 1958. Before I-5 was built, South Tacoma Way was part of highway 99. It was a major thoroughfare and businesses located along it had excellent exposure to traffic. South Tacoma Way was known for its many car lots and for such attractions as the B & I shopping center and the Star-Lite Drive-In, both pictured above. The Star-Lite, built in 1948, was one of the world's largest outdoor theaters. It was built with a 39 by 54 foot screen with over three acres of parking. The B&I was originally built in 1946 and as it grew over time it became known as the "biggest little store in the world." Owner E.L. Irwin advertised heavily and was instrumental in bringing celebrities such as Duncan Renaldo ("The Cisco Kid") and boxers Max Baer and Joe Louis to town.
Aerial photographs; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1950-1960; Star-Lite Park In Theatre (Tacoma); B&I Circus Store (Tacoma);
The Richards Studio worked even on New Year's Day as they took some aerial photographs of the 108th St. and Bridgeport Way S.W. area. Ellie's Shell Service was located at 10808 Bridgeport Way S.W. It appears to have had six pumps and a garage. Behind Ellie's was a brushy area with a flooded gravel pit. This was a growing area and there were many homes and apartment units scattered along these streets. There appeared to be still more room for expansion.
Aerial photographs; Neighborhoods--Lakewood--1950-1960; Ellie's Shell Service (Lakewood);
This aerial photograph shows the original cloverleaf interchange at I-5 and 512 when it was under construction in January, 1959. The road cutting through from left to right is Hwy 99 right at the point where it changes from South Tacoma Way to being Pacific Hwy. SW. The houses at the bottom are part of the Southgate housing development. Southgate was a newer suburban park developed by Tacoma Master Builder Sherman Rowland which lay west of Hwy. 99. Plans were to build 300+ private homes in a park-like setting.
Aerial photographs were taken on New Year's Day, 1959, of the South End neighborhood in the vicinity of South 56th & Park Ave. This is 56th St. east of the new freeway which would carve out a section of the busy street. This area was already quite settled in the late 1950's. A new Safeway store would be built on South 56th St. just beyond Park Ave. to replace the Safeway on So. 54th & Sheridan, just off 56th St. The Moore branch of the Tacoma Public Library, on 56th close to Pacific Avenue and not visible in this photograph, would be completely rebuilt in 1988. Bethany Methodist Church and Clubhouse, the imposing buildings on Park near the top of the photograph, are still there. Traffic has increased substantially since 1959 on South 56th St.
Aerials of the downtown area around Saint Helens, Tacoma Ave. So., and Division were taken by Richards Studio on December 22, 1958, for a sample book. Saint Helens Ave. and Tacoma Ave. So. meet at a "V" at Division. First Presbyterian Church can clearly be seen to the right. The new County-City Bldg. and Central Schools are on Tacoma Ave. on the right side of the photograph. The Medical Arts Bldg. is toward the top center on Saint Helens in a smaller "v". The street to the left of Saint Helens is Broadway. The last street to the left is no longer there; Schuster Parkway has taken its place. Further to the top left corner of the photograph, Puget Sound National Bank and Schoenfeld's furniture store are located. TPL-9298
Aerial photographs; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1950-1960; First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma); County-City Building (Tacoma); Medical Arts Building (Tacoma);
Stadium District aerials were taken by Richards Studio on December 22, 1958, for inclusion in a sample book. To the far left corner is a glimpse of Stadium Bowl. The high school is not visible in this picture. Division and Tacoma Ave. are toward the upper left with the heavily wooded area Wright Park. First Presbyterian Church is on Tacoma Ave. So.; the large white building next to it is the Scottish Rite Cathedral at 5 S G St.
Aerial photographs; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1950-1960; First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma);
Mary Bridge-Tacoma General Hospital off Division. Aerial photographs of the So. "K" (now Martin Luther King, Jr. Way) and So. "L" Streets were taken just prior to Christmas, 1958. Division Avenue is the street to the extreme left. Tacoma General Hospital, located in the 300 block of So. "K", is the multi-storied white building with dark roof and smokestack. First Christian Church in the 500 block of So. "K" is to the right of the picture. Mary Bridge Children's Hospital is directly in front of Tacoma General in the 300 block of So. "L;" it was dedicated in March, 1955. Wright Park is the wooded area to the top of the photograph.
Aerial photographs; Wright Park (Tacoma); Mary Bridge Childrens Hospital (Tacoma); Tacoma General Hospital (Tacoma);
A large storage shed was the focus of this promotional photograph taken on behalf of the Douglas Fir Plywood Association in January of 1959. The shed door is open showing shelves full of gardening equipment and supplies. For a closer look at the shed, see A118944-A. The overhanging roof would provide shelter in case of rain. Walt Widmeyer had designed the plywood storage unit for his own home in Fircrest located at 612 Dartmouth St. The storage shed plans were for sale by the DFPA and were featured in various magazines. As noted by a reader, the woman in the photograph was a professional model and not a member of the Widmeyer family. (Additional information provided by a reader).
A plywood shed was a handy receptacle for garden supplies and landscaping equipment. The storage unit was roomy enough to hold a large lawnmower, outdoor grill, and contain pegboards to hold rakes and shovels. Shallow shelves built to be available on the door's interior would be able to hold smaller gardening tools and plant nutrients. This storage shed was connected to an overlapping patio cover at the home of architect Walter Widmeyer of Fircrest. Mr. Widmeyer had designed the plywood storage shed for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association and the plans were sold through the DFPA. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (Additional information provided by a reader)
Besides offering complete car service, the Villa Plaza Firestone store sold household appliances and televisions. Used washers and TVs could also be purchased there. Firestone opened its Villa Plaza location in August, 1957, as the first Firestone store in the country to offer more than just automotive services and supplies. Gardening supplies and housewares were also available. The store did not neglect its primary customers, however, as it continued to offer free brake adjustments and free safety checks as incentives to bring cars in. Photograph ordered by Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Los Angeles.
Firestone Store (Lakewood); Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Lakewood; Signs (Notices);
Side view of Firestone Store. A good portion of the Villa Plaza Firestone Store was wall-to-wall glass so that shoppers could casually peruse the merchandise. The store had opened in August, 1957, and was the first Firestone in the nation to offer goods and services unrelated to automotive needs. Televisions, appliances, washers and dryers and gardening supplies could all be purchased at the Villa Plaza location. On January 10, 1959, power mowers were offered at one-third off regular prices and used washers and televisions were on sale. Clyde Ryder was the manager. Photograph ordered by the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Los Angeles.
Firestone Store (Lakewood); Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Lakewood;
For several years the Huntington Rubber Mills in Seattle had their plant annually photographed from the air. This is believed to the be plant located at 34315 - 16th South. At that time the area was still relatively open for expansion; there are large sections of trees and an enormous dirt or gravel pit. The plant was situated on a plot of land between two roadways. The long buildings with the semi-curved roofs are probably the plant itself; the smaller building with extended roof the office. There were other assorted smaller units clustered around the plant. Photograph ordered by Huntington Rubber Mills.
