The S.H. Kress store had been located on Broadway since October, 1925. Extensive remodeling was done by Tacoma craftsmen in 1957 and the store celebrated its grand reopening on August 14, 1958. The new Kress was completely air conditioned and had expanded to 20,000 square feet on two floors. Total cost was approximately $700,000. View of alley entrance to Kress shows a new-looking sign with the store name; the shipping department with hours of 8-12 also had its entrance in the rear. Bars are on the lower windows for security measures. Photograph ordered by S.H. Kress store. (TNT 8-13-58, A-8-11) TPL-9208
The S.H. Kress & Co. store celebrated its grand opening and invited everyone to visit their newly remodeled store on August 14, 1958. Kress had been a downtown fixture since 1925. George Kirkebo & Son began remodeling the store in 1957 using the designs of architect Karl Swedberg. View of store's interior featuring wide aisles of costume jewelry, hosiery and makeup. Balloons provided a cheerful atmosphere while signs advising the availability of layaway plans and quick self-service were posted throughout the store. The store was completely air conditioned and its two floors expanded to 20,000 square feet. Fluorescent lighting illuminated the soft white upper walls and ceilings while the dark mahogany panelings on the lower walls provided a rich contrast. Kress offered specials during their grand opening: brass hostess carts for $9.99, Ronson electric shavers for $8.88, and provided free delivery within the city for purchases over $5. A unique drawing gave away a free live alligator each day; winner need not be present. (TNT 8-13-58, A-8-11) TPL-9911
Dark clouds drift over the Continental Baking Co.'s plant on August 27, 1958. The Romanesque brick buildings had arched doorways and windows. Built in 1913, it had undergone several remodelings since then, including a new addition built in 1958. Continental Baking was the home of Wonder Bread and a large banner with the brand name and familiar polka dotted wrapping was wrapped around a rooftop tower. The newly remodeled bakery now had 40,000 square feet and the capacity of 90,000 loaves of bread a day. Approximately 100 people were employed at the Wonder Bread bakery which was the oldest major bakery in Tacoma to be operated continuously by one concern. It was celebrating its 30th anniversary in Tacoma under the Continental Bakery ownership. Photograph ordered by Continental Baking Co. (TNT 9-7-58, B-2)
The days when fresh bread had to be wrapped by hand were apparently gone by the 1950's. Continental Baking Co. used modern equipment to efficiently wrap the multitude of baked goods it produced daily. Loaves of bread enter a wrapping machine and emerge on a roller completely wrapped in the familiar polka dotted Wonder Bread design. View of wrapping machines taken on August 27, 1958; one man is placing wrapped loaves of bread onto racks. There are several racks completely filled with Wonder Bread while others wait on a table to be shelved. Photograph ordered by Continental Baking Co.
The Continental Baking Company, makers of Wonder Bread, would be celebrating its 30th anniversary with a series of photographs taken by the Richards Studio showing a typical day at Continental. Here an employee, wearing a Hostess Cake cap, is measuring bread dough prior to baking. He is using a Toledo Speedweigh scale for precise weight. Once weighed, the bread dough would be placed in separate trays in preparation for baking. The bakery would be holding an open house in early September, 1958, to allow the public to see the new addition built to their Sprague Ave. property. Photograph ordered by Continental Baking Co.
Continental Baking Co. had been in Tacoma for decades and used the most up-to-date methods and equipment for their baked goods. Known widely for their Wonder Bread, the bakery turned out thousands of loaves on a daily basis. Bakery employees are pictured here on August 27, 1958, placing loaves in the massive new 40 foot long oven for baking and then putting the finished products on large racks. The bread emerges from the ovens and then is cooled. Other new equipment purchased were a new proof box, divider, slicing and wrapping machines. The men all wear caps to keep stray hairs from contaminating the bread. Approximately 100 local residents worked at the bakery. It would be celebrating its 30th anniversary here in Tacoma as part of Continental Baking Co. Sepia photograph ordered by Continental Baking Co. (TNT 9-7-58, B-2)
General view of Temple Motor Company, Studebaker and Mercedes-Benz dealers. Studebaker Golden Hawk or Gran Turismo and pickup in showroom, SL-type Benz convertible exiting garage. Neon signs in windows and on building facade. After years at their 201 Saint Helens Ave. address, Temple Motors made the move to Broadway in 1958. They were the authorized factory dealers of Studebakers, Packards, and Mercedes-Benz and offered friendly service and complete repair facilities, including body and fender work. This picture was taken on August 29, 1958, near the 7th St. side. Photograph ordered by Temple Motors.
Temple Motors, Inc. (Tacoma); Automobile dealerships--Tacoma--1950-1960; Studebaker automobile; Studebaker trucks; Convertible automobiles--Tacoma--1950-1960; Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960;
This was how the Montello Block at 202 St. Helens Avenue appeared in September of 1958. It was kitty-corner to the Temple Theater. The Montello Block dates back to 1890 when builders H.S. Huson and Nicholas Lawson constructed the Montello Hotel on this property. Fire broke out in 1899, necessitating rebuilding and remodeling. It has since been occupied by a series of businesses. In 1958, the Tarry Tavern, owned by Wilbur Nash and Grayson McCain, was listed at that corner. The other units in the building were apartments. The building was destroyed by arson in November of 1997 and subsequently demolished. Next door was Temple Motors' used car division. Currently it is occupied by Doyle's Public House. Photograph ordered by National Mortgage, Inc.
Tarry Tavern (Tacoma); Temple Motors, Inc. (Tacoma); Facades--Tacoma--1950-1960;
The National Factory Distributors building at 323 Puyallup Avenue was for sale in late 1958. It was located next door to the Paramount Electric Co. and a short distance from the Salvation Army. View of National Factory shows arched doorways, dormers, and large picture windows. A man is shown leaning against the street light close to the mail box in front of the store. The building was still vacant according to the 1959 City Directory; however, it did list an occupant in the 1960 directory, the Durobilt Furniture & Upholstery Co. Photograph ordered by Salvation Army.
The National Factory Distributors building, located at Puyallup & E. "D" Sts., was for sale in September, 1958. View of rear of building was taken from the E. "D" angle on September 10, 1958, on behalf of the Salvation Army. The large wooden building had a basement, dormers, and hipped roof. In checking the 1959 City Directory, the building was listed as vacant; in 1960, Durobilt Furniture had moved in.
Drying cleaning equipment at Woolen Cleaners. View of clothes pressers, possible hot water boilers and large dryer located at the new Woolen Cleaners at 5411 Lake Steilacoom Ave SW. Shirts and shag rugs could be cleaned professionally at Woolen Cleaners; shag rugs up to 50 pounds could be washed and dried. The customer could also decide to use the self-service laundromat facilities at reasonable cost, or utilize the fluff dry laundry service where clothes were washed, dried, folded and wrapped. Photograph ordered by Woolen Cleaners. (TNT 9-25-58, A-6)
Laundry facilities at Woolen Cleaners. Besides professional dry cleaning, Woolen Cleaners at 5411 Lake Steilacoom Ave SW offered a self-service laundromat. Customers could use the coin-operated washers and dryers at very reasonable prices: 20 cents per wash and 10 cents for drying. View of long row of Westinghouse washers and Cossell dryers. The facility was open 24 hours a day. It was the second Woolen Cleaners in the area; the main store and plant was in Tacoma on South "K" Street. Both were owned by John Schiller; the Lakewood plant was managed by Cliff Antonson. Photograph ordered by Woolen Cleaners. (TNT 9-25-58, A-6)
Exterior of Woolen Cleaners & Laundromat. Woolen Cleaners opened a new location at 5411 Lake Steilacoom Ave SW in 1958. It provided one-day dry cleaning service but the customer could also choose to wash and dry their own laundry. The large sign above the building indicated that it would cost 20 cents to wash a load and 10 cents to dry. Shirts and shag rugs could be cleaned with ease. The modern glass and brick building was separated in two parts with two doors; the dry cleaning portion and the self-service laundromat. Woolen Cleaners was open 24 hours a day and located near the Lakeview Village in the Lakes District. Cliff Antonson, with 27 years experience in the laundry and tailoring industry, was the manager. Woolen Cleaners was owned by John Schiller. Photograph ordered by Woolen Cleaners. (TNT 9-25-58, A-6)
Interior of Woolen Cleaners. Dry cleaning hang neatly on metal racks ready for customer pickup at the new Woolen Cleaners at 5411 Lake Steilacoom Ave SW. Some of the pants and coats are covered with plastic bags. Toward the rear of the facility a man stands in front of a pressing machine. He has bundles of clothing that need to be pressed. One finished man's suit is on a stand behind him. Woolen Cleaners also employed a competent seamstress. Its main plant was on "K" Street in Tacoma; it had been in business for 49 years. John Schiller was the owner of both Woolen Cleaners. Photograph ordered by Woolen Cleaners. (TNT 9-25-58, A-6)
According to the 1958 City Directory, longtime Shell Oil district manager Lawrence Hausam had his offices on the Tideflats at 702 East D Street. The plant had been built in late 1949. All of Shell's receiving, packaging, and distribution facilities in the area were consolidated at the new waterfront terminal. View of exterior of plant; water transportation and rail facilities were close at hand. A warning sign posted on one building advised drivers to check the railroad tracks before backing up to prevent accidents. Photograph ordered by Shell Oil Co.
When erected in 1910, Puget Sound National Bank's main branch was the tallest building west of the Missouri River. Later buildings were constructed to rival the bank's height but it remained a focal point on Pacific Avenue. It dwarfed its neighbors, Peoples store and the National Bank of Washington. A large plaque on the side of the building indicates that the bank was established in 1890. Puget Sound Bank was the first to use a T & T sign, clearly visible, which gave the time and temperature to passersby. A "hometown bank," Puget Sound National Bank was absorbed by Key Bank in the early 1990's. Photograph ordered by the Condon Co. TPL-6569
Puget Sound National Bank (Tacoma); Banks--Tacoma;
Buchan's Baking Co. employees stand beneath a newly erected sign mounted on the exterior of the bakery's brick building on South 38th & Yakima Ave. Buchan's heavily advertised their "Bonnie Good Bread Baked in Tacoma" in its familiar tartan wrapping. It was white enriched bread. These men pictured on October 11, 1958, were in all likelihood part of the Buchan's delivery staff. They are neatly dressed in dark uniforms with bowties and white shirts. The man on the extreme right, front row, is probably Alan G. Buchan, bakery owner. Photograph ordered by Buchan's Baking Co.
Buchan's Baking Co. had recently erected a new sign on their brick building at South 38th & Yakima Ave. Twenty-two men assembled beneath the sign on October 11, 1958, for a group portrait. All the employees, with the exception of the man on the extreme right first row, wore neat uniforms, white shirts and bowties. Each uniform had the company name on a label above a chest pocket. The suited man may have been Alan Buchan, company owner. Buchan's had a large fleet of delivery trucks; it is likely that these men were the bakery's drivers. Photograph ordered by Buchan's Baking Co.
Alan Buchan and his large staff of delivery truck drivers posed outside the Buchan's Baking Company bakery at 3802 Yakima Avenue South on October 11, 1958. The Buchan family had been in the bakery business in western Washington since 1913. The Buchan bakery in Tacoma opened in 1955 when they purchased the Morning Fresh Bakery at the corner of 38th and Yakima Avenue South. The building was originally built in 1919. The patriarch of the Buchan family business became a baker at the age of 14 in his native Scotland. The bakery was known for their "Bonnie Good Bread Baked in Tacoma" which was made of the choicest Northwest wheat and enriched with protein and vitamins. The Tacoma Buchan's was owned and operated by Alan G. Buchan; it closed in 1968 and the building has since been demolished. (Photograph ordered by Buchan's Baking Co.) TPL-9897
Six employees of the Winthrop Hotel's Sabre Room pose for a group picture on November 12, 1958. The waitresses are dressed in Old English costume as the restaurant featured Elizabethan dishes, focusing on beef. Heavy wooden beams and panels and plain furniture accentuated the Old World atmosphere. The women stand before an Oak Room sign; this may have been a separate dining room contained within the Sabre Room. The Winthrop Hotel was now part of the Western Hotels, Inc., chain. This, and other photographs taken that day, were scheduled to be published in a magazine. Photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel.
Dining rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Waitresses--Tacoma; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Interior of Sabre Room, Winthrop Hotel. The Sabre Room had been extensively remodeled in 1955 but kept its Old World atmosphere. It featured a predominately Old English menu with plenty of roast prime rib. Flaming shish kebab and English pastries were new dishes added. View of the Sabre Room shows a heavily wooded decor with sturdy beams and an open cooking area. Two crossed swords and a breastplate of armor hang on the wall. Customers could dance to the tunes of the Mary Van Trio on Fridays and Saturdays without worry about feeding the meter; the restaurant allowed two hours of free parking. Dinners ranged from $2.10 upward. This, and other photographs taken that day, were scheduled to be printed in an unidentified magazine. Photograph ordered by the Winthrop Hotel. (TNT 10-14-58, p. 22- Ad)
Dining rooms--Tacoma--1950-1960; Daggers & swords; Hotel Winthrop (Tacoma);
Exterior - Sherwin-Williams Paint Store, Lakewood. Sherwin-Williams opened up a paint store in Lakewood's Villa Plaza Shopping Center in 1958. Besides a wide variety of house and marine paints and wallpapers, the store also offered rental equipment in the form of sanders and rug cleaning shampooers. View of storefront showing large company signage with their motto, "SWP Cover the Earth," near the rooftop and rug cleaning equipment outside the plate glass window. The Lakewood Sherwin-Williams store was managed by Kenneth H. Baxter. Photograph ordered by Norman Iverson, Villa Plaza Development.
Sixty-seven employees of the Globe Machine Mfg. Co. posed for a group picture in front of the company plant on November 18, 1958. The company were manufacturers of veneer plywood and woodwork machinery. They had apparently moved from their longtime location at 301 E. 11th St. to East D by 1958. Photograph ordered by Globe Machine Mfg. Co.
Interior of Shipman Surgical Co., ordered by Ward Smith, Inc. Shipman Surgical Co. was managed by Horace R. Miller. Located at 741 Saint Helens Ave., it sold hospital supplies. A display of wheelchairs fills the front window and a dental chair is close to the front door. Numerous shelves are full of small containers, clocks and scales. Two desks with appropriate office equipment are in the foreground of the photograph. The floor seems to be outfitted in a practical linoleum.
Shipman Surgical Co. (Tacoma); Medical equipment & supplies; Wheelchairs;
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.
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.
View of downtown streets. This December 9, 1958, photograph was taken looking toward South 12th and Pacific from South 12th & A Streets in downtown Tacoma. National Bank of Washington's main branch, constructed of Wilkeson sandstone, is on the right side; across the street is the newer annex which housed the installment credit department. An underground, and well lit, tunnel was built to connect the two bank buildings. The main branch was to later become the home of the Tacoma Art Museum. Photograph ordered by National Bank of Washington.
National Bank of Washington (Tacoma); Banks--Tacoma;
Window display, Rhodes Bros. Department Store, ordered by Rhodes Bros. Just prior to Christmas Day, a window display at the downtown Rhodes Bros. Department Store highlights a fine selection of glassware and delicate evening wear. A small banner suggests thoughtful ideas for the last-minute shopper could be found in the Gift Department, fourth floor. Rhodes had been in business in Tacoma since 1892 and at their 9th & Broadway location since 1903. Their famous slogan was "All Roads Lead to Rhodes." Sixteen years after this photograph was taken, Rhodes closed the downtown store. It was spared the wrecking ball to become the University of Puget Sound Law School and later purchased by the State of Washington for office space. Photograph ordered by Rhodes Bros.
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Window displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mannequins;
Two mannequins are delicately posed in the storefront windows of Rhodes Bros. Department Store three days before Christmas, 1958. They are dressed in pink nylon gown sets whose prices apparently ranged from $14.95 to $19.95. To accessorize the gowns, soft slippers, creams, makeup and jewelry are displayed nearby. Christmas lights and gift boxes flank the window and help to illuminate the recessed display. Photograph ordered by Rhodes Bros. Department Store.
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Window displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Mannequins;
Interior of Rhodes. Christmas time at Rhodes Bros. Department Store meant plenty of festive decorations including trees and fresh garlands to provide a merry atmosphere for its customers. View of interior featuring ladies' fine sweaters, cosmetics and assorted leather handbags taken on December 22, 1958. There was still time for the last-minute shopper to choose from a wide array of gift items. Photograph ordered by Rhodes Bros. Department Store.
Rhodes Brothers Department Store (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960; Christmas decorations;
