William Jennings Bryan visited Tacoma in Sept of 1924. This photograph was taken outside the Tacoma Hotel, 913 A St., where an invitation-only breakfast was held in his honor. The famed orator had been a Presidential candidate and Woodrow Wilson's Secretary of State. Mr. Bryan was on a farewell lecture tour of the West and stopped in Tacoma to give an address at the First Methodist Church and a brief talk on local radio station KGB. He would pass away the following year on July 26th, at the age of 65. (TDL 9-16-24; TNT 9-15-24, p.1-article)

Bryan, William Jennings, 1860-1925;

ca. 1884. The Tacoma Hotel, 913 A street, with its commanding view of the Tacoma tideflats, was one of the best hotels north of San Francisco. Designed by the famous architect Stanford White, it had its official opening in August of 1884. The scaffolding at the north end of the building suggests that it was still under construction when this photograph was taken. Note the Northern Pacific Railroad tracks crossing the almost completely barren tideflats; mills and manufacturing structures had yet to be fully built. The body of water at the left is the Puyallup River as it flows unfettered into Commencement Bay. The massive Tacoma Hotel was destroyed by fire on October 17, 1935, and was never rebuilt; its annex would be remodeled and called the "new" Tacoma Hotel in January, 1936.

Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

ca. 1885. Photograph of "The Tacoma" (Hotel) shortly after it was built - before any of the later additions were added. The massive hotel, focus of much civic pride, opened on August 8, 1884. It had cost more than $250,000 to build, an enormous sum at the time, and was the design of architect Stanford White in 1881 who, according to Murray Morgan's South on the Sound, had been commissioned by the Northern Pacific Railroad and Tacoma Land Co. In subsequent years, several additions and renovations were made to further extend the hotel's reputation as "the finest west of the Mississippi and north of San Francisco." The Tacoma Hotel even boasted of having for a time a tame bear named Jack who spent time in the hotel lobby and was a drinker of beer. The elegant hostelry attracted many prominent visitors who enjoyed breathtaking views and luxurious furnishings. It was destroyed by fire on October 17, 1935 and never rebuilt.

Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1880-1890;

Dinner held at the Tacoma Hotel on September 7, 1907, in honor of William H. Taft during his visit to Tacoma while he was Secretary of War. 300 prominent members of the Chamber of Commerce and local businessmen accorded Secretary Taft a rousing welcome. Those included Everett G. Griggs, S.A. Perkins, Francis W. Cushman, T.J. Handforth, George F. Wright, Alexander Baillie, Thomas Carstens and Dave Gross among hundreds. This was the second address of the day for Secretary Taft who had arrived in Tacoma after inspection of the maneuver grounds at American Lake. He had praised the site as ideal for a military post with the only drawback being the cost of some of the privately held property. Secretary Taft spoke to a teeming crowd of some 12,000 Tacoma citizens at Wright Park at 5 p.m. that evening prior to the banquet. They had gathered to hear the potential successor to Teddy Roosevelt. Showing that he was held in high esteem by not only the well-to-do but the average working man, an impromptu escort of about 500 men just finished with their daily endeavors marched along the automobile carrying William Taft and his party to Wright Park. 2/3rds of them bore lunch pails and working garb. (TDL 9-7-1907, p. 1-article; Tacoma Sunday Ledger, 9-8-1907, p. 1, 23-article)

Banquets--Tacoma--1900-1910; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma); Taft, William H.; Government officials--United States;

Circa 1935.

Circa 1908.

Circa 1913.

Circa 1909.

Circa 1920.

Circa 1908.

Printed on front: Interior Tacoma Hotel -- Tacoma, Wash. Written on front: Between So. 9th + 10th on A St.

Printed on front: Mermaid Inn, Tacoma, Wash.

• Many tall masted ships wait in line on the City Waterway to load with wheat, from what was claimed to be the longest wheat warehouse in the world. "Where the Sails meet the Rails" was one of Tacoma's early slogans touting the great commerce opportunities here. In the background up on the ridge, the Tacoma Hotel, City Hall and the Northern Pacific headquarters are visible. circa 1906.
• Printed on front: Tacoma, Wash. Loading Wheat a the longest Wheat Warehouse in the world.

ca. 1935. Photograph taken of the ruined Tacoma Hotel after the disastrous fire on October 17, 1935. The hotel was totally destroyed by a fire that started out in the north end of the basement in the early morning hours. (photograph courtesy of the Tom Stenger collection)

Fires--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hotels--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

ca. 1935. Photograph taken of the destroyed Tacoma Hotel after the disastrous fire on October 17, 1935. Ivy was still clinging to the lower walls despite the intense heat and in the right foreground was the Tacoma Totem Pole. The Tudor Hotel was built in 1884 from a design by Stanford White's architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White. The Tacoma landmark was widely recognized as one of the finest hotels on the Pacific Coast. It was not rebuilt after the fire and although its annex continued as the new Tacoma Hotel, it never achieved the same prominence as the original. (photograph courtesy of the Tom Stenger collection)

Fires--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hotels--Tacoma; Tacoma Hotel (Tacoma);

• The Tacoma Hotel is visible in the upper left of the card. It was destroyed by fire in 1935 and was not rebuilt. circa 1930.
• Printed on front: Business District -Tacoma, Wash.

• Business district aerial view of downtown Tacoma. The Tacoma Hotel, located at 913 "A" Street, can be seen in the upper left of the card. It was destroyed by fire in 1935. circa 1930.
• Printed on front: A Section of MetropolitanTacoma, Wash.

Panorama of the Seventh Annual Meeting of Pacific Northwest Feed Association at the Tacoma Hotel, exhibiting textured wood work of the building's interior.

Group of young men on the docks outside of a wooden building with a sign that says "Parcels Checked" and another sign advertising hot lunch.

Tacoma Magician's Banquet