Aerial photograph of Tacoma Mall Shopping Center and vicinity in 1969. The area around the Tacoma Mall Shopping Center looked quite different in 1969 as the mall had not expanded to the size it holds in 2006. This view is taken looking across South 48th St. towards the mall with Penney's, Pay Less Drugs, and Nordstrom Best clearly visible. The Bon Marche (now Macy's) is the large red building in back of Nordstrom. The Tacoma Mall Office Building is off to its left and had recently opened. Best Buy and BabiesRus would later be built in the wooded area across So. 48th St. Pine St., which intersects So. 48th St., would later become more developed as the Post Office would build the Evergreen Station closer to So. 38th. The White Front store with large parking lot is already on So. 38th where Michael's would later be situated. In the distance toward the top center of the photograph is the Public Utilities building on So. 35th near Union Ave. Color photograph ordered by Center Offices, Inc.
Aerial views; Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Shopping centers--Tacoma; Tacoma Mall Office Building (Tacoma); J.C. Penney Co. (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1960-1970; Pay Less Drugs (Tacoma); Nordstrom Best (Tacoma); White Front (Tacoma);
Color photograph of the Bon Marche department store, parking lot, and Tire Center in the fall of 1970. At this time of day, the large Tacoma Mall parking lot is fairly empty of cars. There are several automobiles parked, however, close to the Bon Marche Tire Center which was directly across the small shopping center roadway from the main Bon store. The Tire Center offered batteries, shock absorbers, mufflers, brakes, and wheel alinements. There is still an automotive shop offering the same services 36 years later, however, it is now a Courtesy Tire Service Center featuring Goodyear.
Bon Marche (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1970-1980; Bon Marche Tire Center (Tacoma); Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Shopping centers--Tacoma;
Mrs. W.N. Spahn happily accepted the keys to a new Ford Mustang on September 1, 1964, from the Bon Marche managing director Darrel Vannice. She won the car during the Bon's grand opening festivities at the Tacoma Mall. To promote the Bon's new location, all who applied for a Bon credit card were entered into an August 31, 1964, drawing for fabulous prizes; besides the new Mustang, other prizes awarded were a Shetland pony, $100-1000 fully paid charge accounts, and free dinners in the new Cascade Room. Mrs. Spahn, the winner of the Mustang, took delivery of the new car outside the lower entrance to the Bon. Photograph ordered by the Bon Marche. (TNT full page ad- 7-20-64, p. 17, TNT 9-2-64, A-2-article)
Bon Marche (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1960-1970; Awards; Ford automobile; Vannice, Darrel E.; Spahn, W.N.--Family;
Grand opening of Florsheim Shoes at the Tacoma Mall. October 13, 1965, saw the grand opening of Florsheim Shoes at the new Tacoma Mall Shopping Center. The store was located across from the Bon Marche, the first occupant of the mall. Shoppers are lined up on two sides of the store awaiting entry to the men's shoe store managed by Chet Stack. The Mall fountain, which was to be a longtime fixture, is in the foreground of the photograph. Photograph ordered by Florsheim Shoes, Chicago. (TNT 10-12-65, C-14, C-15)
Aerial view on April 2, 1973, of the Nalley Valley and 38th St. interchange. Atlas Foundry is on the right side. The Tacoma Mall is left-center, adjacent to the freeway. There were a variety of ways to get to the Mall, including the heavily utilized South Pine and South 38th St. entrances. Less than nine years old and already boasting of several large department stores as well as specialty shops, the Mall was able to draw a shopping population from as far south as Olympia and from as far north as Seattle. Photograph ordered by Puget Sound National Bank.
Another in a series of aerial photographs taken on April 2, 1973, for Puget Sound National Bank regarding the Tacoma Mall and surrounding areas. The hundreds of automobiles in the parking lot appear the size of matchbox cars when viewed via helicopter on this sunny spring day. Parking was obviously no problem and the weather would not be a factor either, since the Tacoma Mall was an enclosed, climate-controlled shopping center. J.C. Penney, the Bon Marche, Nordstrom and the soon-to-be constructed Rhodes department store on the west side would be the four major stores anchoring the Mall. Separate buildings in the Mall area included (l-r)the Tacoma Mall Office Building, the Bon Marche Tire Center, the round Pacific National Bank of Washington and the Tacoma Mall Theatre.
Aerial views; Parking lots--Tacoma--1970-1980; Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Shopping centers--Tacoma--1970-1980; Tacoma Mall Office Building (Tacoma); Tacoma Mall Theater (Tacoma); Pacific National Bank of Washington (Tacoma);
Closer look at the Tacoma Mall Shopping Center as seen by air on April 2, 1973. 25 more stores would open on July 25th bringing the total number of stores found within the Mall to 110. Construction would begin soon on the two-story Rhodes Bros. department store at the far west end. Prominent buildings easily noted in this photograph are the Bon Marche, which was the first occupant of the Mall; the luxurious Tacoma Mall Theatre (bottom center); Pacific National Bank of Washington's circular building; the Bon Marche Tire Center, directly across from the Bon and the six-story Tacoma Mall Office Building. What the Tacoma Mall enjoyed, and downtown shopping lacked, was an abundance of free parking and a climate controlled atmosphere. Access to the Mall was easy with several entrances and quick freeway travel time. The wooded area across the Mall on South 48th St. would eventually become Best Buy, a Pierce County Transit Center, and closer to Pine St., the Social Security office. Ordered by Puget Sound National Bank.
Aerial views; Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Shopping centers--Tacoma--1970-1980; Parking lots--Tacoma--1970-1980; Bon Marche (Tacoma); Tacoma Mall Theater (Tacoma); Pacific National Bank of Washington (Tacoma); Tacoma Mall Office Building (Tacoma)
Marvin Boys, executive vice-president of the Tacoma Mall Corporation, addresses the overflowing crowd at ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the new addition to the popular shopping center on July 25, 1973. Shoppers were eager to sample the 20 new stores now open in the mall's west end expansion which included Jay Jacobs, Osborn & Ulland, the Lemon Tree, House of Fabrics, Tinder Box and Waldenbooks. Mr. Boys stated that the new stores would add about 4-5 million dollars to the Mall's annual income and about 8 million by 1978 when gross income should reach 100 million. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Mall Corporation. (TNT 7-26-73, B-2-article)
Boys, Marvin; Public speaking--Tacoma; Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Shopping centers--Tacoma--1970-1980; Dedications--Tacoma--1970-1980; Building dedications--Tacoma--1970-1980;
1973 Tacoma Home Show. A representative of Holly Homes is pictured on the opening day of the Tacoma Home Show, March 13, 1973, speaking to an interested mother about Holly Homes' various house plans. Holly Homes was one of more than 70 exhibitors at the Home Show; for the first time, the event was held at the Tacoma Mall Shopping Center, already an important gathering spot for local residents. Photograph ordered by Holly Homes.
Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Holly Homes, Inc.; Exhibit booths--Tacoma--1970-1980; Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma);
A young woman and two young men enjoy some quiet conversation and refreshing beverages at the new Papa John's restaurant located in the Tacoma Mall's west end addition. Casual dining appeared to be the theme with the use of canvas-back chairs and plain round tables in an "old world" garden setting. Papa John's, owned by Mike Wrede and managed by Dick Zierman, featured 500 types of domestic and imported wines. Photograph ordered by Papa John's. (TNT 7-24-73, insert on expansion)
Papa John's (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1970-1980; Eating & drinking--Tacoma--1970-1980;
July 25, 1973, did not fall on a weekend but the Tacoma Mall was still packed with customers, browsers, and the just plain curious eager to check out the 20 new stores in the Mall's west end extension. Ribbon cutting ceremonies were held shortly before noon before a massive crowd. Plenty of free parking and climate control shopping proved to be a powerful lure. This is the view looking east inside the Mall toward the JC Penney end of the Mall. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Mall Corporation.
Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Shopping centers--Tacoma--1970-1980; Dedications--Tacoma--1970-1980; Building dedications--Tacoma--1970-1980;
1974 Richards stock footage. Construction of the new Liberty House/Rhodes department store at the Tacoma Mall is proceeding rapidly during the spring of 1974. The two-story building is being built at the Mall's far west end for an estimated $2,000,000. There would be 128,093 square feet of floor space. The store was scheduled to open in the fall of 1974. Also included in this May, 1974, aerial view of the shopping center: the Tacoma Mall Office Building (in rear), the 10-month old west end addition to the Mall, Nordstrom, and the Bon Marche. (TNT 1-13-74, F-8 article)
Aerial views; Aerial photographs; Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Shopping centers--Tacoma--1970-1980; Building construction--Tacoma--1970-1980; Tacoma Mall Office Building (Tacoma); Bon Marche (Tacoma); Liberty House (Tacoma);
1977 Tacoma Home Show. A visitor to the 1977 Tacoma Home Show, held at the Tacoma Mall, pauses to speak to Brookdale Homes employees at their wood paneled exhibition booth. Orville H. Torgeson was the president of the company, located at 13602 Pacific Ave. South in Parkland.
Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Exhibit booths--Tacoma--1970-1980; Brookdale Homes (Parkland);
1977 Tacoma Home Show. "Because life is precious," RSI Security & Fire Systems advertised a number of life saving equipment at the 1977 Tacoma Home Show. A smiling representative of the firm sits behind a red-curtained table awaiting interested passersby. "Life Ladders," smoke alarms, security lighting and cameras were all on display.
Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Exhibit booths--Tacoma--1970-1980; Security systems--Tacoma; Safety equipment;
Bon Marche in 1970. This is believed to be the first floor (mall level) of the Bon Marche, located in the Tacoma Mall. Sturdy columns are interspersed on the floor, separating various departmental merchandise. The showcases in the foreground tastefully display well-known cosmetic manufacturers' products. Women's shoes and stockings are on separate tables. Aisles were constructed wide so that people could walk through easily without bumping into cases/tables or one another. The Bon Marche was the first occupant of the Tacoma Mall, opening for business in 1964 months before other stores. Althought the Bon started as a local business, it became part of a national concern, and in 2003 became known locally as Bon Macy's. By 2005 all stores were just called Macy's. Photograph ordered by the Bon Marche.
Bon Marche (Tacoma); Department stores--Tacoma--1970-1980; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1970-1980;
Aerial view of Tacoma's largest shopping center, the Tacoma Mall, on April 2, 1973. Traffic on I-5 flows quickly along and there was easy access to the shopping center. South 48th St. with its overpass over I-5 intersects with South Ferry at the Mall. The Allstate Insurance Co.district office is the large building at the southwest corner of South 48th & Ferry. The wooded area next to Allstate would later be developed. This view, looking north, shows the Mall in its entirety, including the separate structures of the Tacoma Mall Theatre, Pacific National Bank of Washington, and the Tacoma Mall Office Building. With 83 acres of land, there was plenty of room for free parking and also for later expansion. Rhodes department store had already announced plans to open a branch at the Mall; it would be built on the extreme far west section. This aerial also shows the Mall's surrounding neighborhoods including Lincoln Heights off 38th St. past the grove of evergreens. Photograph ordered by Puget Sound National Bankl.
1973 Tacoma Home Show. A mock living room, tiny as it appears, still draws several interested visitors due to the solid state television and comfortable chairs. It is possible that the two young men seated before the television are using two controllers to play an early version of a video game. This was the Bon Marche's exhibit booth at the 1973 Tacoma Home Show. For the first time in the show's 27-year history, the six-day event was held at the Tacoma Mall Shopping Center. Hundreds would flock to the Mall on opening day, March 13, 1973.
Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Exhibit booths--Tacoma--1970-1980; Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Televisions;
Tacoma Mayor Gordon N. Johnston welcomes shoppers to the new addition of the Tacoma Mall on July 25, 1973. The Mall had completed its west end expansion and 20 new stores were now open for business, including Ben Bridge Jeweler, Orange Julius, Tinder Box and Waldenbooks. This would bring the total number of stores in the Mall to about 110, just slightly smaller than Southcenter. Photograph ordered by the Tacoma Mall Corporation.
Johnston, Gordon N.; Mayors--Tacoma--1970-1980; Public speaking--Tacoma; Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Shopping centers--Tacoma--1970-1980; Dedications--Tacoma--1970-1980; Building dedications--Tacoma--1970-1980;
1974 Richards stock footage. A look at the Tacoma Mall by air in the spring of 1974 shows that the Mall continues to grow with the building of the new Liberty House/Rhodes department store at the Mall's extreme west end. The store was scheduled to open that fall. I-5 runs nearly vertically at the photograph's right, allowing easy access to the shopping center. The wooded area east of the freeway would eventually be dotted with new homes; businesses would also take the place of the homes located at the bottom of the photograph.
Modular home. Modular Pacific Corporation built and erected two full-sized modular homes in the Tacoma Mall's east parking lot near J.C. Penney for the 1976 Tacoma Home Show. They were both fully landscaped and furnished. The homes were expandable units with 12-foot unfinished extension areas added to both floor plans in the "independence" line. This particular line of modular homes was affordably priced. View of one of the modular homes; the one-story unit is either Independence 1200 or Independence 960. The homes attracted hordes of visitors during the Home Show's March 9-14th run. Photograph ordered by Modular Pacific Corporation, Seattle. (TNT 3-7-76, H-2 article; TNT 3-8-76, Home Show insert-article)
Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Modular construction--Tacoma--1970-1980; Houses--Tacoma--1970-1980;
Tacoma Home Show grand opening. Pierce County Commissioner Clay Huntington wields a pair of large shears to snip the ribbon for the opening day of the 1978 Tacoma Home Show. He is assisted by Tacoma mayor, Mike Parker. It was Mayor Parker's first time officiating at the Home Show, a duty that his predecessor, Gordon Johnston, had performed for many years. The Home Show was held at the Tacoma Mall for the sixth straight year. Photograph ordered by the Homebuilders Association of Greater Tacoma.
Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Dedications--Tacoma--1970-1980; Mayors--Tacoma--1970-1980; Parker, Michael; Huntington, Clay;
The new addition to the Tacoma Mall Shopping Center is rapidly taking shape as this July 5, 1972, progress photograph indicates. The Rushforth Construction Co. were the contractors on this $2,500,000 project to expand the shopping center on its west side. John Graham & Co., architects for the original Tacoma Mall, also handled the design for this addition. Photograph ordered by Rushforth Construction Co.
Progress photographs; Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Shopping centers--Tacoma--1970-1980; Building construction--Tacoma--1970-1980;
June 1, 1972, progress photograph of a $2,500,000 addition to the Tacoma Mall Shopping Center. The expanded section on the west side of the shopping center was expected to add another 25 stores. The Mall had 85 stores at that time. In comparison, Southcenter had 112 stores. Construction had begun in January with completion planned for early spring of 1973. Photograph ordered by Rushforth Construction Co. (TNT 9-2-71, A-1 -article on addition)
Progress photographs; Tacoma Mall Shopping Center (Tacoma); Shopping centers--Tacoma--1970-1980; Building construction--Tacoma--1970-1980;
Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor celebrated its grand opening on May 21, 1974, with dignitaries enjoying a bite of red licorice instead of the traditional red ribbon snipping. Located in the west end portion of the Tacoma Mall, Farrell's offered delicious hamburgers and other delicacies as well as mountains of ice creams in many flavors. It was an old fashioned ice cream parlor, believed to be the 84th in a large chain. Food was not served sedately but with much horn blowing and drum beating, especially for soon-to-be popular birthday parties. Color photograph ordered by Gerber Advertising, Portland. (TNT 5-22-74, B-12 -article)
Mayor Gordon Johnston and Pierce County Commissioner Clay Huntington jointly do the honors in opening the 1977 Tacoma Home Show held at the Tacoma Mall. At the far left is Gordon Rockwell, show chairman. Each year thousands of spectators would peruse the various exhibits demonstrating the latest trends in home decor. This was the 31st annual home show. (TNT 3-22-77, B-15-article)
Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Dedications--Tacoma--1970-1980; Mayors--Tacoma--1970-1980; Johnston, Gordon N.; Huntington, Clay; Rockwell, Gordon;
Bon Voyage Travel Service. The Bon Voyage Travel Service was located on the third floor of the Bon Marche in 1969. An employee, believed to be Vi Randall, is shown on the phone with a potential client. On her desk are stacks of pamplets for travel to distant places. Framed posters promoting European nations and large American cities are displayed on the walls of the small office space. Photograph ordered by the Bon Voyage Travel.
Bon Voyage Travel Service (Tacoma); Tourism--Tacoma; Travel posters;
