• Although mailed in 1993, this postcard was published in 1959. Both the old Pierce County Courthouse and the new County-City Building are shown here, with the Armory visible to the far left. circa 1959.
• Printed on front: Tacoma, Washington

Pierce County District and Superior Court

Pierce County District and Superior Court

Scenic view of Mount Rainier with the Pierce County Court House on the left and the old courthouse on the right.

1971 Richards color stock footage. August of 1971 view of the County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Ave. So. A snippet of Central School is on the right center edge. The aluminum and glass 12-story County-City Building was dedicated on April 10, 1959. Most of the luscious green lawn has since been eliminated as the additions were made to the complex.

County-City Building (Tacoma);

On July 26, 1972, an unidentified employee of the Pierce County Data Center was pictured surveying a monitor with keyboard at the data processing office located in the County-City Building. A row of RCA 70/442 Magnetic Tape units are lined up on the wall next to the man. Photograph ordered by Moore Business Forms.

Office workers--Tacoma--1970-1980; Pierce County Data Center (Tacoma); Computers;

An unidentified female employee of the Pierce County Data Center was photographed on July 26, 1972, at the controls of a RCA 70/97 Console. The data processing center was located on the seventh floor of the County-City Building. Photograph ordered by Moore Business Forms.

Office workers--Tacoma--1970-1980; Pierce County Data Center (Tacoma);

A large placard advertising the coming of Master Charge, the Interbank card, lies across the desk of Maurice Raymond, County Treasurer, on September 25, 1968. Howard O. Scott, Bank of California manager, is pictured standing next to Mr. Raymond. Photograph ordered by Bank of California.

Credit cards; Scott, Howard O.; Raymond, Maurice;

County treasurer Maurice Raymond, believed to be on the right, observes the signing of a Pierce County document on September 25, 1968. Howard O. Scott, manager of the Bank of California, is on the left. It appears that Master Charge is now available in this area, specifically at Scott's bank. Photograph ordered by the Bank of California.

Credit cards; Document signings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Raymond, Maurice; Scott, Howard O.;

Ruth M. Paul, cashier in the County Treasurer's office, smiles at two men, one of whom is holding a Master Charge card on September 25, 1968. That man is Howard O. Scott, manager of the Bank of California. The other man is believed to be Maurice Raymond, county treasurer. A large mockup of the Master Charge card is on display near the teller's window. The County Treasurer's office will now honor Bank of California's Master Charge card in payment of taxes. Property owners can now pay last year's taxes with their credit card. Photograph ordered by the Bank of California. (TNT 3-9-69, p. C-26)

Paul, Ruth M.; Scott, Howard O.; Credit cards;

On June 12, 1968 Wallace Walker, Sr. (seated at center) and a group of members and officers of the Central Area Progressive Improvement Association met with Mayor A.L. "Slim" Rasmussen in the mayor's conference room at the County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Avenue South. The Association, a non-profit self-help organization with 475 members had just received a Credit Union charter from the State of Washington. The non-profit group, composed of various ethnic, religious and political groups, sought to promote the development and well-being of the Central Area of Tacoma. It was led by Wallace Walker, Sr., president. Standing L-R: R.E.E. Hutchine, Jimmie Smith, Vernal Garrett, Lou Skala, Louie Johnson and vice-president Anthony Clark. Seated are treasurer Vernon Garrett, president Wallace Walker, Sr., and Mayor Rasmussen. (TNT 6-17-68, p. 10)

Rasmussen, Albert Lawrence; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970; Central Area Progressive Improvement Association (Tacoma); Meetings--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Mayor A.L." Slim" Rasmussen, wearing a Tacoma Centennial string tie, with four women and four children in the city council chamber at the County-City Building. Photo ordered by Tacoma O.P.I. ALBUM 14.

Rasmussen, Albert Lawrence; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Mayor A.L." Slim" Rasmussen, wearing a Tacoma Centennial string tie, with four women and four children in his office at the County-City Building. Photo ordered by Tacoma O.P.I. ALBUM 14.

Rasmussen, Albert Lawrence; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Northerly aerial view of County-City Building and downtown business district taken on October 4, 1969. County-City Building is in center of photograph; the Washington National Guard Armory is separated from the County-City Building by large parking lot. Part of the Tacoma Public Library can be glimpsed across the street on Tacoma Ave. So. from the County-City Building. McDonald's and Central School are just north of the county and city offices. Medical Arts Building is Art Deco structure on Market far right of photograph. Commencement Bay is body of water with Brown's Point in background. Photograph ordered by Whitacre Engineers.

Aerial views; County-City Building (Tacoma); Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma); State Armory (Tacoma); Central School (Tacoma); McDonald's (Tacoma); Medical Arts Building (Tacoma); Parking lots--Tacoma--1960-1970;

County-City Building. Close-up view of the County-City Building with two its wings - law enforcement on the left and courts on the right with the 12-story central structure between. Also in this October 4, 1969, aerial view is the Washington National Guard Armory in the photograph's foreground. The brick edifice was dedicated on the first day in January, 1909, and remodeled several times since then. Located in the 700 block of So. 11th St., it was across the street from the L.H. Bates Vocational-Technical Institute (formerly Tacoma Vocational). Photograph ordered by Whitacre Engineers.

Aerial views; County-City Building (Tacoma); State Armory (Tacoma); Commercial streets--Tacoma--1960-1970;

October 4, 1969, aerial view of County-City Building, location of city, county, police and court systems. This view captures the rear portion of the County-City Building and shows the large parking lot available. Somewhat resembling an airplane with extended wings, the County-City Building was formally dedicated in April of 1959. It occupied land between So. 9th & So. 11th Street on Tacoma Ave. So. The old Gothic-styled Pierce County Courthouse had been demolished and services transferred to the new building; parking for the County-City Building would take its place. Although the County-City Building was only ten years old in 1969, it was already bursting at its seams. Supporters had proposed to the City Council in late September, 1969, that an $8 million dollar bond issue for a new 5-story wing be considered. The courts needed more space so that trials could proceed without delays. Horace J. Whitacre of Whitacre Engineers gave a detailed projection of the County-City Building's future space needs. Photograph ordered by Whitacre Engineers. (TNT 9-23-69 , p. 10- article)

Aerial views; County-City Building (Tacoma); Parking lots--Tacoma--1960-1970;

County-City Building. Aerial view looking south on Tacoma Ave. So. with close-up of side and rear of County-City Building, its large parking lot, and Tacoma Public Library across the street. The County-City Building had been completed in 1959 to replace the venerable Old City Hall, 625 Commerce St. Ten years later it housed both city and county offices, including the health department, auditor, assessor, sheriff and city police, city council & mayor, county commissioners and courts. The future would see many of these departments move to separate buildings including the Municipal Building (formerly the Medical Arts Building), Pierce County Annex and the new Tacoma Police Department's complex on Pine St. Photograph ordered by Whitacre Engineers.

Aerial views; County-City Building (Tacoma); Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1960-1970; Parking lots--Tacoma--1960-1970; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Aerial view of County-City Building and vicinity on a clear early October day in 1969. The County-City Building had celebrated its 10th birthday in 1969, having replaced the dilapidated Old City Hall on Commerce. It is the multi-story aluminum and glass building on Tacoma Ave. So. in the center of the photograph; one of its wings visible is the reinforced concrete court building. To the south of the County-City Building is the Tacoma Public Library; the Carnegie Library, now home to the library's Northwest Room & Special Collections, is the rounded Renaissance-styled structure. West of the County-City Building is the Washington National Guard Armory at 11th & Yakima; across the street from the Armory is the (now) L.H. Bates Vocational-Technical Institute. This view looks much the same now in 2006 as it did 37 years ago. Photograph ordered by Whitacre Engineers. TPL-9648

Aerial views; County-City Building (Tacoma); Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Vocational School (Tacoma); State Armory (Tacoma); Commercial streets--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Tacoma Mayor A.L. "Slim" Rasmussen (center) signed an official proclamation declaring October 11-18, 1969 "Scandinavian Days" in Tacoma. Photographed with the mayor were: (l to r) Mrs. Arvilla Dabroe, publicity chairman for the event; Hartley Kantor, promotion chairman for the Downtown Tacoma Association; Dennis Rowley, co-chairman of the event and Mrs. A. Victor Johnson, chairman of the Leif Erikson Memorial Committee. (Photograph ordered by the Downtown Tacoma Association.) (TNT 10-5-69, A-19) ALBUM 14.

Rasmussen, Albert Lawrence; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970; Dabroe, Arvilla; Johnson, A. Victor--Family; Kantor, Hartley; Rowley, Dennis; Proclamations;

Mayor A.L. "Slim" Rasmussen affixes his signature to a document proclaiming October 11-18, 1969, as "Scandinavian Days." Displaying examples of Scandinavian handicrafts are Mrs. Arvilla Dabroe, publicity chair (L) and Mrs. A. Victor Johnson (R), chairman of the Leif Erikson Memorial Committee. Hartley Kantor, promotion chairman of the Tacoma Downtown Association and Dennis Rowley, co-chairman of the "Scandinavian Days" event, are also pictured above. Scandinavian handicrafts, heirlooms and artifacts will be on display in downtown stores' windows during this time. Photograph ordered by the Downtown Tacoma Association. (TNT 10-5-69, A-19)

Rasmussen, Albert Lawrence; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970; Dabroe, Arvilla; Johnson, A. Victor--Family; Kantor, Hartley; Rowley, Dennis; Proclamations;

Superior Court judge William F. LeVeque, in official robes, offered Carolee, Dairy Princess Donna Starkel's Holstein, refreshments on June 21, 1966. Carolee was penned in a corral outside Superior courtrooms on the County-City Building's second floor lobby as a prime exhibit for June Dairy Month. The bovine was reportedly well-behaved and greeted her owner, Princess Donna, with a joyful - and - loud "moo-OO!" Princess Donna and her royal court served ice cream cones to visitors and planned to visit Puget Sound National Bank branches later in the week to promote ice-cold valley milk, ice cream and other dairy foods. (TNT 6-22-66, C-5)

LeVeque, William F.; Judges--Tacoma; Starkel, Donna; Cows; Pails; Signs (Notices);

Newly-elected Mayor A.L. "Slim" Rasmussen poses with two women at the County-City Building on November 29, 1967. Rasmussen had defeated incumbent Harold Tollefson in the recent general election. Photograph ordered by Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Opportunity.

Rasmussen, Albert Lawrence; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970;

ca. 1965. 1965 Stock footage. The County-City Building's law enforcement section looks quite a bit different in 2004 than it did in 1965. The four-story wing that housed the Tacoma Police Department and Pierce County Sheriff's Department was completed last after the twelve story central structure and court wing. Each police department had its own jail capable of holding 140 prisoners. Designed for maximum security, the new building also was a more comfortable and spacious environment for the city, county and federal prisoners it housed. This 1965 photograph was taken from about So. 9th & Tacoma Ave. So., looking southwesterly.

County-City Building (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma; Jails--Tacoma;

Miss Tacoma Home Show, Gerry Gennow, along with developer Boyd Lundstrom, paid a visit to Mayor Harold Tollefson's office on March 4, 1964. Mayor Tollefson, seated, was in the process of cheerfully signing some paperwork pertaining to the Home Show, an annual event which featured goods and services for homeowners by local businesses. Photograph ordered by KTAC.

Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Tollefson, Harold M., 1908-1985; Mayors--Tacoma--1960-1970; Gennow, Geraldine; Beauty contestants--Tacoma--1960-1970; Lundstrom, Boyd;

ca. 1960. 1960 Richards stock footage- the County-City Building, taken from Tacoma Avenue South. This twelve story central structure towers 167 feet above the street level. The court wing sits to the left and the law enforcement wing to the right. The glass and aluminum building was dedicated in April of 1959 and built from a design by architect A. Gordon Lumm. The building is still in use and the central structure looks much the same, however the side wings have been remodeled and greatly expanded.

County-City Building (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma;

ca. 1960. 1960 Richards stock footage- the County-City Building from the intersection of 11th and Tacoma Avenue South. In the background to the left can be seen the Armory. This view shows the two story court wing next to the twelve story central structure. The very controversial joint building took over 7 years from voter approval to finished structure, with skirmishes over location, architect, cost (it finished 3 1/2 million over original budget) and division between city and county. The building, however, has served Tacoma and Pierce County well and still meets the needs of the community. The wings have been extensively remodeled and added on to and now stretch almost to Tacoma Ave. So.

County-City Building (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma;

ca. 1960. The County-City Building, dedicated in April of 1959, over 7 years after the voters' approval, and designed by A. Gordon Lumm. The building stretches over 2 city blocks and was built at a cost of 9 1/2 million dollars; 3 1/2 million over the original amount approved by the voters. Shown is the four story law enforcement wing that was completed and occupied last. It housed both the Pierce County Sheriffs and the Tacoma Police Department. It is connected to the twelve story central structure. The photograph is taken from the intersection of 9th and Tacoma Ave. South with the structure facing onto Tacoma Ave. So. Photograph from the 1960 Richards stock files.

County-City Building (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma;

Electrical contractor Carl T. Madsen and Mort Anderson study blueprints in front of the new County-City Building on March 21, 1959. The building was designed by A. Gordon Lumm. architect, and the general contractor was the Macdonald Building Co.

County-City Building (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma--1950-1960; Madsen, Carl T.; Anderson, Mort; Blueprints;

Nine men pose outside the newly completed County-City Building on March 21, 1959. Two of the men are believed to be electrical contractor Carl T. Madsen and Mort Anderson. The County-City Building would be dedicated on April 10, 1959, nearly seven years after voters approved its construction.

County-City Building (Tacoma); Courthouses--Tacoma;

Seven years after its initial approval by voters, the new County-City Building was dedicated April 10, 1959. The interim years had been filled with political wrangling and budget and design problems. The aluminum and glass building was designed by A. Gordon Lumm and build by Macdonald construction for a price tag of 9 1/2 million dollars. Tacoma Mayor Ben Hanson stands on the platform speaking at the dedication. After the keys for the building were presented to Mayor Hanson (someone had forgotten to bring the actual keys and a set of house keys were substituted); he turned and presented them to ex-Mayor John Anderson, who was instrumental in the construction of the building. (TNT 4/9/1959, pg. 1 4/10/1959, pg. 1)

County-City Building (Tacoma); Dedications--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hanson, Ben;