Henry Mill, construction of prefabricated trusses. Photograph shows piles of timber and a wood form that is being constructed at the Mill, located at the foot of Starr St., near the water. Sperry Mills, located on what is now Schuster Parkway, can be seen in the background. During the war, Henry Mill was active in lumber prefabrication.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trusses--Tacoma; Structural frames--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma);
Henry Mill, construction of trusses. Henry Mill was located at 3001 No. Starr, the former site of the old Tacoma Mill Co. The mill was operated by John F. Buchanan, pres., and William F. Buchanan, VP. During the second World War, they became active in lumber prefabrication. Large buildings, such as hangars, were prebuilt in pieces and reassembled on arrival at their destination.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trusses--Tacoma; Structural frames--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma);
Henry Mill, construction of trusses. Henry Mill & Timber Co. was located at the foot of Starr St., near the water. During World War II, they held a number of government contracts for prefabricated structures. This photo shows company officials standing in and around a wooden truss that is being built.
Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trusses--Tacoma; Structural frames--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma);
Henry Mill was located at the foot of No. Starr St., right at the waterfront. It was on the 28 acre site of the old Tacoma MIll Co. During the war, Henry Mill specialized in prefabricated elements for the military. The company was taken over in 1945 by Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. The photograph shows lots of stored lumber as well as a couple of cranes.
Henry Mill and Timber Company. Burner and lumber storage dock along the Tacoma waterfront. Henry Mill began operations at this site in 1925. It was formerly the site of the Old Tacoma Mill Co. TPL-8381
Henry Mill and Timber Company along the Tacoma waterfront. Henry Mill began operations at this site in 1925. Prefabricated trusses can be seen in the foreground. During the World War II, the company specialized in prefabricated bridges and hangars for the military.
ca. 1943. Built in 1924, the Henry Mill & Timber Company occupied the site on Ruston Way just south of North Starr St. for almost 20 years. Originally a sawmill, they started fabricating structures when they built the caisson panels for the first Narrows Bridge. Their expertise in designing and building prefabricated structures from heavy timber won them contracts during WWII for giant store houses and hangers that could be broken down into small sections, shipped, and re-assembled with a minimum of effort. After the war they were taken over by the Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. which closed in the early 1950s.
Henry Mill Lumber, patterns and men. A group of men, some standing and and some sitting on a wooden workhorse, in a workroom. Large windows are behind them. TPL-6660
Group portraits--1940-1950; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Mill workers and management at Henry Mill & Timber Company, prefabricators of heavy timber structures. The company began in 1925 as a sawmill and started fabricating structures with caisson panels for the first Narrows Bridge. At the beginning of World War II, Henry Mill was filling Army and Navy contracts for cantonments, shipyards and storehouses. They designed and built cargo barges and prefabricated massive navy blimp hangars. The large cranes behind the group are used to unload timber and load finished products onto railroad cars and ship. Each piece of lumber is processed In assembly line precision--the lumber is cut, trimmed, bored and groved, then each finished piece is stenciled (labeled) to fit precisely together on the building site. TPL-6399
Group portraits--1940-1950; Henry Mill & Timber Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Prefabricated buildings; Hoisting machinery;
Henry Mill pictures for National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Henry Mill & Timber Co. is working on a frame, built out of pre-fabricated lumber products for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The structure will be used for an airplane hangar and shop. Interior view of plant.
Several operations in plant, Tacoma Lumber Fabricating, Mr. Patterson. Young men work alongside older men in creating the structural beams for which Tacoma Lumber Fabricating was well known. The company created prefabricated portions of buildings for an entire prefabricated house as well as curved beams used to roof large buildings. The top floor of their modern office building was the plant loft for giant layout work. They had a complete sawmill and planing mill plant. (T.Times, 1/16/1949, p.18)
Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Several operations in plant, Tacoma Lumber Fabricating, Mr. Patterson. Workmen are dipping completed trusses into a liquid mixture using a pulley system. Stacks of lumber are seen further back in the plant's yard. The company manufactured materials from heavy timbers such as power line cross arms, bridge timbers and roof trusses to little pieces four feet long for refrigerator car rack slabs. (T.Times, 1/16/1949, p.18)
Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. (Tacoma); Lumber industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building materials industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Several operations in plant, Tacoma Lumber Fabricating, Mr. Patterson. Stacks of completed trusses have been loaded on a freight car and two workmen are using straps to secure the load during shipping. Active management of the company was under Frank Grabbs. G.E. Karlen was president and Lee C. Monahan was vice-president. (T.Times, 1/16/1949, p.18)
Outdoor exposure of Pacific Oerlikon plant. The Pacific Oerlikon Co., located at 3001 No. Starr, manufactured electric equipment. Lloyd Morgan was listed as manager according to the 1951 and 1953 City Directories. View of three story wooden building with large Oerlikon sign on top close to additional Oerlikon structure and next to railroad tracks. The Oerlikon plant was built on the site of the former Henry Mill Co. and Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. They changed their name to United Power Control in 1956 and then changed to United Products Company upon merging with Meridian Corp. of Chicago in 1958. Photograph ordered by Pacific Oerlikon Co.
Interior exposure of worker with equipment. An employee of Pacific Oerlikon Co. stands with one hand extended to touch an extremely tall piece of machinery which is transported on a wheeled dolly. He is standing between two similar pieces of machinery which are both loaded onto dollies. The Pacific Oerlikon plant was located at 3001 No. Starr St. and manufactured power system equipment. Photograph ordered by Pacific Oerlikon Co.
Interior of shop with man standing next to large piece of machinery. An employee of Pacific Oerlikon Co. is pictured next to a piece of equipment used in the Oerlikon plant. Pacific Oerlikon was located at 3001 No. Starr Street and was a manufacturer of electric equipment. This interior view of the plant showed various types of machinery imported from Europe by Pacific Oerlikon.
Outdoor exposure of one of the buildings of Pacific Oerlikon plant. The Pacific Oerlikon Co., located at 3001 N Starr, manufactured electric equipment. Lloyd Morgan was listed as manager according to the 1951 and 1953 City Directories.
The Pacific Oerlikon Co. were electric equipment manufacturers. According to the 1951 City Directory, they were located at 3001 No. Starr and Lloyd Morgan was listed as manager. View of machinery manufactured by Pacific Oerlikon in photograph taken on September 18, 1951. It possibly could be a type of drill. Photograph ordered by Pacific Oerlikon.
Interior exposure of large breakers assembled at Pacific Oerlikon Co., 3001 Starr street. Six in foreground, other equipment on left side. The company was a subsidiary of Oerlikon Engineering of Zurich, Switzerland and manufactured porcelain clad low oil content circuit breakers. In 1952, the company has 110 employees working 3 shifts per day, 5 days a week, with a monthly outlay for wages and salaries of $40,000. Plans were to expand the company to 500 skilled workers. (TNT 9/7/1952, pg. C-15)
Close up exposure of 3 assembled breakers at Pacific Oerlikon Co. Pacific Oerlikon, a subsidiary of Oerlikon Engineering Co. of Zurich, Switzerland, manufactured power-system equipment. The parent company invested $2,000,000 in remodeling the former Henry Mill and Timber Co. and in importing machine tools from Europe. Tacoma was chosen because a suitable site was available and the labor market (machine tool operators) was plentiful. The only addition to the site was the erection of a sheet metal, concrete and glass building that housed a 24,000 sq. ft. machine shop and a 6,000 sq. ft. assembly area. (TNT 9/7/1952, pg. C-15)
Pacific Oerlikon Co., interior of large building with large breaker disassembled and others assembled. Oerlikon Engineering of Zurich, Switzerland chose the Northwest for its subsidiary for two reasons- the large market for its circuit breakers and the absence of power system manufacturing companies in this area. The company manufactures circuit breakers and instrument transformers in the range of 34.5 to 138 kilovolts and having up to 3 1/2 million kilovolt amperes interrupting capacity. The finished product- the 34.5 power circuit breaker costs approximately $8,000 and the 138 power circuit breaker $29,000. (TNT 9/7/1952, pg. C-15)
Pacific Oerlikon Company, electrical equipment manufacturers. Interior exposure of circuit breaker. Seven breakers being assembled on a bench. Pacific Oerlikon occupied the former site of Henry Mill and Timber Co. It also erected on this site in 1951 a sheet metal, concrete and glass building used for the machine shop and assembly area. Because of the size of the components constructed, the building was designed to provide ample height for assembly. (TNT 9/7/1952, pg. C-15)
Interior exposure at Pacific Oerlikon Co. Metal shelves hold a variety of electrical parts. Pacific Oerlikon, the Northwest subsidiary of Oerlikon Engineering Co. of Zurich, Switzerland, manufactured power-system equipment. The parent company was a 75 year old world wide leader in manufacturing high quality products. Its only offspring Pacific Oerlikon originated from $2,000,000 investment that used raw materials and parts made in the U. S. to manufacture components for the Northwest's power grid. (TNT 9/7/1952, pg. C-15)
Pacific Oerlikon Company, electrical equipment manufacturers. Counter with two shelves in front, shop behind with assorted machinery. The company was an offspring of Oerlikon Engineering of Zurich, Switzerland and was entirely Swiss owned. Dr Hans Schindler was president of the company and Lloyd Morgan was executive vice president and general manager of Pacific Oerlikon. The company was incorporated in August of 1950 and shipped its first products in the spring of 1952. It employed 110 skilled workers in 1952, machine-tool operators and mechanical and electrical engineers, with plans to expand to 500 workers. (TNT 9/7/1952, pg. C-15)
Switch gear equipment at Pacific Oerlikon Co. The worker appears diminutive next to the huge electronic machinery mounted above his head. Pacific Oerlikon, a subsidiary of Oerlikon Engineering Co. of Switzerland, manufactured large equipment for the power grid. It occupied the site of the former Henry Mill and Timber Co. in a building specially designed to accomodate the sheer height of its products.
Switch gear equipment at Pacific Oerlikon Co. The worker eyes suspiciously the hook used to lift this product packaged for transport. Although the hook reads Yale five ton, the worker looks doubtful that it will hold. The product is labelled "porcelain, handle with care, fragile." Pacific Oerlikon manufactured large breakers and equipment used in the transmission of electric power.
The Henry Mill & Timber Co. had just begun operating in late July of 1925, just about two weeks before this photograph of the plant's exterior was taken. The plant took over two years to build due to difficulty in preparing the foundation. Built on the 26-acre waterfront site of the old Tacoma Mill Co., the sawmill was designed to use the most modern equipment. It started with a head saw, edger and trimmer. Finished products could be easily transported via ship or nearby railroad tracks. G36.1-143A (TNT 7-20-25, p. 16-article)
Henry Mill in Old Town. A new and very modern mill opened in Old Town on July 20, 1925, located on the waterfront at 3001 North Starr St. Henry Mill & Timber Co. would remain in business there until 1945 when it was taken over by the Tacoma Lumber Fabricating Co. During WWII, Henry Mill became active in prefabricated structures for the military. They specialized in bridges and hangars. TPL-2048; G36.1-143B
