ca. 1973. Standing over a hundred feet tall is this unidentified supporting structure at Kaiser Aluminum's Tideflats plant. Its size is apparent compared to the man standing at the foot of one of the supports. Even the truck nearby appears miniscule. Photograph ordered on December 19, 1973, by Puget Sound Fabricators, Seattle.

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1970-1980;

Exterior of new aluminum rod mill at Kaiser Aluminum. Kaiser gradually phased in their new aluminum rod mill with its first rod being formed in a test run in December, 1968. The completely automated mill would produce rod at a rate of 1,800 feet a minute. Kaiser would produce the first semi-fabricated aluminum product for Tacoma. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Engineers, Inc. (TNT 12-8-68, A-7)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Interior of new aluminum rod mill at Kaiser Aluminum, 3400 Taylor Way, on November 1, 1968. This view is of one-half of Potline #4 and a cart loaded with "channels" which were lowered by crane into a slot just inside the ore hoppers visible on top of each "pot" or reduction cell. The new rod mill was nearly completed and ready for operation.The first rod would be formed in a test run on December 12, 1968. Molten aluminum would be processed into 3/8-inch rods at Tacoma's local mill and then shipped to San Leandro, California, for drawing into electrical wiring. Kaiser had reopened its Tacoma facilities in 1964 after a six-year closure and had steadily expanded since then. It was to permanently close in 2002. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Engineers. (TNT 12-13-68, C-18) (Additional information provided by a reader)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970;

New aluminum rod mill under construction. Construction progresses on the new Kaiser Aluminum's rod mill on 3400 Taylor Way in early November, 1968. Covers have now been placed on the two small dome-containers. It is possible that these containers would hold the molten aluminum that would be used to manufacture the 3/8th-inch rods. Earlier photograph taken on October 18, D154922, Image 4, shows them uncovered. The mill would form its first rod in a test run on December 12, 1968. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Engineers. (TNT 12-13-68, C-18)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Smoke drifts from the new 500-foot stack at the Kaiser Aluminum plant on Tacoma's Tideflats in late October, 1968. Kaiser was undergoing a period of expansion that would see a new aluminum rod mill open for production in December of 1968. Hylebos Waterway is adjacent to the plant on left side of photograph. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Engineers.

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hylebos Waterway (Tacoma); Aerial views;

Kaiser Aluminum plant aerials. Kaiser Aluminum, located at 3400 Taylor Way in the Tideflats, had resumed production in 1964 after being closed for six years. They were still expanding in 1968 when the above aerial photograph was taken. Hylebos Waterway and Northeast Tacoma in background. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Engineers. TPL-4741

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970; Aerial views; Hylebos Waterway (Tacoma);

Closer aerial view of Kaiser's Tacoma plant located at 3400 Taylor Way in the industrial Tideflats. Taken on October 30, 1968, photograph emphasizes the height of what is believed to be the 500-foot stack recently constructed. Hylebos Waterway in background. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Engineers. TPL-6580

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970; Aerial views; Hylebos Waterway (Tacoma);

New aluminum rod mill under construction. Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. was building a new rod mill in 1968; it would be ready for operation in December of that year. Once fully functional, the completely automated mill would produce rod at a rate of 1,800 feet per minute. Kaiser was undergoing a period of expansion where a new 500-foot stack and the rod mill were built, a second alumina dome with 100,000-ton capacity would be completed in 1969. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Engineers. (TNT 12-13-68, C-18)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Industrial facilities--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Storage tanks at Kaiser Aluminum are massive in nature; they dwarf the Canadian National Railroad boxcars that are motionless in front of them. Olin Corporation Aluminum Plant was the first occupant of the 3400 Taylor Way site; it was sold to Kaiser Aluminum in late 1946. Kaiser spent nearly three million dollars in 1952 to expand its plant, thereby increasing aluminum production accordingly. Easy access to rail transportation made delivery of its product fast and efficient. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Aluminum.

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Storage tanks--Tacoma; Railroad freight cars--Canada;

A view across the Tideflats and adjacent pond shows the expanded Kaiser Aluminum plant in November, 1957. Built originally for Olin Corporation in 1942, and purchased by Kaiser four years later, heavy demand for aluminum products post-war made expansion of the plant necessary. Kaiser spent nearly three million dollars in 1952 to improve their Tacoma plant facilities which led to a large increase in aluminum production. Photograph ordered by Kaiser Aluminum.

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1956. In 1956, an employee at Tacoma's Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. plant used an overhead crane to hold a crucible of molten aluminum and pour the liquid metal into a casting mold. The Tacoma plant was originally built in 1942 for the Olin Corporation. Kaiser took over the plant in 1946 and spent over $3 million to expand and modernize the facility in 1952. It was an aluminum reduction facility. It produced pig aluminum from treated ore. The pigs weighed either 50 or 1,000 pounds. Most were sent by rail to Kaiser's Rolling mill at Trentwood, near Spokane, where they were converted into sheets and products. Some went directly to the more than 500 independent aluminum fabricators in the Pacific Northwest, who consumed the pigs directly in the operation of their own remelt and rolling mills. Kaiser closed their Tacoma plant on the tideflats in 2000. (Kaiser Aluminum News, August 1956)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1956. Kaiser Aluminum plant. Molten metal is being poured from a vat into a mold to form "pigs." The Tacoma plant was an aluminum reduction facility. It produced the pig aluminum from treated ore. Each "pig" weighs 50 pounds and contains higher that 99% pure aluminum. The Bonneville Power Administration provided the abundant power needed to produce the metal by electrolysis. (Kaiser Aluminum News, August 1956)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1956. Kaiser Aluminum plant. The new 420 foot potline at the Tacoma reduction plant; the result of a $2,000,000 expansion. The line contains 18 new "super size" reduction cells that will increase aluminum production by 15%. The Bonneville Power Administration will provide the power to reduce the ore to pure metal by electrolysis. Dissolved in solution in long lines of reduction cells ("pots",) alumina ore is subjected to electrical current. The chemicals recombine, the aluminum separates from the oxygen and settles as pure metal, aluminum. (Kaiser Aluminum News, August 1956)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1956. Kaiser Aluminum plant. The Tacoma plant was located on the Tideflats, about 5 miles north of downtown Tacoma. Its proximity to the Bonneville Power Administration made it the perfect location for producing aluminum from ore by electrolysis. Dissolved in solution in long lines of reductions cells ("pots"), alumina is subjected to electrical current. Chemicals recombine, aluminum separates from its oxygen and settles as pure metal. Tacoma was part of a "mill to mill" operation, the alumina was shipped by rail in from Baton Rouge, La., and the finished aluminum was railed out to Kaiser's Trentwood rolling mill 300 miles to the East. (Kaiser Aluminum News, August 1956)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1956. Kaiser Aluminum plant. The Tacoma plant was a reduction plant, where treated ore (alumina) was subjected to an electrical current, dividing the oxygen from the pure metal (aluminum.) The plant employed approximately 500 workers, who worked on a 24 hour, around the clock basis. Its payroll was over $2,000,000 a year, and it purchased more than $1,300,000 of Northwest materials, supplies and services in a year. It was part of the Kaiser Industries conglomerate founded by Henry J. Kaiser, a diverse group of businesses that included paving, dam construction, ship building, the production of aluminum, steel, cement and other building materials, automobile production and Kaiser foundation heath care. (Kaiser Aluminum News, August 1956 and "The Kaiser Story")

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Kaiser Aluminum; new pot room building. Checking cathode bus, arc building. The new building contained 18 new "super size" reduction pots or electrolytic cells. These cells would boost the plant's annual production by more than 10 million pounds and increase payroll by more than $100,000. This addition will bring the corporate primary aluminum capacity in the Northwest to 429 million pounds annually. As the 5th largest employer in the state, Kaiser paid more than 31 1/2 million dollars in wages in 1955 at their Spokane and Tacoma plants. (TNT 4/16/1956, pg. 21)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Kaiser Aluminum; new pot room building. Dumping anode paste, arc building. Kaiser's newest facility contained 18 large "pots" or electrolytic cells, which would add 10 million pounds annually to plant production. Power would be supplied to the cells by the Bonneville Power Administration on a interruptible basis. (TNT 4/16/1956, pg. 21)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Kaiser Aluminum; Arc building, looking southeast. The Kaiser Aluminum plant was located about 5 miles north of downtown Tacoma. It had been obtained in 1947 by the huge Kaiser business conglomerate built by Henry J. Kaiser. It was purchased from the Defense Plant Corporation. Kaiser modernized the closed plant and began a series of expansions. In 1956, a $2,000,000 expansion was complete with the creation of 18 new "super size" reduction cells. The improvement also included the erection of a mill-type building to house the 420 ft. potline, office and laboratory buildings, an added electric substation and installation of aluminum bus bars and auxiliary electrical equipment. (Kaiser Aluminum News, August 1956)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Kaiser Aluminum; new pot room; Interior view, Arc building. A man drives a modernistic piece of equipment, a mechanical arm with a tractor base. This new 420 foot potline at the Tacoma plant has 18 "super-size" reduction cells, increasing primary aluminum production by 15%. The Tacoma plant is a reduction plant, it uses power from hydro electric sources to reduce alumina to aluminum. In 1947, Kaiser bought the Tacoma plant from the Defense Plant Corporation which had operated it as a war emergency plant and closed it after VJ day. Its proximity to plentiful electric power, supplied by the Bonneville Power Administration, made it the perfect location for creating aluminum "pigs" by electrolysis. The plant on the Tideflats ran on a 24 hour, around the clock basis. (Kaiser Aluminum News, August 1956)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Kaiser Aluminum; exterior of new pot room building. This reduction plant will become the newest facility to receive power when the the switches are thrown to 18 new "super size pots" or electrolytic reduction cells. Power will be supplied by the Bonneville Power Administration on an interruptible basis. The 18 extra "pots" will boost the plant's production by 10 million pounds annually. (TNT 4/16/1956, pg. 21)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. At Kaiser's Tacoma reduction plant, ore is carefully analyzed. Dick Hildebrandt, plant chemist, performs an analysis of petroleum pitch, used in the production of carbon anodes for the electrolytic aluminum reduction process. One of the plant's largest regional purchases in 1954 was $214,000 worth of petroleum pitch. (TNT 5/16/1955, pg. 11)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Hildebrandt, Dick;

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. Pig aluminum, stacked and banded, is being loaded onto railroad cars for transportation to Kaiser's Trentwood, Wa. rolling mill to be made into a finished product. The Tacoma plant was an aluminum reduction facility. It produced the pig aluminum from treated ore. Each "pig" weighs 50 pounds and contains higher that 99% pure aluminum. The plant capacity in 1953 was 64 1/2 million pounds a year. (TNT 9/5/1955, pg. C-8)

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Kaiser Aluminum's Tacoma plant near the southeasterly edge of Tacoma's tideflats was expanded at a cost of $2,850,000 in 1952, increasing by one third the plant's aluminum output. November 1952 marked the fifth anniversary of the operation of the Tacoma plant. Four alumina storage towers are seen in front of the plant facilities. Mount Rainier is seen rising majestically over the Tacoma tideflats. (TNT Supplement, 11/2/1952, p.3) TPL-9617

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Kaiser Aluminum, Tacoma Works rectifier station addition. Exterior of building with train tracks beside it. The Kaiser plants were taken over from the federal government in 1947 by Henry J. Kaiser. The plant in Tacoma was an aluminum reduction plant; it produced pig aluminum from treated ore and then sent it to a fabricating plant to be made into a finished product. The plant underwent a expansion and modernization program in 1952, at a cost of $2,850,000, to increase capacity by 1/3, an annual production of 66, 400,000 pounds.

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Tacoma works rectifier station addition, Kaiser Aluminum. Other side of building with plant and yard on right, Dodge truck lower left. The plant underwent an expansion and modernization program, beginning in 1952, to increase production. Construction in the expansion program included an extension to the rectifier station building. The rectifier station is where power is converted from alternating to direct current.

Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Dodge trucks; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Interior at plant, Permanente Metals, Ted Schmidt. Interior view of the pot room, laborers are pouring the molten aluminum into a mold to form pigs. Pigs will weigh between fifty and one thousand pounds. The pigs are cooled, stacked on pallets and transported to the rolling mill at Trentwood, located near Spokane, Washington. The pigs from the Mead and Tacoma plant are later re-melted in furnaces where other metallic elements are added to form standard alloys (PMC Annual Report, 1947-1948).

Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Aluminum; Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Laborers--Tacoma; Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees;

Crust breaking machine at Permanente, Bill Gorman. A specialized machine has been manufactured to perform the work that had previously been done manually. A crust would form at the openings to the reduction pots where alumina was melted into raw pig aluminum. The plant had two potlines containing 240 reduction pots producing 41 million pounds of alumium per year. (Permanente Metals Corp. 1947-1948 Annual Report)

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery;

Crust breaking machine at Permanente, Bill Gorman. Workmen are using a new machine to break the crust that developed on the molten aluminum in the reduction pots at the Permanente aluminum plant. This had been a manual process before development of the specialized machine.

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laborers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Machinery;

Publicity for Permanente News and Times Industrial Page, Permanente Metals, Bill Gorman. Travis Crowe, one of the storeroom attendants at Permanente Metals Corporation, readies a set of nuts and bolts for use on the aluminum furnaces at the Kaiser aluminum plant on the tideflats. A wall of bins holds all sized nuts and bolts in the storeroom. (T.Times, 2/25/1949, p.49)

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Crowe, Travis; Laborers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Bolts & nuts; Workshops--Tacoma--1940-1950;

There's nothing wrong with this chest, it's been x-rayed says Dave Schrader to Bill Courtney, employees at Permanente Metals Corp. As part of a U.S. Public Health Service campaign, all the employees at the Kaiser Aluminum plant in Tacoma received chest x-rays in 1949. In February of 1949, Permanente employed over 3,600 men in their three Washington plants with a combined payroll exceeding $12 million. (Publicity for Permanente News, and Times Industrial Page, Permanente Metals, Bill Gorman) (T.Times, 2/25/1949, p.37) TPL-3686

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees; Schrader, David A.; Courtney, William E.; Radiography; Health care--Tacoma--1940-1950;