Visitors stare wide eyed at the features of the 1955 Tacoma Master Builders model home "Casa Manana," the house of tomorrow. What appears to be a male model or mannequin stands at the upper right hand corner, dangling a cigarette from his mouth. The unveiling of the model home was an important feature of the Home Show. Over 14,500 people were expected to view the 1955 version.

Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma);

Livermore Co. and Berko Electric exhibition booth at the 1955 Tacoma Home Show demonstrating radiant heating. The product is space saving, with no costly installation and dirt free, with the exclusive "Berkomatic" room temperature control. You could even get the "low boy" if wall clearance would not accomodate the standard size. Livermore Co. was located at 2407 Sixth Ave. The 1955 Tacoma Home Show took place March 22-27, 1955 at the College of Puget Sound fieldhouse.

Heating & ventilation industry--Tacoma; Radiators; Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Livermore Co. (Tacoma);

Launching of the AM 504 with Foss tugboat. The AM 504 was the second of three 171 ft. minesweepers to be launched by Tacoma Boat Building. The ship was expected to be ready for delivery to the Tacoma Naval Station for outfitting in November of 1955. Mrs. Charles S. Weeks, wife of the commander of the Tacoma Naval Station, would be sponsor and her seven year old daughter June would be the flower girl. Cmdr. L.L. MacKinley, the Navy's resident supervisor of shipbuilding, would be the guest speaker. (TNT 3/20/1955, pg. B-6) TPL-9246

Launchings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Company. Photos featuring "quality control" of hemlock at St. Paul. A man in a hard hat operates controls for the lumber processing machinery at St. Paul & Tacoma. He watches the gauge to the right as he moves the controls.

Lumber industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; St. Paul & Tacoma Lumber Co. (Tacoma);

Mrs. Horace Fogg poses in front of mural in the hydrotherapy room of the new Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. The murals were sponsored by Mrs. Fogg and painted by Mrs. Ruth Byers, both noted Tacoma artists. Appropriately, the painting in the hydrotherapy room captures the nursery rhyme "Rub-a-dub-dub, Three men in a tub." The sleeping man is about to have his bait snatched by a wiley fish. The murals were all original designs created to capture the childrens' imaginations. The grand opening of the then 40 bed hospital was March 27, 1955, with 14 of those beds reserved for those who could not afford medical care. (TNT 3/13/1955, pg. D-10)

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital (Tacoma); Murals--Tacoma; Hospitals--Tacoma;

Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. The word "Moke' " has been carved into a piece of fir plywood. The final swoop of the "M" has been lifted up to give a 3D effect. Moke panels were popular in the 1950s as backdrops in department store window displays and as decorative art in homes. For the same carving illuminated from the back, see image #7. (Additional information provided by a reader)

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma;

Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A design has been cut into fir plywood with a saw. Dowel rods hold some portions of the design raised from the main board; other portions are bent back from the main design. The end result is a 3D look. A wooden finished knob in the center also lends a dimensional feel.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma;

Plywood displays for the Douglas Fir Plywood Association. A design has been cut into fir plywood with a saw. The design is raised in some places and bent the other direction in others. The design has been illuminated from behind, accenting the detail. For the same design without the backlighting, see image #51.

Plywood; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma); Woodworking--Tacoma;

Pacific National Advertising Agency group at Burt McMurtrie's radio broadcast on KTAC. McMurtrie, center, was a radio personality and news commentator. He was best know locally for his radio show "Breakfast with McMurtrie," on which he interviewed local people and visiting celebrities while they dined in the Daffodil Room of the Winthrop Hotel from 8 to 8:30a.m. KTAC was located one floor below the restaurant in the Winthrop. He came to Tacoma in 1906, taken out of an orphanage by his aunts Bertie and Sadie McMurtrie, both schoolteachers. He got his first newspaper job at 14, working on the Tacoma Ledger. During the 30's, he was one of the top national radio broadcasters for Columbia Broadcasting System. He was friends with many of the top stars in the arts and entertainment of the 30's & 40's. He returned to Tacoma after WWII to take care of his ailing aunt Bertie. They lived at 4210 No. 34th, according the the 1955 City Directory. The Breakfast show originated on KTBI, which later became KTAC. He moved to KMO and returned to KTAC in the early 50's when it was purchased by Jerry Geehan with a group of local businessmen. His other program was a noon time commentary called "It Seems to Me." McMurtrie died October 25, 1979 at 79 years of age. (special thanks to Tom Read, Northwest Pioneer Broadcasters, for some of the broadcast information)

Radio broadcasting--Tacoma--1950-1960; Public affairs radio programs; McMurtrie, Burt;

Elks Extravaganza, 1955 edition. A man in a tuxedo, most probably show director Bert Kool, interviews a well dressed "lady" in front of the curtain. The "lady" is actually a fellow Elk dressed as a woman. The one and a half hour show featured many Elks dressing as the "other half" all in good fun, for the amusement of their fellow members and guests. The annual show featured music, magic, dance and vaudeville routines. The 1955 show was dedicated to former vaudevillian and previous years' director Max Frolic, who was recovering from an illness of several months.

Theatrical productions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Entertainers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Tacoma Lodge No. 174 (Tacoma);

The cast of the 8th annual Elks Extravaganza, 1955 edition. The two and one half hour event would take place at the Elks Temple March 30 & 31, 1955. The Thursday night performance would be only for Elks, their wives and friends. This year's cast is honoring Max Frolic, the director of the show in years past, who recently recovered from an illness of several months. Bert Kool served as entertainment chairman and musical director in 1955. The "Elks Dolls," the rather frumpy looking "women" in the back row opened the show. They are Mike LaVelle, Bob Morgan, Swan Johnson, C.J. (Bud) Weller and Jack Thomas. (TNT 3/27/1955, pg. B-8)

Theatrical productions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Entertainers--Tacoma--1950-1960; Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Tacoma Lodge No. 174 (Tacoma);

Fireworks display, ordered by Clark Richardson Advertising Agency. Display included Red Devil, Tiger and Chinese imported firecrackers, buzz bombs, Silver Streak "Super Sonic Whistles" and aerial display bombs in the back row.

Fireworks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Firecrackers--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Tacoma Master Builders 1955 model home "Casa Manana," the home of tomorrow. The home was on display March 22-27, 1955 in conjunction with the Tacoma Home Show. This appears to be the recreation room. The room has one of two fireplaces in the home. The room is decorated in a modern motif, "Country Terrace" by Harmon Manufacturing Co., a unique blend of fabric, plastic, wood and wrought iron. It reflects the clean, angular lines of modern fifties furniture. The drapes are the bold textiles of the period with an asphalt tile floor.

Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Recreation rooms--Lakewood--1950-1960;

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital; Radiology. The Xray room had an adjoining darkroom. Bright gilt stars on the ceiling and ducklings in the pond on the wall were painted by Tacoma artist Mrs. Ruth Byers to help the children relax and allay their fears of the strange place. All equipment was designed specifically for children and some of it was previously unavailable in Tacoma. TPL-6519 (TNT 3/27/1955, pg. A13-A17)

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital (Tacoma); Hospitals--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital's main lobby. The benches and chairs and the child size table and chairs at center are made of blonde wood with parchment colored upholstery. Colorful fiberglass draperies with a modernistic pattern hang at the rear of the room. The floor is of terrazzo. The admitting desk is to the right, out of picture range. When the hospital opens in the middle of the week, the television will be on helping to keep families' minds off of their problems. Original drawings on the wall by Tacoma artist Ruth Byers help keep the mood cheerful. (TNT 3/27/1955, pg. A13- A17)

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital (Tacoma); Hospitals--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital's main surgery. The surgery contained all the most technologically advanced equipment, sized for children. The large lamp over the table is a shadow proof lamp for more clarity of vision for the surgeon. A xray illuminator board was also available. The floor in and near the surgery was nonconductive; eliminating the hazards from chance sparks near anesthesia. All air in the surgery was first washed, heated and humidified. (TNT 3/27/1955, pg. A13-A17)

Mary Bridge Children's Hospital (Tacoma); Hospitals--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Remington Rand, daytime exposure of exterior of building, taken in April of 1955. The house on a rise next to the building that can be seen over the flat roof of Remington Rand is possibly 410 Saint Helens Ave., built in 1905 and now demolished. Remington Rand manufactured office equipment and furniture and had a complete repair department.

Remington Rand Inc. (Tacoma);

Sacred Heart Church, photograph ordered by Catholic Northwest Progress. The church also had an attached convent for the Sisters of Providence and a school run by the Sisters. The parish started in 1913 with 35 families. The school was built in 1924 and opened with 103 pupils. By 1955, the parish encompassed 600 families and the school enrollment was 376 pupils. The new church and rectory replaced the old church at 46th & McKinley built in 1914. The new church was built of reinforced concrete with brick facing at a total cost, excluding furnishings, of $316, 000. Architects were McGuire and Muri. (TNT 3/18/1955, pg. A-5)

Sacred Heart Church (Tacoma); Catholic churches--Tacoma;

Weyerhaeuser Timber Co.; Board of Directors 1955. The board poses at a long table underneath the portrait of founder Frederick Weyerhaeuser. Seated clockwise from the left bottom: O.D. Fisher, C. Davis Weyerhaeuser, Norton Clapp, John Musser, F.K. Weyerhaeuser, Laird Bell, George S. Long, Jr., J.P. Weyerhaeuser, Jr., Edmond Cook, Edmund Hayes, Carleton Blunt, Charles H. Ingram, Henry T. McKnight and F.W. Reimers.

Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Tacoma); Weyerhaeuser, John Philip; Clapp, Norton, 1906-1995;

Publicity for the Altrusa Club. Marietta (Mrs. Hunter) Kennard, left, and Mrs. Marsh Davis, right, read "The American Songbag" and "American Ballads & Folk Songs." The pair will present the program at the Altrusa Club's biennial guest tea May 5, 1955 at the Madrona Way home of Mrs. Frank R. Maddison. Mrs. Kennard will present a narration of typical folk ballads, giving their origins and tracing their development. She will finish by reading from her own composition "Ballad of Old John Porter." Mrs. Davis, who accompanies herself on the piano, will sing American folk songs and traditional American ballads. (TNT 5/1/1955, pg. D-4)

Altrusa Club (Tacoma); Clubs--Tacoma--1950-1960; Women--Tacoma--1950-1960; Kennard, Marietta C.;

A model, possibly Sue Pederson, relaxes in a rocking chair in front of the built in shelves holding magazines & the lattice work concealing speakers on the reverse side of the high fidelity phonograph and TV cabinet. For the front side of the same unit, see D 90868 image #4. The racks hold Newsweek, The New Yorker, American Home & Collier's among other magazines. The room beyond has exposed beams, a piano and bookshelves flanking the fireplace.

Cabinets (Case furniture)--Tacoma; High-fidelity sound systems--Tacoma--1950-1960; Televisions;

Eight Delta Delta Delta sorority sisters, some in sorority sweatshirts, worked together in May of 1955 to create nosegays for the College of Puget Sound Pansy Ring Tea ceremony. The tea was an annual fete sponsored by the Phi Zeta chapter of the Tri Deltas. The young women, now dressed casually in slacks and hair kerchiefs, would be attired formally in dresses, hats and gloves for the third annual tea. In the tradition of nearly all Tri Delta chapters across the U.S. and Canada, the tea would honor senior women of the college. Special attention would be given to engaged or recently married seniors, who would step through a seven-foot tall ring of pansies. Puget Sound president R. Franklin Thompson would award two $100 scholarships offered every year by the sorority. (TNT 5/8/1955, pg. D-6-article)

Delta Delta Delta (Tacoma); Fraternities & sororities--Tacoma--1950-1960; Students--Tacoma--1950-1960; Flowers--Tacoma; Women--Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1950-1960; College of Puget Sound (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

ca. 1955. A woman poses in front of an entertainment center that houses her phonograph and books. The woman is wearing a satin look skirt, a dark tucked in sweater and heavy earrings, choker necklace and a charm bracelet. She is looking at a phonograph record that she is about to place on the phonograph. The record player appears to swing up and into the center, some large controls can be seen to its right and speakers to the right of that. Books line the shelves.

High-fidelity sound systems--Tacoma--1950-1960; Phonographs; Bookcases --Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1955. A model poses in front of a custom entertainment center. This unit has been designed specifically to fit this corner; it has three faces rather than a straight line in order to use the space more efficiently. The closed cabinet above the model hides the black and white T.V. set. A radio lies to the right of the speakers and a phonograph turntable which pulls down when needed is to the left of the speakers.

High-fidelity sound systems--Tacoma--1950-1960; Phonographs; Bookcases --Tacoma--1950-1960; Televisions--1950-1960;

The M.S.A. #491, a 171 foot minesweeper, was scheduled to be launched from the Bayview Shipyard, at the north end of East F St., on April 24, 1955 by the J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Co. It is the eighth of nine contracted 171 foot minesweepers to be launched. It will be named the U.S.S. Persistent. The keel was laid for the ship in June of 1954. (TNT 4/127/1955, pg. B-7)

Launchings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma);

Dorothy (Mrs. M. Stanley) Erdahl serves as sponsor for the launching of the U.S.S. Persistent (A.M. #491) minesweeper, constructed by the J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. M. Stanley Erdahl was the current Port Commissioner and an ex-Navy officer who took the first YMS type minesweeper out of the Martinac yard in WWII. She would be assisted at the launching of the 171 ft. minesweeper by Sharon McCoy, daughter of Ed McCoy- Sumner High School's Director of Athletics, who would serve as flower girl. (TNT 4/17/1955, pg. B-7)

Launchings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma); Erdahl, Dorothy;

Although it appears that we are looking through someone's Japanese style backyard patio or garden at the Narrows Bridge, this is actually a small scale model of a garden structure enhanced in size by trick photography and perspective. The small model has bonsai shrubbery, Japanese style futons, a water feature with tiny sculpture and curved seating around an outdoor stove to take away that Northwest chill. The bridge is shown at actual size. Photo series ordered by the Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Models; Architectural models; Patios--Tacoma; Garden structures--Tacoma;

The "Golden Future" is placed securely in the stars with the Independent Order of Foresters' entry, a daffodil bedecked flying saucer. This float won second place in the fraternal organization catagory of the 1955 Daffodil Parade. The driver wears a trench coat and safari hat to protect him from the rain and umbrellas have sprung up all over the crowd.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fraternal organizations--Tacoma--1950-1960; Independent Order of Foresters 327 (Tacoma);

In keeping with th 1955 Daffodil Parade theme of "Golden Future," The Tacoma Retail Trade Bureau's float "Dream of the Future" had an engaged couple riding on it circled by a huge diamond engagement ring and standing in front of a miniature home. The float was designed and built by Roy Stier, designer of many previous prize winning floats. The College of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran College submitted the names of six couples that had wedding dates set before June 30th and one lucky couple was selected to ride on the float and receive prizes from various retailers. The front of the float is adorned with a cupid and floral dragonflies.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Floats (Parades)--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Retail Trade Bureau (Tacoma);

Members of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Shriners) march in formation both before and after their band in the 1955 Daffodil Parade. They are wearing the traditional Moorish costumes topped with the fez hat. The parade was unified with the theme "Golden Future." It featured 56 floats, decorated with 1,250,000 blooms, 25 bands and drill teams, 12 decorated cars, 3 drum and bugle corps, 5 mounted units and 3 comic entries. The parade started north on Broadway at 10a.m., east on 9th and then south on Pacific Ave. They reformed to march in Puyallup at 1p.m. and Sumner at 2:30p.m.

Parades & processions--Tacoma--1950-1960; Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival (1955 : Tacoma); Festivals--Tacoma; Fraternal organizations--Tacoma; Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (Tacoma);