Publicity for Permanente News and Times Industrial Page, Permanente Metals, Bill Gorman. Two workmen move alumina into the reduction pots before closing the corrugated cover. Permanente produced more aluminum at this time than was produced by the entire industry in 1937, the third largest producer of aluminum in the nation. The average age of their employees was 35 years. The daily uses of aluminum were multiplying as manufacturers became acquainted with its lightness, strength, corrosion resistance, formability and appearance. (T.Times, 2/25/1949, p.36)

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

Publicity for Permanente News and Times Industrial Page, Permanente Metals, Bill Gorman. One of the employees at Permanente Metals Corporation leans back with his feet up on a pull-out board on a desk to review a worksheet. Clip-boards, a calendar and a map hang on the wall behind him. He is wearing work boots and a hat while relaxing into this review.

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

Her hair in disarray, a harried phone operator at Permanente Metals listens to one of many calls to the big plant at 3400 Taylor Way on February 9, 1949. Permanente, producers of Kaiser Aluminum, ran round-the-clock operations to keep up with the heavy demand by industry and the military for aluminum. Opened in Tacoma in 1947 as one of three big plants in Washington State, the company was the third largest producer of aluminum in the nation, exceeding over 20% of national production. (T.Times 2-25-49, p. 36-article)

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Telephone operators--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Permanente Metals, Mr. Love. Olin opened a plant at this location September 1942. In December 1946 the company was sold to Kaiser Aluminum who operated Permanente Metals. The Tacoma plant had its own aluminum reduction plant. Permanente produced "pig" aluminum that was transported to Kaiser plants in Trentwood, near Spokane, to be made into specific grades of aluminum by the addition of other metallic elements such as copper, zinc, silicon, magnesium, manganese, etc. Soda ash from California and alumina from Baton Rough were brought to Tacoma to produce the "pigs". (PMC Annual Report for 1948)

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees; Guards--Tacoma--1940-1950; Private police--Tacoma--1940-1950; Gates--Tacoma--1940-1950; Factories--Tacoma--1940-1950; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Girls from Catholic College visiting Permanente plant, Bill Gorman. Students watch while molten alumina is siphoned from a reduction cell into a large crucible at the Permanente plant. Tacoma Catholic College had purchased the former Weyerhaeuser mansion, Haddaway Hall at 4301 No. Stevens St., and converted it into a Junior College for Women.

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Foundries--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laborers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Publicity shots at Permanente Metals, Bill Gorman. Three men are caught playing craps in the storage yard at Permanente Metals. A man using a piece of lumber as a club is coming up behind them. The dice are still in mid-air creating shadows in front of the man who has just released them. There's plenty of money on the play. Aluminum pigs are stacked up all around the players. TPL-4555

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

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;

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;

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;

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;

Permanente Metals began production at their newly equipped aluminun plant on Taylor Way in Tacoma on October 31, 1947. Permanente purchased the former Olin Corp. facility, built in 1942, from the federal government and spent two years modernizing the plant. The remodeled Tacoma plant was the first in the nation to have self cleaning reduction pots with scrubbing systems, minimizing pollution released into the environment (PMC Annual Report, 1947-1948).

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

Charles P. Love, General Superintendent of Permanente Metals, along with plant technicians activated the first pot line in Tacoma, making October 31, 1947 the first official day of operations. Other pot lines will be activated, once the plant can make certain everything is operating without problems. The plant is expected to be producing at full capacity by the end of November. View of plant technician checking dials and control system (T. Times, 10/31/47, p. 1).

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

Publicity shots at Permanente Metals, Bill Gorman. One of Permanente's employees sits at his desk checking lists of figures and order forms. A map of the United States hangs on the wall behind him. Clip boards of additional data also hang on the wall along with schedules. A telephone sits to his right on the desk. The man is wearing a sports jacket, a sweater vest and a tie. He also wears a large ring on his left hand. A pencil protrudes from his jacket pocket. TPL-4555

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Employees--Tacoma--1940-1950; Paperwork; Maps; Telephones;

Publicity shots at Permanente Metals, Bill Gorman. A view of one of the switchboard operators at the Permanente plant in Tacoma and the switchboard panel. She is wearing a headset to enable her to use both hands when operating the cords on the switchboard. A telephone dial is seen beyond her right arm and other office machinery is in the background. The young woman is wearing a two piece suit, a white blouse and a plaid scarf. Permanente acknowledged the high value of each employee in their annual reports. TPL-4555

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Telephone switchboards--Tacoma--1940-1950; Telephone operators--Tacoma--1940-1950; Women--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Permanente Metals of Tacoma was setting up a new metallurgical research lab, it was expected to be in full operation this fall. The Tacoma plant was one of the newest and most modern aluminum reduction plants in the country. The research facilities would serve the Tacoma and Spokane plants and would focus on aluminum reduction questions and research. Exterior view of Permanente Metals Corporation industrial plant (T. Times, 8/23/48, p. 5).

Industrial facilities--Tacoma; Research facilities--Tacoma; Railroad freight cars--Tacoma; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma);

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;

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;

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; 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;

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;

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. 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;

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;

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);

Permanente. Two men are having fun with a load of alumina, a fine white powder that is refined from alumium-bearing ore, bauxite. Bauxite was mined in South America, refined, using the Bayer process, in Baton Bouge and shipped by rail to the Pacific Northwest where it was converted into primary aluminum. Four pounds of bauxite were required to obtain two pounds of alumina shich yields one pound of aluminum. As of September 1948 nearly 500 boxcar loads of alumina per month were brought to Tacoma and Mead aluminum reduction plants, thereby becoming one of the largest users of boxcars in the Northwest.(Permanente Metals Corporation 1947-1948 Annual Report; T.Times, 9/6/1948, p.12)

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

Girls from Catholic College visiting Permanente plant, Bill Gorman. Several students from the freshman chemistry class at Tacoma Catholic College watch as the white, powdery alumina is added to a reduction pot in preparation to being melted and poured into molds to form pig aluminum. This was the first step in creating the later stages of aluminum that would be used in making Kaiser aluminum products from roofing and siding to airplane parts, ice cube trays and pots and pans. (TNT, 3/1948)

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma); Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Foundries--Tacoma--1940-1950; Laborers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Students--Tacoma--1940-1950;

From the evidence provided by this photograph, the security guards at the Kaiser aluminum plant on the Tideflats had a pretty easy life in September of 1947. But one has to wonder what the corporate headquarters for Permanente Metals Corporation thought about the security at their Tacoma plant when they saw this carefully posed picture. The Tacoma plant was only one year old, having been taken over by Permanente Metals Corp. from the Olin Corp. in 1946. (Permanente Metals, Mr. Love) TPL-9603

Permanente Metals Corp. (Tacoma)--Employees; Guards--Tacoma--1940-1950; Private police--Tacoma--1940-1950; Gatehouses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Factories--Tacoma--1940-1950; Aluminum industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;