Tacoma's Alert Hose Co. No. 2 volunteer firefighting company, in uniform, were photographed on August 8, 1885 as they prepared to join the funeral parade to be held that day for former President Ulysses S. Grant. President Grant's portrait is framed in black and placed aboard the company hose wagon. He had died on July 23, 1885, and the Territorial Governor of Washington had declared that the day of his funeral would be an official day of mourning. The firehouse was located at So. 13th & A Street, which was later the location of the Tacoma Railroad & Power substation. Alert Hose Co. No. 2 was probably one of four hose companies organized between March and August, 1885. The company's hose apparatus may have been built by the volunteers themselves. Adelbert Uriah Mills, center in black beard holding bouquet, was the captain and would later become the Commissioner of Public Safety. A partial list of firefighters' names appears in a Tacoma Daily Ledger article on March 9, 1913. (Talbot: 100 Years of Fire fighting in the City of Destiny Tacoma, Washington, p. 15, TDL 3-9-1913, p. 45) KING-013, TPL 2896.
ca. 1908. Miller residence at Manitou Park in South Tacoma, circa winter of 1908. Trees and ground are covered with snow. Icicles hang from the house eaves.
ca. 1908. Bicycle shop and Storage business. The bicycle shop is probably the Amzie D. Browning Bicycle & General Repairing business. The bicycle shop has an advertisment painted on it for the Tacoma Baking Co. Print is somewhat out of focus.
ca. 1913. A view of the west side of the 5200 block of South Union (now South Tacoma Way) looking north. The Bobbi Burns Wine House was at 5238 South Union. A boy stands by a water fountain.
Mrs. Duthie, sitting in a rocking chair, on Prospect St., young girl and doll on porch of house. Probably house of George Duthie at 5124 So. Prospect. Mr. Duthie worked for the Northern Pacific Railroad.
1910/09/27. Mr. Mann and family outside house at Manitou Park in South Tacoma. In center standing is Ted Mann. Others are not identified. Photograph was taken on September 27, 1910.
On November 1, 1910, Joe Wrangge was photographed standing in front of his home in South Tacoma. The wood-framed house had a bay window left of the entrance.
ca. 1908. Fowler children on Oak (sp) Street. Probably the children of Jane and/or Mary S. Fowler. Jane Fowler, the widow of Fredrick Fowler, lived at 832 N. Oakes in 1908. Mary S. Fowler, the widow of Giles H. Fowler, lived at 709 No. O St.
ca. 1908. Shaw house in South Tacoma "Buffalo Bill" Three men, holding rifles, standing behind fence in front of house. There is a gramophone (record player) visible through the window of the house.
Verner Saffell house probably at 5814 South Tacoma Way or 5814 South Union Street. Two men and a woman stand in front of a house. There are large piles of chopped wood on the front porch.
ca. 1910. Stegelon (Germans) at 49th and Oak (sp) streets in South Tacoma. Two men, two women and a child stand in front of a small one story house with a picket fence. One of the men has a rifle.
In September 1948, 62,559 residents in Tacoma had telephones; this number would continue to increase as the phone company got closer to completing their expansion and improvement program. The telephone growth rate was three times as fast as before and during World War II. The Fawcett building was four stories with a basement of steel frame construction, fireproof and reinforced concrete with brick and terra cotta facing; the building addition was at the rear of the main building. View of building progress at the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company; scaffolding provided by the Safway Steel Scaffolding Company.
Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company began enlarging and expanding their communications center before World War II, the war slowed the process due to inability to obtain necessary materials. The improvement program was estimated to cost about $25,000,000. Every telephone district in Tacoma would get new dial and long distance equipment and telephone lines would be extended. View of building progress at the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph facilities located at 757 Fawcett Avenue, scaffolding provided by Safway Steel Scaffolding Company.
Pietro Belluschi amazed the world with his modern office building in Portland, Oregon. The Equitable Building, later known as the Commonwealth Building, was an ethereal tower of sea green glass and aluminum. This was the first skyscraper to be built in over twenty five years in Portland. Aerial view of Portland's downtown business district.
Commercial facilities--Oregon--Portland; Office buildings--Oregon--Portland; Architecture--Oregon--Portland; Architects; Belluschi, Pietro; Equitable Building (Portland, Or.); Commonwealth Building (Portland, Or.);
The Equitable Building, later known as the Commonwealth Building, was completed in 1948. It was a completely modern office building, twelve stories high, built in the International style, but was called "distinctly American". Aerial view of Portland's downtown business district; the Willamette River separates the downtown and Old Town area from the east side of the city; view of Mount Hood in background.
Commercial facilities--Oregon--Portland; Office buildings--Oregon--Portland; Architecture--Oregon--Portland; Architects; Belluschi, Pietro; Equitable Building (Portland, Or.); Commonwealth Building (Portland, Or.); Hood, Mount (Or.);
January of 1949 view of building construction on Market Street; Wild Cat Bargain Center and Neal's Radio Sales Company are located next to the construction site; the building site is marked with a Roy T. Earley Company "Engineers -- Builders" sign. Neal's Radio Sales Company advertises their electric appliances; Wild Cat Bargain Center appears to be a grocery store and soda fountain; an "Olympia Beer" and West Coast Grocery Company truck is parked in front. TPL-10534
Commercial facilities--Tacoma; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1940-1950; Building construction--Tacoma--1940-1950; Business enterprises--Tacoma; Neal's Radio Sales Co. (Tacoma); Wild Cat Bargain Center (Tacoma); Automobiles--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Exterior view of George and Alice Franklin's home, located in Tacoma's Stadium district at 425 Tacoma Avenue North, taken on January 5, 1949. The Franklin's home was awarded second place in the 1947 Tacoma Times House Beautiful contest. View of beautifully maintained lawns, rose garden is located on right side of driveway, view of the Franklin Greenhouse.
Houses--Tacoma--1940-1950; Gardens--Tacoma; Lawns--Tacoma; Yards--Tacoma; Greenhouses--Tacoma; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1940-1950; Stadium District (Tacoma); Franklin, George G.--Homes & haunts;
George G. Franklin was the owner of Franklin Food Stores, a Tacoma grocery and meat store. Franklin Food Stores had five locations located throughout Tacoma. George G. was married to Alice S. Franklin, they lived at 425 Tacoma Avenue North, in Tacoma's Stadium District. Exterior view of the Franklin home, two large trees frame the view of the house, greenhouse on right.
Interior view of home designed by Wollander Better Builder Plans and built by Wollander Farwest Homes. The living room is decorated with a matching sofa and chair; the brick fireplace gives the room a warm and cozy feel, a closet with shelves is located by the bedrooms in background.
Prefabricated houses; Housing--Tacoma; Closets--Tacoma; Living rooms--Tacoma; Seating furniture--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Housing developments--Tacoma; Wollander Farwest Homes (Tacoma); Wollander Better Builder Plans (Tacoma);
Exterior view of a Wollander Farwest prefabricated house; view of driveway and stepping stones leading to the main entrance of house. This house was constructed with prefabricated plywood panels, and likely built in just a few days. In 1946 Farwest Homes stated they would be building approximately 25-100 homes daily; these homes were being purchased by new families.
Prefabricated houses; Housing--Tacoma; Driveways--Tacoma; Yards--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Housing developments--Tacoma; Wollander Farwest Homes (Tacoma); Wollander Better Builder Plans (Tacoma);
Interior view of Wollander Farwest Home; view of living room with matching shag trimmed sectional sofa, shag rug, curtains, fireplace and end tables. The kitchen has white cabinets, a three burner stove and oven, a single sided sink and a washing machine located on left side of sink; there was likely a utility room where refrigerator was kept.
Prefabricated houses; Housing--Tacoma; Kitchens--Tacoma--1940-1950; Living rooms--Tacoma; Seating furniture--Tacoma; Housing developments--Tacoma; Wollander Farwest Homes (Tacoma); Wollander Better Builder Plans (Tacoma);
Most of the Wollander Farwest Homes built were two bedroom family homes in Tacoma and the surrounding area. The January 1949 Tacoma Times advertised two and three bedroom houses, some furnished, in various areas of the city, for prices ranging from $3,600 to $7,500. Interior view of a Wollander Farwest home; view of fully furnished living room with shag trimmed sofa and chair and matching shag rug, two chairs and radio unit against the back wall, dining room area on right side.
Prefabricated houses; Housing--Tacoma; Living rooms--Tacoma; Seating furniture--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Housing developments--Tacoma; Wollander Farwest Homes (Tacoma);
Most of the houses built in Tacoma after the end of World War II were prefabricated houses. The need for housing was a serious issue in Tacoma for many years after the war; this also increased the need for telephones, which prompted Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company to expand. Interior view of home designed by Wollander Better Builder Plans and built by Wollander Farwest Homes. The living room is decorated with a matching sofa and chair; the brick fireplace gives the room a warm and cozy feel.
Prefabricated houses; Housing--Tacoma; Living rooms--Tacoma; Seating furniture--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Housing developments--Tacoma; Wollander Farwest Homes (Tacoma); Wollander Better Builder Plans (Tacoma);
Willard A. Wollander owned Wollander Farwest Homes and Wollander Better Builder Plans, home designers and building companies. In 1946 Farwest was getting ready to build a massive amount, about 25-100 homes daily, of prefabricated homes in Tacoma. The consumer would have a choice of 725, 832 or 920 square feet, two bedroom houses; these houses would be available for under $6,000. Exterior view of a Wollander Farwest home, family dog in foreground.
Prefabricated houses; Housing--Tacoma; Neighborhoods--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Housing developments--Tacoma; Wollander Farwest Homes (Tacoma); Wollander Better Builder Plans (Tacoma);
The house designed and built by Wollander Far West Homes was likely a two or three bedroom house. Wollander homes were made with prefabricated materials and usually built in just a few days. Interior view of prefabricated house built by Wollander Farwest Homes. View of small kitchen, it is equipped with a sink, cabinets, stove and oven unit, and a "Kenmore" washing machine; view of living room on right side.
Prefabricated houses; Kitchens--Tacoma--1940-1950; Washing machines; Cupboards--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Housing developments--Tacoma; Wollander Farwest Homes (Tacoma); Wollander Better Builder Plans (Tacoma);
Tacoma and its surrounding communities were growing rapidly and housing construction was in great demand. After World War II ended, many small 2 and 3 bedroom homes were built to accommodate the new families. Interior view of home designed by Wollander Better Builder Plans and built by Wollander Farwest Homes. The living room is decorated with a matching sofa and chair; the brick fireplace gives the room a warm and cozy feel.
Prefabricated houses; Living rooms--Tacoma; Fireplaces--Tacoma; Building construction--Tacoma; Housing developments--Tacoma; Wollander Farwest Homes (Tacoma); Wollander Better Builder Plans (Tacoma);
