Dale Brunette shakes the hand of an unidentified woman at an evening press conference held at a Better Homes & Garden home on September 6, 1960. The woman is holding a 35 cent copy of the magazine which featured the 1960 Idea Home located at 1302 E. 138th in the Mayfair area. The home was built by George Barclay and decorated by Rhodes. The 3 bedroom, 2 bath home located in Mayfair Estates was a one-story, wood framed, streamlined contemporary version of a ranch house. Photograph ordered by George Barclay. (TNT 9-9-60, B-2,3,4)

Brunette, Dale; Shaking hands--Parkland; Periodicals;

Clad in long flowing robes, the choir of God's Pentecostal Church at 2501 Tacoma Avenue South posed for a group portrait on September 30, 1960. The church was founded and led by Bishop Ernest F. Morris who moved to Tacoma from Memphis, Tennessee in 1925. Bishop Morris died in 1968. God's Pentecostal Church celebrated its 75th anniversary in May of 2001; it is the third-oldest, predominantly black congregation in Tacoma.

Choirs (Music); African Americans--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Group portrait of Sandi (Mrs. Benton) Alexander and her three sisters. All four young women are wearing ruffled blouses in this September 6, 1960, studio photograph. It is not known which woman is Mrs. Alexander. Photograph ordered by Benton Alexander.

Families--Tacoma--1960-1970; Alexander, Sandi;

September 1, 1960, portrait of Herman Sarkowsky at his desk, hands resting against a set of blueprints. Mr. Sarkowsky was associated with United Building Co. of Tacoma, later known as United Homes Corporation, building contractors. A brochure for the Park Orchard development built by his firm is near the ashtray. Mr. Sarkowsky would later become an owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers. Photograph ordered by American Builders, New York, New York.

Portraits; Sarkowsky, Herman;

Plywood is being loaded onto a Ruckers Bros. truck via forklift while another worker is busy tieing down the canvas curtain of the large Kenworth vehicle. The truck is parked outside of the plywood division of St. Regis Paper Co. on October 19, 1960. Rucker Bros. was a longtime Tacoma trucking and hauling business owned by Burrell and Murrell Rucker and located at 733 E. 11th St.

Rucker Brothers (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1960-1970; Lumber--Tacoma; Shipping--Tacoma;

Aerial view of Annie Wright Seminary and north end neighborhood surrounding the school, taken on October 4, 1960. The private school's tennis courts and playing field are visible with thick forest acting as buffer. Also included is portion of Commencement Bay with large ship docked.

Aerial photographs; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1960-1970;

Aerial view of newly completed Pacific Lutheran University administration building taken in early October, 1960. Designed by architects Lea, Pearson & Richards, the two-story U-shaped modern structure was dedicated on October 14, 1960. It had 55,000 square feet of floor space. Initially called the Tacoma-Pierce Administration Building, it was later re-named after Philip E. Hauge, Dean of the University who had spent 45 years with the school. (TNT 10-12-60, C-10)

Aerial photographs; Universities & colleges--Parkland--1960-1970; Pacific Lutheran University (Parkland) --1960-1970;

Overview of National Bank of Washington's Motor Bank taken on October 24, 1960. The drive-through unit had opened six months before at the old Pioneer Building site on 12th & A Sts. in downtown Tacoma. Quick transactions could be processed without leaving one's vehicle and access was provided for walk-up patrons. A 40-car parking lot was provided with parking free for one hour. Bank's annex is across the street.

National Bank of Washington (Tacoma); Banks--Tacoma;

ca. 1961. Scenic views and stock footage, 1961. A closer aerial look at the Meadow Park Golf Course at 7108 Lakewood Dr. W. shows newly planted trees along with older firs and oaks. Meadow Park is now run under the auspices of Metro Parks. Shortly before Christmas, 1960, the wooden clubhouse at the golf course was destroyed by fire. According to Lakewood Fire Chief Bruce White, the loss totaled $50,000.

Aerial photographs; Meadow Park Golf Course (Lakewood); Golf--Lakewood--1960-1970;

ca. 1961. Scenic views and stock files, 1961. Aerial photograph of city's north end including the Sixth Avenue, Orchard and Bantz Blvd (now Hwy. 16) areas. Cheney Stadium in upper left corner. Horizontal center street is Sixth Avenue with Orchard running vertically. Bantz Blvd. (now part of Hwy 16) is upper portion of photo, intersecting with Orchard. Thickly wooded terrain on Sixth Avenue is now (2004) filled with shopping malls, Kmart is across the street. Building near Sixth & Orchard is believed to be the First Christian Church directly across the street from Busch's Drive -In.

Aerial photographs; Neighborhoods--Tacoma--1960-1970; Streets--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Scenic views and stock footage, 1961. Tacoma Airport is in center. Aerial photograph of Day Island with connecting bridge that leads to South 27th St. and showing fast growing University Place community. In February, 1961, the Day Island Yacht Club spent $30,000 in a moorage and dredging project. There would be moorage spaces for 80 boats for the club established in 1950. The project would consist of building of a bulkhead, dredging, and driving of piling. (TNT 2-16-61, A-2)

Aerial photographs; Neighborhoods--University Place--1960-1970; Neighborhoods--Day Island--1960-1970;

ca. 1961. Stock footage, 1961. Air view of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1961; the second Narrows Bridge was eleven years old at that point. Much of the wooded area in the photograph has been replaced by homes 40 years later.

Aerial photographs; Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma); Suspension bridges--Tacoma; Bridges--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Temporary quarters for the Pierce County Federal Savings & Loan in Sumner would be this 50' house trailer until a permanent building could be constructed at the corner of Alder & Maple Sts. Tacoma architects Lea, Pearson & Richards would be commissioned to design the 1600 square foot permanent structure. Pierce County Federal Savings & Loan had been in business since 1925. On December 2, 1960, Edwin G. Cook III, manager, is photographed just prior to entering the bank. The Sumner branch would hold its open house in its new building on May 5, 1961. Photograph ordered by Cappy Ricks & Associates, Seattle. (TNT 10-12-60, C-12, TNT 5-3-61, A-18)

Pierce County Federal Savings & Loan (Sumner); Banks--Sumner; Trailers--Sumner; Signs (Notices); Cook, Edwin G.;

ca. 1961. Scenic view and stock footage, 1961. Smoke billowing, the American Smelting & Refining Co. (better known as ASARCO)'s smokestack was once the largest smokestack in the world at 571 feet when completed in 1917. Repairs shortened it to 562 feet twenty years later. ASARCO was a major employer in Tacoma for decades; it closed in 1985 due to economic and environmental reasons. The smelter stack was demolished on January 17, 1993.

Aerial photographs; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1960-1970; Smokestacks--Tacoma; Industrial facilities--Tacoma;

ca. 1961. Stock footage, 1961. Aerial view of Yakima Avenue Bridge under construction in 1961. Northern Pacific railroad tracks below. The $1,300,000 bridge was scheduled to be completed by late spring and opened to traffic in April or May. The Yakima Avenue Bridge would give Tacoma a new route to the city's South End. (TNT 12-11-60, A-1)

Aerial photographs; Bridge construction--Tacoma--1960-1970; Bridges--Tacoma--1960-1970; Yakima Avenue Bridge (Tacoma);

ca. 1961. The $1,300,000 Yakima Avenue Bridge was scheduled to be completed by late April or early May 1961. It was part of Tacoma's six-year capital improvement program which began in 1959. This aerial view of the bridge while under construction clearly shows the Hood Street Reservoir (top center) to the southwest of the bridge, South Tacoma Way (bottom left to top right), and Center Street. (TNT 12-11-60, A-1)

Aerial photographs; Bridge construction--Tacoma--1960-1970; Bridges--Tacoma--1960-1970; Yakima Avenue Bridge (Tacoma); Streets--Tacoma--1960-1970; Reservoirs--Tacoma; Hood Street Reservoir (Tacoma);

Dining room of the Doric Tacoma Motor Hotel. Upholstered in gold leather and midnight blue, the semi-circular seating provides comfort and some privacy in the dining room of the new Doric Hotel. Walls were constructed of cedar panels and paintings highlighted of Native Americans. The patrons look pleased to be dining at this new facility, the "Tahoma." Chef John Espinoza offered a menu of many speciality dishes, including sauerbraten and wiener schnitzel. The hotel had opened in August, 1960, at 242 Saint Helens Avenue. It was conveniently located to downtown businesses and shopping with ample free parking. (TNT ad, 1-31-61, A-7) TPL-9886

Doric Tacoma Motor Hotel (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1960-1970; Dining rooms--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Close-up of electric sign and coffee ad for use in trade publications.. Eleanor's Lunch was located on the Seattle-Tacoma Highway. It offered lunches and dinner to hungry travelers. A large electric sign with arrow pointing beckons; a hanging advertisement for coffee touts the benefits of coffee for safe driving.

Eleanor's Lunch; Diners (Restaurants); Electric signs; Signs (Notices);

B.D. Lamb, driver for Williams Bros., stands next to his Ford truck outside of Eleanor's Restaurant on (Old) Hwy. 99 on February 2, 1961. Mr. Lamb has the driver's door open. There are large signs on the truck advertising Hartz Western Style Beer and Pilsener Beer.

Lamb, B.D.; Ford trucks; Signs (Notices);

An unidentified employee of the Puget Sound National Bank put the bank's new IBM 1210 Reader Sorter through its paces for (l to r) Robert G. Gordon, Vice President and Cashier, and Harold Stephens, Assistant Vice-President, on January 13, 1961. In 1959 PSNB became the first bank in the State of Washington - and the second on the west coast - to convert to the use of computers. The other banks in the northwest resisted computerization, and attempted to talk PSNB out of taking this radical step, because they felt that banking customers would not accept being numbered. (Banking on Independence; the first century of Puget Sound Bankcorp, c1990)

Puget Sound National Bank (Tacoma); Banks--Tacoma;

Exterior of Swasey library. The 7,000 square foot George O. Swasey Memorial Library was dedicated on October 7, 1960, and opened for business the following day. Designed by the Tacoma architectural firm of Lea, Pearson & Richards, the West End branch library cost $160,000 including land, construction, equipment and books. The entire cost was funded from the estate of the late George O. Swasey who had lived here for fifty years after his arrival in 1908 from the east. The opening of the branch would inaugurate public library service in the West End of Tacoma. At that time it was Tacoma's largest branch library. Norman McDonald would serve as the branch's first librarian. (TNT 9-25-60, C-15, TNT 10-7-60, A-11))

Tacoma Public Library, George O. Swasey Memorial Branch (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma;

A crane is slowly lowering a bomb shelter in a newly excavated hole at the residence of Frederick Pneuman of Fircrest in April, 1961. Tensions were still running high with Russia and thousands chose to build bomb shelters in hopes of protecting themselves from nuclear fallout. Frederick Pneuman, a structural engineer with Douglas Fir Plywood Association, had decided to put an underground unit on the side of his Fircrest home at 630 Maywood Lane. The fallout shelter had been built by Douglas Fir Plywood after two years of research and testing. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. TPL-3834 (TNT 9-3-61, A-6)

Air raid shelters--Fircrest; Hoisting machinery; Pneuman, Frederick--Homes & haunts;

Contemporary home with beautiful view of the Narrows Bridge, ca. 1961. Apparently built on a hillside, this modern home appears to have large skylights and a two-car garage. Two vehicles are parked nearby. This is the home of George Franklin at 636 No. Fairview Dr., and was built for him by famed Tacoma architect, Robert Billsbrough Price about 1956. Mr. Price built schools, temples and even a fire station. The William Weaver family were the second owners of the home, living there from about 1972 to 2003. (Additional information provided by a reader)

Houses--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Tacoma); Franklin, George--Homes & haunts; Weaver, William P.--Homes & haunts;

ca. 1961. The Jack Frost Co. handled commercial refrigation sales and service: designing, building and installing refrigeration units . In spring, 1961, they had one of their Port-O-Units on display which was a drive-in restaurant. It is unclear whether the plywood drive-in was located at the company's 48th & Pacific address. Jack Frost, with its low prices, seemed to have drawn a crowd of young folk to sample its refreshing drinks. Customers came by foot, bicycle and car to indulge in 10 cent cold drinks, 20 cent shakes and 25 cent malts. The portable drive-in restaurant could easily be moved from one business location to another without the expense of removing, and then reinstalling, plumbing and wiring normally sunk in cement floor slabs. All essential plumbing and wiring were concealed in walls and floors. The 10 x 30 foot buildings had room for stoves, ice machines, coolers, dispensers, salad bar and pizza oven as well as a restroom and workroom. Jack Frost Co. was believed to have been the first manufacturer of portable drive-in restaurants in the country. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association. (TNT 2-15-61, D-9)

Jack Frost Co. (Tacoma); Eating & drinking--Tacoma--1960-1970; Drive-in restaurants; Plywood;

A giant robot made of paper cartons is the focus point of the Lile Mayflower booth at the Tacoma Home Show on March 17, 1961. Visitors to the Home Show could register for toy vans and road atlases while checking out the sturdiness of the packing boxes. "Packed with Pride" appears to have been the company's motto. Lile Mayflower was owned and operated by Wendell Lile and located at 403 S. 13th.

Lile Mayflower (Tacoma); Boxes; Moving & storage trade--Tacoma--1960-1970; Greater Tacoma Home Show (Tacoma); Exhibit booths--Tacoma--1960-1970; Signs (Notices);

Boatbuilder attaching wooden ribs to keel. This is possibly Tacoma Boat Building. Photograph ordered by West Coast Lumber Association. TPL-5546.

Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boats--Tacoma--1960-1970;

The February, 1961, sun casts a long shadow of the photographer on the dark parking lot of Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In Restaurant. The drive-in had opened in 1960 near the intersection of Sixth and Orchard. It was owned by William Busch, who also owned a Busch's Drive-In on South Tacoma Way. View of large lot, with extended roof that offered partial coverage of vehicles and walkway to dine-in service at the restaurant.

Busch's Sixth Avenue Drive-In Restaurant (Tacoma); Restaurants--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Two Henry F. Hunt Junior High (now Middle School) students take a break in the peaceful courtyard of the West End school in April, 1961. Wooden benches are placed beside a large square pond which contains a small rock garden with a newly planted fir. The ultra modern school was built in 1958 by noted architect Robert Billsbrough Price and heavily utilized wood instead of the more common brick or concrete. Photograph ordered by Vanzant, Dugdale & Co., Baltimore, MD.

Henry F. Hunt Junior High School (Tacoma); Public schools--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Parking garage at night. View of exterior of Rhodes Department Store's multi-story concrete parking garage with large sign "Park" lit up on March 9, 1961. What appear to be young trees are planted in the parking strip outside the garage; variety of shrubs and plants alongside garage. The ramp-style, self-parking garage provided four levels of parking with no pillars, posts or stall obstructions. Cars could enter and/or leave on Market St. or Court D. Photograph ordered by the News Tribune. (TNT 3-12-61, B-1, 2)

Parking garages--Tacoma--1960-1970; Electric signs;

Customer print. Studio portrait of six-person group, with two of the members in oval additions. Group appears to have been called the SoundSations with Bob Dickinson on soprano sax, Fred Pleske on accordion, Don Mathison and Sandy Miller on guitars, Bryce Anunson, vocals, and Roberta Reed, composer. Original photograph taken on March 31, 1961, for recording publicity purposes. The group's first recording may have been "Daffodil Lane." Photograph ordered by Bob Dickinson.

Music ensembles; Musicians; Singers; Dickinson, Bob; Pleske, Fred; Mathison, Don; Miller, Sandy; Anunson, Bryce; Reed, Roberta; Accordions; Guitars;