Founded in Tacoma in 1924, the Pacific Match Company produced over 80 million wood stick matches per day at its peak production. White pine from Eastern Washington and Idaho was turned into brand name matches such as Sunset, Fire Chief, Lite King and Red Head in the factory at 3223 So. Union Avenue. Pacific Match closed in 1964, largely due to competition from the Diamond Match Company of Ohio. Bowen 2647.

Tacoma Ice Co., 2602 So. Holgate St.; photograph taken from Delin Street across the gulch in June of 1931. The plant was built in 1923, designed by A.W. Sterrett, and is on the City Registry. The ice plant was the first portion built in 1923 for $250,000. It had the capacity to produce 100 tons of ice daily and used 40 miles of piping. The cold storage warehouse was completed in 1925 for $90,000. Photograph ordered by the York Ice Machinery Co. of Seattle. Bowen # 310-230

On August 6, 1931 a fire, caused by defective wiring, gutted the building at 1140-42 Broadway. The fire started at 5:55 a.m. on the second floor, in the Johnson Paint and Wallpaper Company store, and quickly spread to the third floor and roof. The fire raged stubbornly for nearly three hours despite the efforts of more than three dozen firefighters. Bowen # 310-277

ca. 1930. The Medical Rheumatic Center at 114 South 24th in Tacoma was run by Dr. William H. Goering. A sign on their concrete/stone building indicated they treated joint diseases. G18.1-049 (filed under BU-12914)

ca. 1931. Built in 1901 by J.E. Bonnell for the Sunset Telephone Co., this building was later occupied by Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Co. It is on the list of City and National Registry sites. This photograph was taken about 1931.

ca. 1937. Puget Sound Feed Co., 302 E. 26th St., Tacoma. The feed store was constructed in 1937. They were authorized dealers for Albers Feeds. Two trucks were being loaded for delivery at right and a worker can be seen through the empty loading dock door front, wheeling feed sacks on a dolly as two men at ground level watch.

ca. 1931. Broadway businesses. This is how one side of Broadway appeared circa 1931. The Warburton Building at 1101-03 (far left) was the first concrete building erected in Tacoma. It housed the French Drug Co. on the lower level and the E.R. Parker Painless Dentists above. At the near right was the equally tall Montgomery Ward & Co. store, in the New York Building (1117-19), the former home of the Horgan-Parker and Fair Department Stores. Between the two tall structures were smaller businesses including the Broadway Electric Co. and Kimball's Gun Store.

Rasmus P. Rasmussen and his West End Fuel Co. served Tacoma's West End and Day Island areas from 1913 to 1935. In the 1920s, Rasmussen advertised "dependable delivery" of fuelwood on the side of this Mack truck which is equiped with chain-driven spoke wheels.

ca. 1908. Man standing next to Tacoma Steam Laundry wagon piled high with bags of laundry.

Hill Hardware Co. wagon & driver at east end of Wagon Bridge, Steilacoom Lake. Driver is C. L. Whitney. In 1908 the Hill Hardware Co. was at 2317-2319 Pacific Ave.

ca. 1908. Tacoma Steam Laundry wagon and driver. The wagon is piled full of bags of laundry. Even the driver's seat is packed, leaving no room for him to sit. From copy negative. Similar to BROWNING-073.

ca. 1908. A group of men, women and children crowd into a butcher shop - probably in South Tacoma. Various cuts of meat are on display including a whole smoked pig. Four butchers, in white aprons, are standing behind the counter.

ca. 1910. Clown with top hat on unicycle. Street is paved with brick. Building to rear of clown has signs for "Baldwin Real Estate" and a large banner for a clothing sale starting March 31st.

Brown's Conservatory of Flowers was celebrating their re-opening; they had just gone through a remodeling and expansion of their flower shop. Brown's had invested approximately $67,000 in the latest flower ideas. Interior view of Brown's Flowers; an unidentified man is in the decorating room, this room has the floral arrangement supplies, including a flower spray painting machine; ribbons are lined up under the cabinets (T. Times, 12/16/48, p. 14-15).

Florist shops--Tacoma; Flowers--Tacoma; Decorations--Tacoma; Business enterprises--Tacoma; Commercial facilities--Tacoma; Brown's Conservatory of Flowers (Tacoma);

Brown's Flowers had one of the most qualified flower staffs in all of Tacoma. Patsy Johnson was a wedding specialist, Hazel Freeman specialized in center pieces and bowl arrangements, Margie Leingang specialized in corsages, Larry Rucker specialized in funeral arrangements, and William Durrall was the greenhouse supervisor. Interior view of Brown's special order and arrangement room, refrigerated cabinets and storage compartments are located below the spacious counters (T. Times, 12/16/48, p. 14-15).

Florist shops--Tacoma; Flowers--Tacoma; Decorations--Tacoma; Business enterprises--Tacoma; Commercial facilities--Tacoma; Brown's Conservatory of Flowers (Tacoma);

Brown's Flowers had an extra wing added, roof gardens and an apartment were also an addition on the second floor. The building houses a large display room, rock garden, corsage room, special order room, and the store is proud to offer their customers new and exotic flowers from South America and Hawaii. View of Brown's Flowers modern display case, a recent addition in the remodeling project (T. Times, 12/16/48, p. 14-15).

Florist shops--Tacoma; Flowers--Tacoma; Window displays; Decorations--Tacoma; Business enterprises--Tacoma; Commercial facilities--Tacoma; Brown's Conservatory of Flowers (Tacoma);

Griffin Fuel Company delivered coal, oil, wood and charcoal to the Western Washington area. Ed Griffin was the President and General Manager of the tacoma office. Ed attended Stadium High School, the University of Washington and the Harvard School of Business. Interior view of Griffin Fuel Company, an unidentified office worker is working on customer accounts; photo ordered by Diebold Inc., locked file cabinets and safes dealers.

Fuel supply; Fuel--Tacoma; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Locks (Hardware); Safes; Office equipment & supplies; Office furniture; Office workers--Tacoma; Fuel trade--Tacoma; Griffin Fuel Co. (Tacoma); Diebold, Inc. (Tacoma);

Griffin Fuel Company was started at the turn of the 20th century by Fred Griffin, his son Edwin Griffin was now running the Tacoma office. The company was a leader in the fuel delivery industry in Tacoma and Seattle. Interior view of Griffin Fuel Company, new filing cabinet is opened and files are pulled out; new filing cabinet would ensure account security. Photo ordered by Diebold Inc., locked file cabinets and safe dealers.

Fuel supply; Fuel--Tacoma; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Safes; Locks (Hardware); Office equipment & supplies; Office furniture; Fuel trade--Tacoma; Griffin Fuel Co. (Tacoma); Diebold, Inc. (Tacoma);

Olga Maijala (later Massie), a Griffin Fuel Company office worker, is busy filing customer account information into a new lockable file cabinet in December of 1948. The cabinet was purchased from the local distributer of cabinets and safes manufactured by Diebold, Incorporated. In the pre-computer, pre-"paperless" age roll-top cabinets like this were used to keep accounts in order and under lock and key. Besides the main lock on the rolling top, each separate drawer had its own lock. Griffin Fuel was a major local fuel delivery company in business since 1889. Photo ordered by Diebold, Inc. (Additional identification provided by a reader)

Fuel supply; Fuel--Tacoma; Offices--Tacoma--1940-1950; Safes; Locks (Hardware); Office equipment & supplies; Office furniture; Office workers--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fuel trade--Tacoma; Griffin Fuel Co. (Tacoma); Diebold, Inc. (Tacoma); Maijala, Olga;

The most famous resident of E.L. Irwin's B&I Shopping Center was not a store owner, customer or employee, he was an endangered Western Lowland gorilla named Ivan. Mr. Irwin bought Ivan and a female gorilla, Burma, as infants from an animal trader in 1964. The young gorillas were born in the wild in the Congo, present day Zaire. The female died soon after arrival, but Ivan became a family favorite, even living with the Irwins until his strength became overwhelming. In 1967, he went to live permanently at the B&I in a 14 x 14 concrete and steel cage. He remained there for 27 years, until he was donated in 1994 to the Woodland Park Zoo. He was on permanent loan to the Atlanta Zoo, where he was the star of their Ford African Rainforest habitat. Ivan died in Atlanta on Monday, August 20, 2012

Gorillas; B&I Circus Store (Tacoma);

Ivan, the shopping mall gorilla, looked out from his cage at the B&I on September 5, 1973. He had been a resident at the B&I since 1967. He was acquired by store owner E.L. Irwin in 1964 from the Congo and lived the first few years of his life as one of the family. As his size and strength grew, he was moved permanently to the store. For 30 years, he drew the young and old to the mall. As attitudes towards animals in captivity changed and as zoos gave up their cages for spacious naturalistic "habitats," a "Free the Gorilla" campaign developed. Ivan was the source of much publicity and discord until 1994, when the endangered Western Lowland gorilla was donated to the Woodland Park Zoo. He was on permanent loan to the Atlanta Zoo, where he died on Monday, August 20, 2012

Gorillas; B&I Circus Store (Tacoma);

A playful Ivan the gorilla approached the camera in September of 1973. For 27 years, from 1967-1994, Ivan was the most famous resident of the B&I Circus Store, 8012 South Tacoma Way. Store owner Earl (E.L.) Irwin purchased Ivan and another infant gorilla from an animal trainer in the Congo in 1964. The pair were intended to publicize the B&I. The female Western Lowland gorilla died soon after arrival, but Ivan became a favorite of the Irwin family and took up residence at their house. By 1967, Ivan's strength, natural curiosity and playfulness ruled him out as a house pet and he went to live at the B&I full time. As attitudes toward captive animals changed with the time, Ivan's fans became the core of a "free the gorilla" movement. In 1994, the Irwin family donated Ivan to the Woodland Park Zoo. The Western Lowland gorilla was on permanent loan to the Atlanta Zoo, where he died on Monday, August 20, 2012 .

Gorillas; B&I Circus Store (Tacoma);

Ivan the Gorilla, pictured here on September 5, 1973, was synonymous with the B&I Circus Store. People came from far and wide to see Ivan and visit the heavily advertised "Biggest Little Store in the World." That was exactly what owner Earl Irwin hoped for when he purchased the infant gorilla from an animal trader in the Congo in 1964. At first, Ivan lived with the Irwins as a family pet. By 1967, his size and strength made him a domestic liability and he was moved permanently to the pictured home at the store. He remained there for 27 years until 1994, when he was first donated to the Woodland Park Zoo and then loaned to the Atlanta Zoo. Ivan died in Atlanta on Monday, August 20, 2012

Gorillas; B&I Circus Store (Tacoma);

Ivan, the shopping mall gorilla, stared pensively into the camera from his cage at the B&I Circus Store in September of 1973. Ivan, a Western Lowland gorilla (now an endangered species), had lived in this 14 x 14 cage since 1967. B&I owner Earl (E.L.) Irwin had bought Ivan from an animal trader in the Congo in 1964. Irwin, a master showman, intended to use Ivan to draw crowds to the store. Ivan lived up to his part. From 1967-1994, people came to the B&I to visit with Ivan. As attitudes towards captive animals changed with the times, a "free Ivan" movement developed. After much contention, the Irwin family donated Ivan to the Woodland Park Zoo in 1994. They in turn loaned him permanently to the Atlanta Zoo, where he died on Monday, August 20, 2012

Gorillas; B&I Circus Store (Tacoma);

Ivan the gorilla posed in the doorway separating the two rooms of his cement and steel home at the B&I Circus Store, 8012 South Tacoma Way, in September of 1973. This was Ivan's home for 27 years, from 1967-1994. When it was constructed in 1967, the cage was state of the art. However, as time passed and zoo animals were released from their cages and introduced to "habitats," Ivan still remained alone at the B&I. A "free Ivan" movement developed and in 1994, the Irwin family donated Ivan to the Woodland Park Zoo. The Western Lowland gorilla was on permanent loan to the Atlanta Zoo, where he died on Monday, August 20, 2012

Gorillas; B&I Circus Store (Tacoma);

B&I Circus Store owner Earl Irwin was a master showman and an expert at promotion. His longest running promotion for the store was Ivan, the shopping mall gorilla; pictured here in September of 1973. The gorilla, acquired by Irwin in 1964, was a permanent resident at the B&I from 1967-1994. He lived in a steel and concrete cage with no contact with others of his species. In 1994, after years of controversy over his captivity, he was donated to the Woodland Park Zoo. The Western Lowland gorilla was on permanent loan to the Atlanta Zoo, where he died on Monday, August 20, 2012

Gorillas; B&I Circus Store (Tacoma);

Awaiting construction of their new district office building is the staff of Allstate Insurance Company. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held on August 31, 1971, at the south end location adjacent to the Tacoma Mall. Costs for the new building were expected to run $200,000. The 9,450-foot one-story structure, faced with Marblecrete, a quartzite white gold aggregate, would be built on the southwest corner of Ferry and South 48th St. Once completed, Allstate's staff would move from 622 Tacoma Avenue South where their office had been since 1956. Allstate's district office served nine southwest Washington counties. (TNT 8-22-71, B-8; TNT 9-1-71, A-7 article)

Allstate Insurance Co. (Tacoma); Insurance companies--Tacoma--1970-1980; Ground breaking ceremonies--Tacoma--1970-1980;

Groundbreaking ceremonies for Allstate Insurance Company's new district office near the Tacoma Mall were held on the morning of August 31, 1971. Three Allstate employees in hard hats man the shovels in front of piles of dirt. A large drawing of the anticipated building is on display. The new $200,000 office building would be erected on the southwest corner of Ferry and South 48th St. The one-story structure would be built of reinforced concrete by the Jack A. Benaroya Co. of Seattle. In addition to underground parking for 18 cars, an outdoor lot with 42 spots would be provided. Once completed, staff would relocate from Allstate's present office at 622 Tacoma Avenue South. (TNT 8-22-71, B-8 - article; TNT 9-1-71, A-7 article)

Allstate Insurance Co. (Tacoma); Insurance companies--Tacoma--1970-1980; Ground breaking ceremonies--Tacoma--1970-1980;

The new Allstate Insurance Co. building was open for business in early January of 1972. It was located at 2102 South 48th St., across from the Tacoma Mall. Groundbreaking had occurred on August 31, 1971, for the $200,000 building. Photograph ordered by Allstate Insurance Co.

Allstate Insurance Co. (Tacoma); Insurance companies--Tacoma--1970-1980; Office buildings--Tacoma--1970-1980;

The new Allstate Insurance Co. building was located on the southwest corner of Ferry and South 48th St., across the street from the Tacoma Mall Shopping Center. Construction of Allstate's district office had been completed in four months. The Jack A. Benaroya Co. was the $200,000 structure's builder. Photograph ordered by Allstate Insurance Co.

Allstate Insurance Co. (Tacoma); Insurance companies--Tacoma--1970-1980; Office buildings--Tacoma--1970-1980;