ca. 1925. Movie posters listing coming attractions decorate the entrance to this unidentified theater in the mid-1920's. For a mere dime, customers could watch Ernst Lubitsch's "Kiss Me Again" or Joe Rock in "Aladdin." Arriving shortly were "No Man's Law" starring Bob Custer and on March 1-4, Lon Cheney's "Phantom of the Opera." Moviegoers could be assured of rapidly changing programs in the 1920's and 30's as most films only stayed in theaters for a few days before moving on. This particular theater apparently did not show matinees except on Sundays as the motion pictures started at 6:15 p.m. on week days.

ca. 1925. Two men flank placard announcing the upcoming arrival of Lon Cheney's "Phantom of the Opera" ca. 1925. They are standing outside the entrance of an unidentified theater that was currently showing Ernst Lubitsch's "Kiss Me Again" and "Aladdin" starring Joe Rock. The men appear proud to present a four-day showing of the advertised Universal masterpiece which featured a cast of 5000+. Price of a ticket was a mere 10 cents, a relative bargain. TPL-1427

Copy of customer's print. This display on the back of a truck urgently implored potential customers to purchase products made of alder timber, readily available in Washington state. This would help the state's economy by keeping residents' money in-state. Buffelen Lumber & Mfg. Co. advised that they would "show you here how valuable it is." Hardwood doors, veneer and panels could all be made from alder. Photograph ordered on March 8, 1979, by Paxport Mills of Tacoma. The original Boland photograph was probably taken sometime in the 1920's. Boland - B3037

Signs (Notices); Lumber industry; Merchandise displays;

Columbian Optical occupied the colonial-styled brick building at 2701 Main Ave. E. in Puyallup. A large sign at the parking lot's entry also indicated that the Puyallup Elks were located further down the road. According to the 1974 Puyallup City Directory, Lloyd Sass was the firm's owner. Photograph ordered by Columbian Optical.

Signs (Notices); Columbian Optical Co. (Puyallup); Opticians' shops--Puyallup;

A giant electric arrow points to a Fife shopping center featuring the IGA Topper supermarket, Dean's UDS (United Drug Stores) and Herron's, on April 3, 1969. A Goodwill deposit box is located under the freestanding sign. Photograph ordered by Riconosciuto Advertising.

Electric signs--Fife--1960-1970; Drugstores--Fife; Dean's UDS (Fife);

Before pictures of sewer project. This suburban area of homes on the Kent-Des Moines Road @ 16th Place would soon have a new sewer project. A small sign dated November 1, 1968, leans against a split rail wood fence. It is possible that the sewer lines will run through the lot enclosed by the fence. Photograph ordered by Wilson Construction.

Signs (Notices); Houses--1960-1970; Sewers;

Before pictures of sewer project showing ground condition. A small sign indicates the vicinity of an upcoming sewer project on the Kent-Des Moines Road @ 16th Place in November of 1968. The area is sprinkled with bare trees, bushes and ground cover. A few mailboxes are in the background. Photograph ordered by Wilson Construction.

Signs (Notices); Mailboxes; Trees; Sewers;

Sign. A large curved sign invited potential buyers to "Westway" in Federal Way in the spring of 1969. The residential development was located at approximately 21st Ave. S.W. and S. 334th. The neighborhood is still in existence in 2005; earlier in 2005, two new homes were built by Habitat for Humanity to revitalize the aging area. Photograph ordered by McMullen Marketing Associates, Bellevue.

Signs (Notices); Neighborhoods--Federal Way;

Garrett Freightlines sign. An enormous "G" stands on top of a Garrett Freightlines sign on company property in July, 1965. A view of Mount Rainier is framed between the sign poles. Garrett Freightlines was listed in the 1965 City Directory as being in the transportation business; it was located on Port of Tacoma Rd. It was a family-run business with C.A. Garrett as president and Wain Garrett as vice-president. Photograph ordered by Garrett Freightlines.

Signs (Notices); Garrett Freightlines (Tacoma);

A clearly marked sign planted in the gravelly roadside points the way to the Kapowsin Lake boat launching area, courtesy of the St. Regis Paper Co., which is apparently beyond the tall trees. St. Regis had recently built a 35-acre yard for dry-land log-sorting and storage in place of using Kapowsin Lake as a storage unit. This freed up the lake for public recreation use. St. Regis owned great stands of timber in the foothills of Mount Rainier, including old-growth Douglas fir and hemlock in the Kapowsin Tree Farm. (1964 St. Regis Annual Report, p. 25)

Signs (Notices); St. Regis Paper Co. (Kapowsin);

Weyerhaeuser advertising. A model in graduate's cap and horn rimmed glasses perched low on her nose points with a ruler to a cartoon drawing touting the merits of Weyerhaeuser's drier, lighter products. There is a wooden toy freight car by her side.

Signs (Notices); Measuring; Eyeglasses; Advertising; Toys; Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1962. Stock footage. A man is standing behind a large sign promoting the city of Tacoma. The 1962 photograph indicates that Tacoma is a growing city, perhaps trying to lure people from the Seattle area. It states that Tacoma is 30 miles south (of Seattle) and has America's lowest power rates. An illustration of the new downtown moving sidewalks, called "escalades" in the local newspaper, may have been there to dispell any notions that Tacoma was behind the times in technology. The Tacoma totem pole, Narrows Bridge, Mount Rainier and boats sought to identify the city as a viable, vibrant location in which to live.

Signs (Notices); Publicity photographs;

ca. 1963. The giant red neon Bank of California sign on top of the Washington Building could be seen from five miles away in April of 1963. It used more than half a mile of high-intensity 60 milli-amp hot tubing and a newly designed pressure pump. The sign was created by the Heath Sign Company which had been established in 1948. The Bank of California National Association was adjacent to the taller Washington Building on Pacific Avenue. The neon sign was scheduled to be formally lit up on Saturday, April 27, 1963. (TNT 4-24-63, A-22)

Electric signs--Tacoma--1960-1970; Washington Building (Tacoma); Bank of California National Association--Associated objects;

In April of 1961 the distinctive neon double 88 sign of the Giant 88 discount store glowed in the evening sky of downtown Tacoma. Mr. and Mrs. Dirk DeLeve opened the Giant 88 store, at 1129 Broadway, in February of 1960. It was located next to the new escalade that carried shoppers on a "moving sidewalk" from Broadway to Commerce Street. The store was the first of its kind in Tacoma; nothing in the store was priced over 88 cents. They carried a stock of over 20,000 items - from ceramics and children's apparel to toys, gifts and cooking utensils. (TNT 2/15/1960 p.6)

Electric signs--Tacoma--1960-1970; Giant 88 (Tacoma); Signs (Notices);

This two-story building would be put up for public auction by the William C. Johnston Realtor firm on March 28, 1960. Richards Studio notes indicate that this is the former Pierce County Health Department location at 24th & Pacific. Built originally for the Sears, Roebuck & Co. in 1928, the building was bought in 1943 by Pierce County first as use for the welfare department. The structure, made of reinforced concrete, had 42,000 square feet of floor space. No bids were made in the public auction on March 28th which left the Pierce County Commissioners pondering what to do next. The building had an insurable value of $250,000. Finally in May, 1960, it was decided to sell the building to Leo Gallagher per his bid of $100,000. Photograph ordered by William C. Johnston Realtor. (TNT 3-28-60, p. 20, 5-4-60, A-18)

Signs (Notices); Pierce County Health Department--Tacoma;

Large signs greeted customers to the new Eric Hayes Nursery in Purdy in early May, 1958. A diamond shaped sign is planted firmly among a new growth of trees. A 15' X 30' white "greenhouse" filled with hanging and potted plants is close to the customer parking lot. The greenhouse was heated by propane gas furnace which kept the temperature perfect for cultivating anthuriums and geraniums. A larger 40' X 72' building, next to the elevated "N-u-r-s-e-r-y" sign, is the main unit containing garden equipment and supplies and additional plants. Eric Hayes, whose nursery bears his name, was a professional English gardner and a member of the Royal Horticultural Society of England. Photograph ordered by the Eric Hayes Nursery. (TNT 3-21-58, A-9)

Signs (Notices); Nurseries (Horticulture)--Purdy; Greenhouses--Purdy; Eric Hayes Nursery (Purdy);

An enormous diamond shaped sign with the letter "H" dangled from the porch ceiling at the Eric Hayes Nursery. The nursery, located in Purdy, had celebrated its grand opening on March 22, 1958. It was situated on a narrow segment of land apparently between two one-lane roads in this rustic community. A large free-form tiled pond, home to water lillies and the occasional bird, provided a welcome atmosphere of tranquility. Photograph ordered by Eric Hayes Nursery.

Signs (Notices); Nurseries (Horticulture); Eric Hayes Nursery (Purdy); Lily ponds--Purdy;

The local Kiwanis clubs provided courtesy cars for dignitaries during the Kiwanis convention held in August, 1958. It appears that a Tacoma police officer was designated as chauffeur for the courtesy car of District Governor Jack H. Murton during the Owen Beach festivities. Seated in the convertible are believed to be Gov. and Mrs. Murton. Photograph ordered by Kiwanis International.

Signs (Notices); Kiwanis International; Convertible automobiles--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Downtown Pacific Avenue was home to large retail and financial institutions. Side-by-side in the 1100 block of Pacific was Peoples department store, Puget Sound National Bank, and National Bank of Washington with the installment credit loan department of N.B.W. in the 1200 block next door. Schoenfeld's enormous sign can be spotted further down the street. The National Bank of Washington had an elevated, possibly rotating clock, on the top of the credit loan building. Passerbys could also tell time by the Puget Sound National Bank Time & Temperature sign; it indicates that it was 74 degrees at the time of this August 19, 1958, photograph. Photograph ordered by Electrical Products Consolidated. TPL-9294

Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960; Clocks & watches; Puget Sound National Bank (Tacoma); National Bank of Washington (Tacoma);

Both Puget Sound National Bank and the National Bank of Washington had large vertical signage on the exteriors of their buildings. Attached to the PSNB sign was a Time & Temperature electric sign; the bank was the first in this area to erect a device giving both the time and current temperature. View of Pacific Avenue, looking toward Old City Hall with bank signage prominently displayed. The National Bank of Washington building was smaller than Puget Sound National Bank; it was built in 1921 in the Italian Renaissance style and used Wilkeson sandstone. Photograph ordered by Electrical Products Consolidated.

Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960; Clocks & watches; Signs (Notices); Puget Sound National Bank (Tacoma); National Bank of Washington (Tacoma); Banks--Tacoma;

A large wooden sign announces to the public that natural gas is piped into all stores in the new Villa Plaza Shopping Center. Newly opened in the spring of 1957, Villa Plaza would serve the growing population of suburban Lakewood with many of the same stores found in Tacoma. View overlooking the shopping center's massive 4,000 car parking lot; Rhodes, Leed's and Lerner Shops exteriors visible. Photograph ordered by Washington Natural Gas Co.

Signs (Notices); Parking lots--Lakewood; Shopping centers--Lakewood--1950-1960; Villa Plaza Shopping Center (Lakewood);

Workmen are putting the finishing touches on the new National Bank of Washington sign at Union and South Tacoma Way on November 11, 1955. The neon signage would be visible many blocks away. The giant billboard was as tall as a four story building; it was 56 feet above street level and over 60 feet wide. It was made of steel, Wilkeson stone and roman brick. A large painting of Mount Rainier is positioned above the bank logo; the same painting has been used on N.B.W. checks for 40 years. The National Bank of Washington had been serving customers since 1885; their customers could be assured that their money was safe as the bank was a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. A reminder to join the Christmas Club was noted on the changeable message board placed against the stone facing. Photograph ordered by Epcon Neon Sign Co. (TNT 11-13-55, A-18)

Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960; Epcon Neon Sign Co. (Tacoma); National Bank of Washington (Tacoma);

The completed neon National Bank of Washington sign in billboard format looms high above the Union & South Tacoma Way area in December, 1955. Three men and one woman stand dwarfed below the enormous sign which was 56 feet above street level and over 60 feet wide. The bank wanted to wish all its customers best wishes for the holiday season and for the year to come. To assure customers of its long-time presence, the billboard also indicates that the bank had been in existence since 1885 and that deposits would be insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. See also D94618-3 for another view of the giant sign. Photograph ordered by National Bank of Washington. (TNT 11-13-55, A-18)

Electric signs--Tacoma--1950-1960; National Bank of Washington (Tacoma); Signs (Notices);

View of unpaved road or alley featuring "private property" sign. On February 27, 1956, a section of South 15th and Pine Streets was photographed on behalf of the National Sales Co. A large 3' by 2' sign clearly stating "Private property. right to use may be revoked at any time" was hammered into the ground of a lot near the edge of an unpaved muddy alley. Small oil tanks and a barrel for burning rubbish are also located in the same yard. Photograph ordered by National Sales Co.

Signs (Notices); Alleys--Tacoma; National Sales Co. (Tacoma);

Heidelberg Brewery sign at Puyallup Ave. & So. J St., ordered by Electrical Products Consolidated. This billboard is probably above 1002 Puyallup Ave. that housed the R.W. Williams Trucking Co. The billboard features the familiar student prince logo of Heidelberg Brewing and a bottle of Heidelberg beer. It invites all who pass to visit the Brewery and "enjoy that velvet tang."

Signs (Notices); Billboards--Tacoma; Advertisements--Tacoma--1950-1960; Publicity; Brewing industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Heidelberg Brewing Co. (Tacoma)--1950-1960;

Site of the new ten million dollar US Oil and Refining Co. on the Tideflats. The plant will be located on a 120 acre site south of Lincoln Ave. The site was an old fishin' hole for Tacoma, as well as a place to beat the summer heat by swimming and a duck hunting area. The soon to be completed dredging of the Port Industrial Waterway will make it possible for large ships to reach the plant. Photo ordered by Howard K. Smith, Advertising. Left hand leg on sign is actually a vertical cut on the photograph. The groundbreaking will take place on July 22, 1955 as part of the 3 day Fun Fair celebration. The target date for full operation of the plant is 12/1/1956; projected peak operating capacity is 15,000 barrels a day of crude oil. The plant's main products will be gasoline, diesel, stove and fuel oil and aviation fuels. The plant will employ 150 people. (TNT 7/8/1955, pg. 1)

Signs (Notices); Petroleum industry--Tacoma; US Oil & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Ground breaking ceremonies--Tacoma;

Night exposure Heidelberg Brewery. The highway along Pacific Avenue near 30th St. appears surreal as it was photographed at night on August 26, 1954. Highlighted billboards extolling the virtues of Burgermeister Beer, Best Foods Mayo, Chevron oil changes, Connie's Cafe and CH Sugar dot the landscape. Wavy, seemingly-neon stripes decorate the roadway. The Heidelberg Brewing Co.'s buildings, off in the distance, stand out like lighthouses in the night. Photograph ordered by Heidelberg Brewing Co.

Billboards--Tacoma--1950-1960; Heidelberg Brewing Co. (Tacoma); Signs (Notices);

Puget Sound Auto Electric Company was hosting a "Delco" batteries and automotive parts sales convention. "Delco" battery signs are advertising the many uses and advantages for choosing "Delco". "Delco" products are ideal for tractors, cars, buses, trucks and diesel operated vehicles. View of "Delco" Battery sales representatives at New Yorker Cafe, photo ordered by Puget Sound Auto Electric Company.

Signs (Notices); Electric batteries; Automobile equipment & supplies; Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Tacoma; Puget Sound Auto Electric Co. (Tacoma); New Yorker Cafe (Tacoma);

Puget Sound Auto Electric is hosting a "Delco" batteries and automotive parts sales convention at the New Yorker Cafe. Delco celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year. An unidentified man, possibly a "Delco" sales representative, stands behind an advertisement for "Delco" automotive radios. The circle of a "Pigskin Pete" sign surrounds six men. Delco Battery Dealers, Tacoma News Tribune and Tacoma Recreation Commission sponsored the event. Ordered by Puget Sound Auto Electric Company.

Signs (Notices); Radios; Automobile equipment & supplies; Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Tacoma; Puget Sound Auto Electric Co. (Tacoma); New Yorker Cafe (Tacoma);

Night exterior of IGA Foodtown with neon signage.