The Great Depression that began in 1929 drastically impacted the local economy of Tacoma. Government programs and military spending helped the city recover — Camp Lewis expanded into Fort Lewis, McChord Field became Tacoma Municipal Airport, and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge was built with Public Works Administration funds, only to collapse in a windstorm four months after it opened. Homeless people began settling on the waterfront in Tacoma’s Hooverville in 1924, and as families from the McKinley and Hilltop areas were evicted, the population boomed from November 1930 through early 1931. Take a look at these historical photos of Tacoma, WA, from the 1930s.
The upper level shows a row of men and women, with a few more men and women standing at ground level. This hotel was one of the most important buildings in late 19th century Tacoma, designed by Stanford White. It burned down in 1935.
The Dorothy Apartments, 301 N. Tacoma Ave., at the corner of North Tacoma Avenue and North Third Street, Tacoma.
Two women sit at desks on the left, and a woman stands on the right. There are many card cabinets in the office.
Tacoma Commencement Bay waterfront industrial area looking towards the southeast, Pierce County. The dome of the Tacoma Union Station, water towers, smokestacks, and various buildings are visible in the distance. The immediate waterfront area in the foreground shows large-scale industrial activity. Workers are not present, and the names of the businesses are not visible. The view is part of a large series of photographs related to the construction of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
A man with goggles on works on a grinder. Behind him are bicycle wheels, bird cages, clocks, and a treadle sewing machine.
Two workers are shown kneeling on the bridge deck, installing bolts to brace a long bridge suspension support beam.
Automobiles are parked on both sides of the street and in traffic.
The image is taken from in the street beside parked cars. Automobile traffic in both directions is stopped for a traffic signal in the image center. Automobiles are parked end to end on both sides of the street.
The first Tacoma Narrows Bridge toll booth stations were constructed, ca. 1939–1940. Three workers installed “Stop Pay Toll” signs at the nearly completed Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Several ladders are propped against the toll station entrance. The bridge opened to traffic on July 1, 1940, and collapsed on November 7, 1940.
An elevated view of businesses on the Tacoma, WA tideflats, and the city in the background, taken from Eastside Drive. Logs enclosed in log booms float in the water in the foreground.
A woman is climbing down from an upper-level window at the Tacoma Hotel to escape the fire, October 17, 1935. The woman uses an improvised bed sheet ladder and is assisted by a fireman directly below and another man standing at the hotel window. A great deal of smoke is present, and another man is visible climbing down from a lower-level hotel window.
Photo taken at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Eleventh Street in downtown Tacoma, WA, looking west, the length of Eleventh Street. Business buildings line the street, with several automobiles and a streetcar.
A large group of Tacoma employees stands in front of the Goodwill Industries building at 2365 South Tacoma Avenue, Tacoma, WA. The building was designed by Frederic and Stanley T. Shaw, architects, and dedicated.
Downtown Tacoma, WA buildings and the tideflats, viewed from an elevated height, with Mount Rainier in the background.
From left to right, standing in front of the store: Moriichi Yamane, his wife Yoshi Yamane, and their son, Kazuo Yamane.
A truck is parked in front. The building is large, multi-storied, white, with many windows.
Cars are parked on the street. Towers of the Old City Hall and Northern Pacific Railroad Headquarters buildings are in the photo center. Edward Nolan collection.
Three construction workers stand on the barge deck, appearing to help anchor the tugboat to the barge.
An overhead loader or steam shovel dumps soil into a waiting truck while one construction worker stands nearby and shovels dirt.
The crowd of people walk, bicycle, and ride horse carriages through the park. Many women hold sun umbrellas, and a large American flag and gazebo are visible.
An automobile is parked in front of the entrance. Personal message and canceled stamp on reverse. Edward Nolan collection.
The men all wear hard hats. One has a wrench dangling from his waist.
The Winthrop Hotel is in the lower-left foreground. The Eleventh Street Bridge over City Waterway (now Foss Waterway) and the tideflats are visible behind the hotel and other buildings.
The image is taken from the side of the street. Rain covers the street and pools against the curb at the right image edge. The rear of four automobiles in traffic is in the image center, waiting for an overhead traffic signal to change. The Tacoma Drug Co., with signs for Coca-Cola, is at the image left edge. Commercial buildings line both sides of the street in the image center and near the right edge, and some business signs are partially legible.
The image shows the view looking northeast across Commencement Bay and Foss Waterway. The Tacoma Hotel is on the left overlooking Commencement Bay. Railroad tracks can be seen in the distance on the far right, crossing diagonally over the tide flats.
Across the lower edge of the photo are cable car tracks. Several cars are parked on the street and being driven. Two women cross between two cars in traffic. At the left edge of the photo, part of the First Baptist Church is visible. There is a sign for the Rialto Theater in the center background and a portion of the Medical Arts Building. A building in the right half has a painted sign for Rhodes Brothers.
Automobiles line both sides of the street, and two delivery trucks are visible. The Old City Hall and old Northern Pacific Railroad Headquarters Building are partially visible in the image center.
A large sign in the background advertises: “Rowe’s Coffee Roasted Fresh Daily.” Bottles rest on the countertop, and various signs in front of the counter indicate the type of coffee and price. In the far background, signs advertising “bacon, beef, and pork” are visible, and a few customers are shopping.
Four streetcars are on Broadway, and automobiles are parked on both sides. Commercial buildings are on both sides of the street.
Black and white, close safety film negative image of the Lincoln High School girls’ swimming team — 19 smiling girls wearing bathing suits, standing and posing on the exterior steps.
Male and female pedestrians are on Broadway in the image lower right, and 3 automobiles are parked on the street. Eleventh Street is in the image lower left.
A shared covered front porch is in the center of the building, with separate gable roofs over each of the second stories. A sign in a window at image right reads: Rooms for Rent.
Ruston Way is visible just above the image’s lower right edge. Automobiles are parked on the near side of the street and by the office building above the image lower center edge. The mill buildings and yards, many stacks of lumber, and 2 cranes are visible across the image lower half.
The image shows St. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Company’s Camp 5. Mount Rainier is visible in the distance on the left. Two sets of railroad tracks run past buildings in the camp. Large tree stumps can be seen among the buildings. A man in a white shirt and dark pants can be seen just to the left of a large stump in the center of the image.
Three women are at sewing machines in the image left. A small girl’s head peeks out behind a woman hand-sewing near the image’s upper-left edge. Nine women are sitting and hand sewing at a table in the image right.
Twenty-eighth Street extends from the image center foreground to the center-right in the middle of the image. The following cross streets run parallel to the image’s horizontal edges. Carr Street is in the image foreground, with 3 people in the middle of the street. McCarver Street is below the image center. Starr Street is roughly at the image center. Two houses with gambrel roofs are at Starr Street and Twenty-eighth Street, towards Commencement Bay.
Two delivery men stand by a packaged item on the curb nearby. The store name behind them is not visible. Signs on its awning and front read: Books, Stationery, Radios.
The City Waterway, later known as Thea Foss Waterway, is to the right of center, the tide flats are in the image center-right, and Commencement Bay is in the upper image center. Brown’s Point is in the right background.
The building was located at the 4400 block of No. 45th Street.
A few cars and a truck with the word “Democrat” on the side are in front of the buildings.
The French Drug Co., a Rexall store, is on the ground floor. Using the E.R. Parker System, Painless Parker Dentist has advertised on the floor above.
The foreground shows a sign over the Chappell & Grimes restaurant and cigar store at 946 Pacific Avenue.
Two lines of students walk by on either side of the band. On the sidelines, in the foreground, are a group of football players. Spectators are seated in the bleachers on the left. Cars are parked in front of the bleachers and on the side of the field closest to Commencement Bay.
There was a gas pump in front and a post office. An automobile is parked in front. Further down the street, a bus and car can be seen on the road. The Baldwin Building shows a boot hanging out front for Baldwin’s Shoe Repair. Beside the building is a sheet metal newspaper delivery box for the Tacoma Ledger. The photo also shows a garage with Red Crown Gasoline and Kelly Tires advertisements.
