Tacoma: Pylon-era Safeway, Pacific and 84th

[TheStranger]

Saw this photo in the Tacoma collection...

http://search.tpl.lib.wa.us/images/dt3. ... 192945PM38

Anyway, the building appears to be there still, looking at an overhead at Google maps.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe= ... iwloc=addr

The Tacoma library listings for Safeway addresses shows two different addresses for the site: 208 South 82nd Street, and 8202 Pacific Avenue. (Not sure if there was a pre-pylon building at that corner.)

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Here's another Tacoma Safeway of interest, a marina at the Highland Hills shopping center photographed in 1971 with the high-arch design.

http://search.tpl.lib.wa.us/buildings/b ... hash=S&i=3

According to a Google map business-directory search, the current Safeway is now at 6201 6th (a block to the west) while that address presently belongs to a Gottschalks in the shopping center.

[tkaye]

I can tell you about both.

The Tacoma library listings for Safeway addresses shows two different addresses for the site: 208 South 82nd Street, and 8202 Pacific Avenue. (Not sure if there was a pre-pylon building at that corner.)

It's ironic, because I just went by 84th and Pacific today and made a point to take a good look at this building as I went past. Yes, it's still there... it's a bit hidden because it does not have any sort of frontage on Pacific Avenue. The rear of the building is oriented toward Pacific Avenue and there is a row of buildings, including a bank branch, between it and Pacific. Another address I have seen for this site is 215 S. 84th St., which is probably the most accurate considering that the parking lot access is via 84th. I noticed that "Taylor Auction" was in big yellow letters on the side of the building, so I did a little searching... lo and behold, here are a couple of pictures: http://www.taylorsauction.com/funpage_files/fun_07.jpg
and http://www.taylorsauction.com/funpage_files/fun_08.jpg

This store was built in 1954 as a replacement for Safeway #108, on the same site, which was destroyed in a fire the previous year. Pictures of the aftermath of the fire, as well as an interior photo taken a year before can be found here: http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/i ... 24807AM666 The original store opened was one of six Tacoma stores Safeway opened in June 1941. It was remodeled and expanded in 1951.

Back to the building that's there now -- Safeway stayed there until 1981. They tried to purchase the buildings between the store and Pacific Avenue and failed, so they sold the property and it was immediately turned into a giant photo lab. The interior was gutted but the exterior was untouched, except for the removal of the Safeway signage and the pylon.

---

Here's another Tacoma Safeway of interest, a marina at the Highland Hills shopping center photographed in 1971 with the high-arch design.

http://search.tpl.lib.wa.us/buildings/b ... hash=S&i=3

According to a Google map business-directory search, the current Safeway is now at 6201 6th (a block to the west) while that address presently belongs to a Gottschalks in the shopping center.

The current Safeway is actually on the same site... the Library photo database has the Safeway address incorrect. The Marina, which had opened in 1966, was torn down around 1988 in favor of a new store. A Wigwam discount store next door opened the same time as the Marina store. Here's a few things I scanned from the grand opening section in the newspaper: http://us.a2.yahoofs.com/users/LaitKHbs ... e.,+Tacoma

http://us.a2.yahoofs.com/users/LaitKHbs ... e.,+Tacoma and http://us.a2.yahoofs.com/users/LaitKHbs ... e.,+Tacoma

The Gottschalks is a different building at the east end of the center that was built in 1955 as a Big Bear supermarket, which later became a Lucky. As a department store, it has been expanded to considerably, easily doubling the size of the building. After Lucky left the area, Lamonts moved in... this is one of the stores Gottschalks acquired when Lamonts went belly up in 2000. This is the only building left from the original Highland Hill construction -- there was a lot of demolition last year, removing most of the storefronts that were between Safeway and Gottschalks. Here it is when it was Big Bear: http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/i ... 13445AM781 and http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/i ... 13351AM263

There's a lot of info here, I know, so enjoy!

[TheStranger]

Thanks for those photos!

Actually, the stuff on that Highland Hill marina does present an interesting point: while the "high-arch" prototype (which I've always generally associated with the late sixties, particularly ) was used on that store, you posted a while back photos from another opening day, the marina Safeway in Puyallup - same year, but the older "level arch" design (where the wing roof is not lower than the marina arch roof).

Wonder if those two stores had the same architect or not...

[tkaye]

Wonder if those two stores had the same architect or not...

It would be interesting to find out. As part of a strip, it's clear that the Highland Hills raised arch set it off from the boxy Wigwam and drug stores on both sides. Since the Puyallup store stands alone, perhaps they felt it wasn't necessary as an architectural device.

[TheStranger]

Wonder if those two stores had the same architect or not...

It would be interesting to find out. As part of a strip, it's clear that the Highland Hills raised arch set it off from the boxy Wigwam and drug stores on both sides. Since the Puyallup store stands alone, perhaps they felt it wasn't necessary as an architectural device.

I do wonder if there were practical advantages to the high-arch design, seeing how much it supplanted the level-arch design from 1967 on.

The high-arch 30th Street/Mission Street store in SF is standalone, for comparison, but granted, that opened in 1968. 1966 looks like a transition period between the two designs.

One other explanation is that Safeway could have had a basic design from 59 (winged and wingless variants) and then the architects put their own "spin" to it, creating the subtypes we see now.

Are/were there any other marinas in Tacoma, come to think of it? I may have posted a couple in the Northwest Safeway thread but it's been a while.

[tkaye]

To the best of my knowledge, there were/are four Marinas in Tacoma:

The aforementioned Highland Hills store at 6201 Sixth Ave. (1966)
2411 N. Proctor St. (1967 -- still in operation with a new facade, Store #3424)
112 112th St. S. (1965 -- now a United Foodservice Cash & Carry; in its final days under Safeway ownership in the late '80s, this store was used to test the Food Barn warehouse concept)
707 S. 56th St. (1966 -- also still in operation with a new facade, Store #1594)

From a 1972 Tacoma phone book listing, I count three pylon stores, three gabled stores, and four Marinas in operation in the city and immediate suburbs at that time.

It's just a general observation, but I think the gabled roof was much more common in the Northwest. Perhaps it was considered more rustic and fit in with the surroundings better.