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A Commencement Bay Journey

Washington Chapter APWAHistory Committee

Pat BrodinJohn CarpitaBob Moorhead

A BC

D

XE

G

H

J

I

K

Port of Tacoma

Commencement Bay

F

A: Tacoma DomeB: LeMay Car MuseumC: Brown and HaleyD: Cable Stay BridgeE: Museum District F: Thea Foss WaterwayG: 11th Street/Murray Morgan BridgeH: Old City Hall and Northern Pacific Railway Headquarters BuildingsI: Foss Waterway Seaport Events CenterJ: TEMCO Grain Elevator K: Old Town Tacoma

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A: Tacoma Dome

• Largest wooden building when completed in 1983.• Major upgrades planned for 2017-2018.• Large enough for indoor football.• Venue for state high school basketball championships.

B: LeMay – America’s Car Museum

• Opened in 2012.• More than 400 cars on display in 15 galleries.• Some say it has the appearance of the front

fender of a 1958 Cadillac.

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C: Brown & Haley Candy

• Harry L. Brown owned a small confectionery store.• J. C. Haley worked for Schilling and Company, a spice company, and

had a flair for sales and advertising.• Their candy business was incorporated in 1914.• By 1916, Brown & Haley was marketing a full line of candy products.• Signature products include Almond Roca and Mountain Bars.

D: Cable Stay Bridge• Opened in 1997.• Twin towers are 180 feet tall. • Two spans totals 707 feet.• One of only 13 such bridges in the nation.

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E: Museum District

• Washington State History Museum 1996.

• Museum of Glass 2002.

• Bridge of Glass 2002.

E: Museum District

• Tacoma Art Museum 1963.

• Union Station 1912 now Federal Courthouse.Designed by Reed & Stem, architectsof New York’s Grand Central Station

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F: Thea Foss Waterway• Story of Thea Foss and the rowboat. Made more money than

husband Andrew as a carpenter.• Tugboat Annie.• Foss Maritime.• Change from working seaport to gentrification.• EPA Superfund Cleanup Site.

G: 11th Street/Murray Morgan Bridge• Designed by Alexander Waddell, who also designed Columbia River

Interstate Bridge.• Water mains over the top.• Murray Morgan, local college instructor who wrote about local history

while employed as the night shift bridge tender in the little house on top of the lift span.

• Renovated by WSDOT c. 2009 even though no longer a state highway.

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H: Old City Hall and Northern Pacific Railway Headquarters Buildings• City Hall built in 1893.• Northern Pacific Railway Headquarters Building 1888.

I: Foss Waterway Seaport Events Center• Heavy timber truss members 12” by 18” by 160 feet long, each made

from a single tree.• Foss Waterway Development Authority.• Originally the Balfour Dock Building.

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J: TEMCO Grain Elevator

• Originally built by Port of Tacoma in 1975. • Leased to Cargill/TEMCO.

K: Old Town Tacoma• Job Carr Cabin• Original site of historic Tacoma• Docks, wharves, warehouses, sawmills along waterfront (1880s to

1950s)• Ruston Way now known locally as “Restaurant Row,” site of 4th of July Fireworks and other community celebrations

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Credits NARRATIVE• National Park Service Coast Starlight Trails & Rails Guide PHOTOS• Bridgehunter.com - K. A. Erickson• Historylink.org • Wallflower Photography• Washington State Historical Society• Blue Water Shipping• LeMay Car Museum• Google Maps• Wikipedia