Stepping Back in Time: A Night of Networking and Nostalgia in Tacoma

On a sweltering Thursday evening of July 17, 2025, members & guests of the Tacoma Pierce County Chamber of Commerce filled the parking lot at 2926 Steele Street, eager to see inside of the Willamette Building. After passing through a large factory door, we stepped into the True Links showroom, which looked like a boutique clothing & shoe store. A large group of attendees, along with the tempting charcuterie food for the networking event hosted by the Tacoma Pierce County Chamber, were given a ride on the antiquated freight elevator. The freight elevator had a well-worn wood floor and an iron gate you can see through as we rode to the 5th floor. Questions about the history of the building, which is the oldest freight elevator in Tacoma and the tempting food was the talk of the riders. After the gripping ride, we arrived on the 5th floor and were greeted by 20-foot-high ceilings, sturdy wood beams, grey bricks and steel barn doors all around us. Looking around it was captivating to imagine how caskets, dining room tables, China cabinets, office furniture, classroom desks and so much more was built here over several decades.

 A Little Background

Constructed in 1907, the Willamette Casket Company building was designed by architect Frederick Heath, and the building contractors were the Cornell Brothers. The factory was formerly located on East 25th & E Street and opened the first week of January 1908 at the intersection of Steele Street & the Northern Pacific tracks. The Willamette Building was known as one of the finest buildings in the Northwest and the largest factory west of St Louis. Mr. John T. Hickey served as President & Manager for 100 employees where they not only manufactured caskets but also had a showroom where you could pick out a casket for a loved one. In 1916 the Willamette Casket Company ceased operations, and the Gregory Furniture Manufacturing Co. began producing furniture in the building. Mr. Edwin Gregory had 105 employees who had moved his operations from the east side of Tacoma to its new home. An article from The News Tribune speaks very favorably of the Gregory Furniture Manufacturing Co. and states: “Where everything turned out by the company is manufactured from rough lumber and no manufacturing is shipped in by the company.”
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In 1945 the building was sold to F. S. Harmon Manufacturing Co. which was led by Mr. Allan T. Crutcher, president. The F. S. Harmon Manufacturing Co. was started by Mr. Fremont Harmon in 1888 at South 21st & Dock Street. By 1909 Mr. Harmon, president and owner, had 150 employees and a payroll of $10,000 a month. A vital business in Tacoma, you can imagine Mr. Harmon arriving each day, checking with his employees to see how the work was being done or how their day was going. Mr. Harmon was “one of the most familiar figures in the business community,” as stated in the Tacoma Daily Ledger 1909. Mr. Harmon was a board member of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce, the Tacoma Country & Gold Club and a noble of the Afifi Temple, Order of the Mystic Shrine. He died in 1939 with a substantial estate consisting of $100,000.00. Each of his daughters were given $1,000.00 and the rest of his estate was placed in a trust for his grandchildren. Fortunately, the F. S. Harmon Manufacturing Co continued to be managed by his devoted business partners, including Mr. Crutcher. 

In a help wanted ad from 1950 the F. S. Harmon Manufacturing Co. was looking for men or women as experienced paint sprayers for a paid a rate of $1.61 an hour. In 1961 a “Clean Up Sale” was held where decorative hardware, upholstery supplies, paper bags and off grade mirrors were just of the few items for sale. In 1962 F. S. Harmon Manufacturing Co discontinued manufacturing upholstered furniture & draperies and the Milton J. Wershow Company of Portland, Oregon, held an auction with hundreds of items for sale including factory trucks, veneer clippers, band saws.  gear head motors, and 7 ½ acres of the property. During the 1960s White Star Van & Storage began operations within the building, and other businesses who operated out of this location included Off Center Furniture & Item House. 

As I left this enjoyable networking event, I thought of Mr. Hickey, Mr. Crutcher, Mr. Gregory & Mr. Harmon and how proud they would be to see the building where their businesses grew and provided a livelihood for their employees, still being used and which houses a variety of small businesses today. I am sure they were smiling as I walked across the parking lot to go home. 
 
Submitted by:
Patty Rivers Mannie, Tacoma Historian
Tacoma History Comes Alive!
July 18, 2025