5402-5406 South Tacoma Way (1927)

At the corner of S 54th & South Tacoma Way next to the Airport Tavern in the South Tacoma Historic District stands the Hallock Building. Built in 1927 as an auto showroom for McKee Motor Co., it was named for owner and developer, Dr. Paul Hallock. Dentist Paul Hallock built the aptly named Hallock Building as a business venture in 1927. Hallock’s own office was located across the street at 5401½ South Union Avenue (now South Tacoma Way). The first tenant was Luther McKee of McKee Motors, a Hudson-Essex car dealership in operation until McKee’s death in 1929. In 1931, a hardware store opened at this site. The store, in operation from 1931 until 1938, was owned by Frederick Lang. Like many of Tacoma’s early residents, Lang was an immigrant.

When it first opened, newspaper accounts celebrated the building's "sparkling terrazzo tile" floors, an innovation especially suited to auto showrooms. After a succession of auto dealers, the Hallock Building was home over the years to several other businesses, including Totem Food Stores, Thriftway, Safeway, and a Bank of California branch.

The building's developer, dentist Paul Hallock is also associated with the building across the street currently occupied by SURGEtacoma. It's where he had his dentist office. As he told a newspaper when he retired in 1939 (with a 50-lb box of molars he'd pulled over the years), "It just goes to show what a kid can do when he wants to save money. I didn't send my money back to the stock market, I kept it here and helped to build South Tacoma with it."

The first tenant was Luther McKee of McKee Motors, a Hudson-Essex car dealership in operation until McKee’s death in 1929. In 1931, a hardware store opened at this site. The store, in operation from 1931 until 1938, was owned by Frederick Lang. Like many of Tacoma’s early residents, Lang was an immigrant. A native of France, he arrived in Tacoma in 1907 and served in the military during World War I. In 1938, Totem Stores Inc. opened a grocery store on the main floor which was replaced in 1942 by Safeway and in 1945 by Thriftway, which remained at this location until 1954. Until 1938, a variety of physicians, attorneys, and other professionals rented office space on the second floor. Most notable among them was Dr. Edward Perry, an Ohio native, who was a heart surgery specialist. After practicing for some time in Louisville, Kentucky, he moved to Raymond, Washington and served as an army surgeon during World War I before moving to Tacoma in 1919. Dr. Perry served as Pierce County Coroner until his death in 1934. The upper story became the Eagle Hotel in 1938, which was followed by the Garland Hotel in 1942.

The photo shows the building when it was used by Safeway, although the ramp for cars to access the front showroom is visible to the right of the building, and the first corner bay by the cross street shows the boarded opening that would have allowed cars to enter the structure. The transoms on the front of the building were covered from the inside when a dropped ceiling with more substantial electric lights was added. The upper story of the building still has most of its integrity. The lower floor has been altered over time, the transoms have either been covered up or removed and the recessed front entry has been pushed out to the street. The far south end of the main façade still has the building’s name visible over the door, and an original transom.

Historic South Tacoma Way. Tacoma, WA. Historic Tacoma Press, 2011.