The Tacoma Armory
715 South 11th St
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma Armory Circa 1920
Photographer Unknown
Photo: Sam Carlson, April 1999 |
Photo: Sam Carlson, April 1999 |
The Tacoma Armory was a National Guard Armory that was used for a variety of public events, including the infamous Tacoma Armory dances and Battles of the Bands. The building was completed in 1909. A portion of the building is still used to this day by the National Guard, but the remainder has become a county jail facility. The building's very first use was for a dance... a military ball on New Years Eve, 1909
Some of the bands that rocked the Tacoma Armory or fought it out in the battles of the bands in the 1960's were:
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Marilyn Lodge & the Bluesettes Blue Illusion The Bootmen The Champs The Castlemen The Desolutes Jerry Dillon The Dimensions The Dynamics The El-Caminos The Elegants |
The Furies The Galaxies Don & The Goodtimes The Intruders Buddy Knox The Marshans The Noblemen The Olympics Plymouth Rockers Ltd. Pink Mahdlo & the Promotions The Princetons |
Rhythm Orchids Paul Revere & The Raiders The Regents The Statesmen The Solitudes The Sonics Tiny Tony & The Statics The Viceroys The Wailers Stick Willie Woody Carr |
The Princetons were to play there with the Champs (of Tequila fame) one year but the union wouldn't let us because they were black-balled by them. We went and watched them though. I talked to Jim Horn of the Champs 35 years later and he remembered."Daniel P. Chapman, December 2011
