A look at what life was like in Tucson in the 1950s
Tucson was active in the mid-1950s.
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Congress and the freeway
Original caption from Tucson Citizen on January 26, 1956: Traffic shown here crossing the Freeway at Congress Street will be routed up overpasses permitting a constant flow of Freeway traffic without interference from cross traffic.
T6 aircraft
Nearly 142 surplus U.S. Air Force T6 aircraft sit at the Downtown Airport near 36th Street and Kino Parkway in December, 1957, awaiting to be dismantled. The aircraft were used to train pilots in World War II.
Porter's Western Store
A new glass front at Porter's Western Store, 120 North Stone Ave., was installed on August 15, 1957. The improvement increased the selling area by 15 percent allowing expansion of the men's clothing department. The store was next to the Pioneer Hotel.
Mt. Lemmon Air Force Station
Rustic and unfinished (note the handmade bar stools), but still a decent place for officers to get a beer and watch the Lucy show at the Mt. Lemmon Air Force Station in May, 1957.
Mt. Lemmon Air Force Station
A "modern, electrically-equipped kitchen" kitchen churned out hot food and hot coffee on those cold nights at 9,150-feet at the Mt. Lemmon Air Force Station in May, 1957.
Mt. Lemmon Air Force Station
The height finder antenna and artic tower at the Mt. Lemmon Air Force Station in May, 1957. Sitting at 9,150-feet, it was the said to be the highest radar installation in the world.
Colossal Cave
Joe Maierhauser inches into a tight space deep within explored spaces of Colossal Cave in April, 1956.
Amphi Plaza Shopping Center
The Amphi Plaza Shopping Center, at North First Avenue and East Fort Lowell Road, was a vibrant, bustling shopping center featuring a Jarrold Drug store, Goldwyn's, Goodman's, McLellan's, Wilson's furniture store and a Southern Arizona Bank on December 4, 1957.
Filming of '3:10 To Yuma'
Glenn Ford, left, and Van Heflin in the 1957 filming of "3:10 to Yuma."
'A' Mountain
University of Arizona students, following the tradition established by students throughout the years, burn the "A" on A-Mountain in 1957.
Ed Brown
University of Arizona track and field athlete Ed Brown in 1957.
'Lone Ranger' filming in Tucson
Clayton Moore, Mr. "Lone Ranger" himself, filming in Tucson in 1957.
Ted DeGrazia
Ted DeGrazia with his 1957 oil painting "Los Niños", which was a best-selling UNICEF card in 1960.
'Stranger at Soldier Springs' filming at Old Tucson
Movie Set at Old Tucson for "Stranger at Soldier Spring" starring Joel McCray and Joan Weldman, in January, 1957.
Catalina High School
Catalina High School in Tucson on opening day in January, 1957.
Raul Castro
Pima County Deputy County Attorney Peter Rubi (left) and his chief, Pima County Attorney Raul Castro, pause outside the South Tucson Town Hall to take a look at one of the documents confiscated from the tax rolls.
Cleveland Indians
Citizen Photo February 27, 1956 Babe Herman (left), one-time hitting star of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and his son Don (center) watched proceeding this morning at Hi-Corbett Field with Cleveland Indian Manager Al Lopez on February 27, 1956.
Mt. Lemmon prison camp
Mt. Lemmon federal prison camp in 1957.
Mt. Lemmon fire
A fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains topped the ridge on June 18, 1956, and was clearly visible to people in Oracle as well as thousands of Tucsonans.
North Stone Avenue
North Stone Avenue, between Pennington and Alameda streets, on July 19, 1956, was busy with construction as work began on the new $1 million JC Penney building and an addition to the Jacome's department store.
Elvis Presley at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds
Sheriff's deputies escort Elvis Presley to his car after a press conference at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds in June, 1956.
Marana Air Force Base
The Marana Air Force Base in 1957. It was later known as Pinal Air Park and Evergreen Air Center.
Pima Verde Shopping Center
The new Pima Verde Shopping Center at the north east corner of East Pima Street and North Craycroft Road was nearing completion on March 29, 1956. A new Food Giant Supermarket occupied the corner space on the left and a drug store eventually settled on to the space at the other end with several businesses in between.
University of Arizona Homecoming
The 1957 UA Homecoming parade on Stone Ave in downtown Tucson passed by the Pioneer Hotel and Tucson's biggest department stores: Steinfeld's, Jacomé's and J.C. Penney.
University of Arizona Homecoming
"Flush Marquette" float in the 1957 UA Homecoming parade in downtown Tucson.
Dave Bloom and Sons
Dave Bloom and Sons men's clothing at the northwest corner 6th Ave and Congress in 1956. The company moved to that location in 1931.
35 E. Pennington St.
35 E. Pennington, the site of the "new Woolworth Building" in May, 1956.
Standard Oil gas station
Standard Oil gas station and Albert Steinfeld Hardware at 100 N. Stone Ave. in 1957. They were demolished to build the new J.C. Penney building. It is now the main library plaza.
Ivancovich Building downtown
The Ivancovich Building at 33 E. Congress St., center, and Skaggs Drug Center in 1957. The Ivancovich was a Walgreen Drug Store before being demolished to make way for the Woolworth Building.
James Cash Penney in Tucson
James Cash Penney, far right, the founder and chairman of the board for J.C. Penney Co., stands in front of one of his newest stores in his chain on North Stone Avenue on September 16, 1957.
KDWI-TV in Tucson
Tucson rancher D.W. "Doc" Ingram, owner, left, and GE engineer John Terziev at KDWI-TV, Tucson's third broadcast television station, just before going on air in May, 1956. The station call letters were Ingram's initials.
KDWI-TV in Tucson
The control room at KDWI-TV, Tucson's third broadcast television station, just before going on air in May, 1956. It's now KGUN-9.
Levy's beauty shop
Levy's new Antoine beauty shop along on the store's new third floor in downtown Tucson in March, 1956. Pink tiles covered the floor, the chairs were pink leather and all fixtures were in pink hues.
Levy's Department Store
Levy's in downtown Tucson in March, 1956.
Jayne Mansfeld
Actress Jayne Mansfield with boyfriend (later husband) Mickey Hargitay, left, and notable actor Broderick Crawford at Tucson International Airport in March, 1957. The trio was in town for a party at a local dude ranch. Actress Mariska Hargitay is their daughter.
Marana Air Base / Marana Air Park
T-6 single-engine trainers and a single B-25 Mitchell bomber on the flight line at Marana Air Base in June, 1957, shortly before it was decommissioned.
Nat King Cole
Singer and entertainer Nat "King" Cole and Arizona Governor Ernest W. McFarland exchange autographs while at the Tucson Municipal Airport on May 3, 1957. They were fellow passengers on a flight from Phoenix. Cole was performing in a concert at Tucson High School and McFarland was at a Lions Club convention. McFarland is the only Arizonan to serve in three branches of Arizona government: he was a US senator, governor and the chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court.
New JC Penney building on North Stone Avenue
Interior of the then new JC Penney on North Stone Avenue during opening day on September 19, 1957. The founder, JC Penney himself, was present for the new 62,000 square foot store. The store was located next to the Jacome's and Steinfelds department stores. Over the years all the buildings were torn down and replaced by the Joel Valdez Main Library. At the time Penney's had 1,700 stores in its chain.
Trip to Nogales
Nogales, Sonora, bars in July, 1956.
Trip to Nogales
Highway sign on Old Nogales Highway south of Tucson in July, 1956.
One-room Redington School
Grace Wittwer teaches the 10 pupils in seven grade levels at Redington School, along the San Pedro River east of Tucson, in February, 1956. Valentine's Day decorations hang from the ceiling. There was no electricity, but a wood-burning stove kept things warm.
One-room Redington School
One of the students rides a saddle horse to school and tethers it to a tree behind Redington School, along the San Pedro River east of Tucson, in February, 1956. Some kids traveled 24 miles to school.
Pima County Animal Shelter drop-off
Ray Hanson demonstrates the new night depository for dogs and cats at the Pima County Animal Shelter on Oct. 20, 1956. Previously, people would just set the animals loose on the grounds after business hours. Or worse, they would have to make a second trip! Thankfully the dogs the cats went into separate holding pens.
Southern Arizona Heart Association
The Southern Arizona Heart Association offered recordings of your hearbeat (i.e. a vinyl record) at the 1957 Pima County Fair – a keepsake so you can fondly remember the days when you had a heart.
Tucson Winter Playhouse
By the time the workers are done the arena will accommodate 600 seats so people can watch professional theater in Tucson in early January 1956, even though it is under a tent. It was part of the Tucson Winter Playhouse at the Rillito Park.
Steinfeld's Department Store
This is a 1957 photo of the exterior of the Steinfeld's Department Store on the southwest corner of North Stone Avenue and West Pennington Street.
Steinfeld's under construction
This is a 1957 photo of the Steinfeld's Department Store during remodeling. It was on the southwest corner of North Stone Avenue and West Pennington Street.
Stone Avenue
Stone Avenue looking north from 17th Street in Tucson in March, 1957.
Latimer Building, East Pennington
Construction workers' cars sit atop the Latimer Building on East Pennington in March, 1957.
View from the Mayer building
Tucson looking east from the Mayer Building, on Alameda west of Toole, in August, 1957. Tucson High School is at the upper left.
The Fox Tucson Theatre
The Fox Tucson Theatre after an $80,000 remodeling that included a box office and an all glass front in Oct, 1956.
Fox Tucson Theatre lobby
The lobby of the Fox Tucson Theatre in 1956.
Fox Tucson Theater
The Fox Tucson Theater on Congress Street in Tucson after a remodeling in 1956.
Downtown Tucson aerial
This is an undated (circa 1956) aerial of downtown Tucson, Arizona. North Stone Avenue is in the photograph along with the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen building in the bottom left of the photograph. Also in the photo is the Pioneer Building, upper left, and the Pima County Courthouse, middle right.
Tucson Inn
Photographers Ben Maxey and Stan Davis draped the Tucson Inn with more than three miles of wiring and 600 flash bulbs to create this amazing night image in 1957. The photographer was 78-feet aloft in a concrete bucket dangling from a crane.
Tucson firefighters
Tucson Firefighters work on a vintage 1928 pumper at a city fire station in 1956.
Tucson Fire Department
Tucson Fire Department dispatcher Ellis Franklin on duty at the radio desk in 1956 when the city had seven fire stations. Today, there are 21 fire stations.
UA computing
Three of 50 students working in the Data Reduction Center at the University of Arizona on March 5, 1957. The instruments are the electroplotter, automatic typewriter, Boxar, which handles pictures, and Oscar, which analyzes graphs into numbers.
UA computing
Engineers from IBM are shown installing the IBM 650 at the University of Arizona on Feb. 26, 1957.
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