You might be hard pressed to find a Tacoma Business, in exhistance at the same location more than 50 years. Rankos is one such place, the art deco-ish pharmacy is located at 101 Tacoma Ave. This vintage little piece of Art Deco was designed and built in 1936 by Cora B. Scherzer and the Macdonald Building Company.
The building originally housed the Gray Goose Coffee Shop and confectionary. By 1940, it had become what it is Today, 69 years later Ranko's Stadium Pharmacy and a Rexall. Correct me if I'm wrong, but after doing the mental stroll this morning, after coffee of course, I can only think of a handful or less of long standing downtown Tacoma Businesses. So kudo's to Ranko's!
If I had a magic wish for Tacoma and people could maybe work together, including Tacoma Power? It would be to find a way to restore the classic neon signs that adorn the entrance. Maybe with a bit of effort, it could be rehab'd into a very classic sign that Tacoma could treasure for years to come.
If neon returned, the otherwise semi-boring street corner would be trasnformed into an exciting era in Tacoma history, rightfully placing the icing on the cake for the Stadium District for may years to come. As far as classic art deco neon, it might even make the cover of future Tacoma coffee table book, or at the very least a photo hanging on the wall at Tully's across the street. (Story Gordon Swetland, 2009)
Update 5/20/10 a few evenings ago, I noticed the yellow Rx sign has been re-lit! Double KUDO's to Ranko's. I enourage everyone to maybe stop by and give them a little thumbs up. It is very nice to see it in working order and it adds a touch of class to the neighborhood. The sign still lacks some neon work, hope-fully it will happen. This pharmacy gets the Then and Now...well done award!
Just curios why the owners have not restored the sign? Did they get a bid that prohibited this from happening? This sign is a real treasure, and it needs to live again. Let's figure out collectively how to make this happen. Count me in!
Posted by: Steve Naccarato | May 23, 2009 at 03:19 PM
Ok, so I wasn't crazy, they did re-light the Rx!
Posted by: Joel413 | May 20, 2010 at 08:27 PM
Well, this is like making a new statement in the market. Having a new logo means a progress. This is indeed a worthwhile experience visiting this site. Continue to inspire us. More power.
Posted by: CFD | January 27, 2011 at 04:05 AM