Dining and dancing on a luxury ocean liner? The Top of the Ocean (2211 Ruston Way) offered mid-century Tacoma just that. But this boat didn’t float. One of the city’s finest restaurants, it was destroyed and burned down by the mob in 1977.
Building on Tacoma’s Waterfront
Tacoma’s postwar economy looked promising when investors decided to construct a restaurant along Ruston Way. Built to look like a sleek luxury ocean liner, the unseaworthy “ship” rested atop pilings. But to visitors, the restaurant looked like it had just pulled into port.
Designed by Tacoma architect Charles Alonzo Kenworthy (1876-1952), the restaurant was built by Tacoma Boat Mart. Total costs were estimated at $262,000.
With its nautical theme, the restaurant was named “Top of the Ocean.” At first, it was called “Rau’s Top of the Ocean” in honor of co-owner Allen Rau, who had gained regional fame with Rau’s Chicken Dinner Inn. In its final years, the restaurant would be called “Herringbone Tucker’s Top of the Ocean.” Tucker wasn’t a real person, but a character made up for marketing purposes.
With sweeping views of Commencement Bay, the “ship” had three decks. The first deck held the restaurant and dance floor, as well as private dining rooms. The second deck had a private club, lounge, and bar. The third deck housed the offices of the Tacoma Athletic Commission. The ship could accommodate 700 customers. The second deck also had slot machines during the TAC years.
While most diners arrived by car, there was also a floating dock where as many as 20 private yachts could moor. A seaplane taxi service to the restaurant was available on Sundays.
Dining on Commencement Bay
In December 1946, the Top of the Ocean was “christened” with a bottle of champagne by 11-year-old Sheila Sundgren, the other co-owner Bert Sundgren’s daughter.
The restaurant was sold to the Tacoma Athletic Commission in 1948. They sold it to businessman Roger W. Peck in 1951. It would undergo several more changes of ownership over the decades.
But even as the owners changed, the Top of the Ocean remained one of Tacoma’s finest. It served lunch and dinner, with a focus on seafood and steaks. There was a smorgasbord (or buffet) on weekends, with discounted plates for children. Adults enjoyed live music and dancing. There was no cover charge.
As Tacoma’s leading restaurant, the place was a popular spot for balls, school proms, conventions, fashion shows, club meetings and formal dinners. The Daffodil Festival queen was crowned there for many years. The Tacoma Athletic Commission held its annual Water Carnival nearby.
The beloved restaurant was nicknamed the “Floating Dance Palace,” “The Boat That Didn’t Float,” or simply “The Top.”
Fire at the Top of the Ocean
Everything seemed to be going fine until the fire broke out.
Early Sunday, April 3, 1977, two young boys went out fishing near the Top of the Ocean. Minutes later, they heard an explosion. The restaurant was on fire. They flagged down a car, and the driver sent an alarm. It was 6:55 a.m.
Arriving on the scene, firefighters discovered the building fully involved and called in a second alarm. It would take approximately 61 firefighters and 12 major pieces of equipment, including a fireboat, over two hours to bring the fire under control. Five firefighters were injured. Most suffered minor injuries from glass, but one needed surgery for a severed tendon and another was overcome by smoke inhalation. The restaurant was left as a burnt-out shell.
Onlookers crowded to watch the fire. Among them were the owners. They must have suspected the fire was no accident.
Investigation Leads to Reform in Tacoma
Investigators immediately suspected arson. Paint thinner containers were found in the wreckage. Then came a tip: taxicab driver Richard Black had dropped off a man near the restaurant shortly before the fire, helping him unload paint thinner containers.
David Levage, a 27-year-old unemployed Tacoma man, was arrested the next day. Among the overwhelming evidence against him, his fingerprints were on the containers. His defense was disjointed and rambling. Levage was convicted of first-degree arson in June and sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison.
But he had not acted on his own. The Top of the Ocean case became part of an ongoing FBI investigation into “The Enterprise,” an underworld gang run by Tacoma mobster John Joseph Carbone. The organization used extortion, assault, arson, and bribery to run a network of insurance fraud, protection rackets, prostitution, and illegal gambling. Levage was one of their arsonists.
In 1978, 15 people were indicted for multiple charges at the U.S. District Court in San Fransico. This included Pierce County Sheriff George V. Janovich, who had his deputies ignore prostitution and illegal gambling for his allies and harass rival nightclub owners. He also took bribes and falsified arson investigations.
After a three-month trial, most of the defendants were found guilty.
Following the scandal, the people of Pierce County demanded reform of their government. In 1980, voters approved changing Pierce County from a three-person commission system, which had fostered favoritism and corruption, to a seven-member council and a county executive.
Tacoma’s Lost Restaurant
Initial plans to rebuild the Top proved too expensive, and the ruins were demolished. The site stood empty until the late 1990s, when Parks Tacoma acquired the property and built a planked walkway over the water as part of the Ruston Way Waterfront.
In 2007, the Tacoma Historical Society dedicated a monument at the site, featuring a sculpture by Paul R. Michaels that depicts the beloved restaurant in its heyday. Standing along the shore, one can almost hear big band music and laughter. The party’s just getting started.
