Bob’s Java Jive was built 1927 at the Port of Tacoma by veterinarian Otis G. Button and was then transported to 2120 South Tacoma Way (Pacific Highway/US 99). Opening as a coffee shop, it was but one of many eye-catching structures being built along the nation’s growing highway system. During Prohibition, the Java Jive purportedly served as a speakeasy and brothel, with bootleggers’ tunnels below ground.

Bob Radonich purchased the Java Jive in 1955. He turned it into a jazz club and tiki bar, fitting out its interior with thatch, fake tropical plants, tiki paintings, and two monkeys. The bar later hosted many of the Pacific Northwest’s favorite grunge bands and appeared in several movies. Derek and Richard Walden purchased Bob’s Java Jive in 2021 hoping to revive its reputation as a music venue, and they left much of its old décor intact.

This image shows the Java Jive in 1985. The neon sign over the door reads “Dine & Dance”.

Caption information source: “Bob’s Java Jive in Tacoma is still in awesome (coffeepot) shape”, by Tantri Wija, Pacific NW Magazine, The Seattle Times, January 15, 2024. Retrieved at https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/bobs-java-jive-in-tacoma-is-still-in-awesome-coffeepot-shape/