Photos of Vintage Auto Dealerships, Repair Shops, and Gas Stations

carlover said:
This historic structure really should be preserved and probably designated a landmark. It needs to be restored to it's original glory.
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It was donated to the City of Goleta by Ty Warner, it has been granted historic landmark status at least at a local level.


Alan
 
Wayne, NJ.

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Rochester, NY. The GM Rochester plant. I think I was in this place after it became Delphi.

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No location, but some cool signage and Studebakers.

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One of our "friend's" (Don Lee) dealer buildings. We have him in the LA area too (posts #80-81 above)

Don Lee Cadillac, built 1921, corner of Van Ness at O'Farrell, San Francisco, CA. Renaissance Italy and Spanish Colonial combined styles.

If you know/studied the "Wild Wild West" of the first 20 years of the 20th Century, there were hundreds of car manufacturers.

Back in the Packard posts in this thread, I called that era analogous to the "Gold Rush", and the auto companies in Detroit area were like the "Silicon Valley" firms (hardware and software) in that the first ones to get the world OFF of horses, and INTO cars, was gonna get RICH. And they did.

It is mind-boggling how much money the early car guys made .. after the industry shakeout of the 1920's .. was the manufacturing and engineering technology in the product that you can draw straight lines to what we have today in these machines.

And .. even the folks (e.g. dealers like Don Lee and countless others in the game early) that opened the architecturally stunning "palaces" to sell cars in the case of luxury brands (Cadillac, Packard, etc.).

sources: National Register #01001179: Don Lee Building in San Francisco, California, Art & Inspiration - vintage car dealership photo thread

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Today
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amazinblue82 said:
This one made me kinda sad. I dont know anything about Indy .. this area might have seen better days tho (barriers on the windows).

Its still there as of 2019, and I think if you were looking at it in person you'd think it used to be a cool building 80 years ago (still has its stainless steel trim in the art-deco style). You wouldn't have known probably it had a big "spark plug" sign tower.

502 Fairfield Ave, Indianapolis, IN

circa. 1930's
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2019
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@david hill
 
27 Kings Highway, Audobon NJ.

Another one .. if you didn't know what it was, you wouldn't know what it was.

circa. 1950
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Today
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Location unknown, though street address migh be in that circle between "Honest" & "John"

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Miller Krueger Dodge in Libertyville, Illinois. Note hood raised slightly in the rear for fresh air intake/hot air exhaust. That's a trick for the classes were you can't run a hood scoop.

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Looks like it's still in business.

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Tom Bell Union Chevrolet (a Yenko dealer too) 2200 Lamar Parkway, Memphis. A distinctive architectural style for the showroom circa 1940's.

I don't know Memphis, but the building appears to still be there though now its a church.

THe size of building and layout of the parcel though ... screams former dealership to me

circa. late 1950's
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Today? I bet --- yes.
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Yes,
501 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020 (Google puts it in the wrong block (should e at 5th not 4th))
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The church is a few blocks away (seen under the LA in Cadillac)
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Alan
 
amazinblue82 said:
Tom Bell Union Chevrolet (a Yenko dealer too) 2200 Lamar Parkway, Memphis. A distinctive architectural style for the showroom circa 1940's.

I don't know Memphis, but the building appears to still be there though now its a church.

THe size of building and layout of the parcel though ... screams former dealership to me

circa. late 1950's
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Today? I bet --- yes.
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Neither building were at that location in 1958
Vintage aerial could be very late 58 and the picture was taken shortly before the building being torn down.

Alan
 
I just counted the arched windows and door placement on the dealer building and compared to church and figured a retrofit matched up good.

and then the modern aerial says "dealer" to me .. big giant building, proximity to curb, huge overhead doors, with a big asphalt (and a strip building) lot for used cars.

this is where I got the Lamar address. source: Union Chevrolet Memphis Tennessee - The Supercar Registry
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you're right tho ... i cannot confirm they are the 1940's Union building is same as the church building (I forgot about using the historical aerial site).
 
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amazinblue82 said:
I just counted the arched windows and door placement on the dealer building and comparent to church and figured a retrofit matched up good.

and then the modern aerial says "dealer" to me .. big giant building, proximity to curb, huge overhead doors, with a big asphalt (and a strip building) lot for used cars.

this is where I got the Lamar address. source: Union Chevrolet Memphis Tennessee - The Supercar Registry
View attachment 568165View attachment 568166

you're right tho ... i cannot confirm they are the 1940's Uniion building is same as the chruch building (I forgot about using the historical aerial site)
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I don't doubt the church was once a dealer, it was there in 1963.


Alan
 
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