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email: agilitynut@hotmail.com |
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| California Car Showrooms & Dealerships (page 4) |
(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)
| Ellis Brooks Auto Center [gone] San Francisco, CA |
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The Ellis Brooks Auto Center was established as Brooks & Cuneo in 1936 when it was a Reo dealership. It became Ellis Brooks in 1937. The dealership moved several times before moving to this location in 1963. The company began selling Chevrolets in 1955. These facade signs were built then or shortly thereafter. I don't know when the rooftop sign was built. When the dealership moved here in 1963, the signs were moved as well. In 2011, Ellis Brooks moved to a smaller building nearby. The letters on the rooftop sign were removed and replaced with letters for the new Nissan Infiniti dealership. The other signs on the building were removed. Ellis Brooks saved the neon "OK" sign and plan to restore and display it inside their new building at some point.
This building was constructed around 1904. In 1915, it housed Earle C. Anthony's Chalmers dealership. In the 1920s, Anthony began selling Packards as well. A succession of other dealerships sold Studebakers, Pierce-Arrows and other makes. In 1935, James F. Waters began selling DeSotos and Plymouths here. The Waters dealership remained here until 1963, adding other makes over the years. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. |
| Don Lee Cadillac Building San Francisco, CA |
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| The Don Lee Cadillac Building was designed by Weeks & Day and completed in 1912. The building has housed the lobby of the AMC 1000 multiplex theatre since 1998. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4. |
| Bentley San Francisco, CA |
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| The Bentley of San Francisco showroom was built in 1937 as the Ingold Chevrolet dealership. Around 1971, it became George Olsen Cadillac which later added Oldsmobile, Buick and GMC. For more, see this photo. [scan thanks Alden Jewell] |
| Earle C. Anthony Packard San Francisco, CA |
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| The Earle C. Anthony Packard showroom was designed by Bernard Maybeck and completed in 1926. The building now houses British Motors. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. |
| former Packard showroom Grass Valley, CA |
former showroom Stockton, CA |
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This former Packard showroom is now occupied by Packard Discount Carpet. The neon sign is still lit at night.
This former Stockton showroom most recently housed King Tire & Wheel. It was built in 1953 for the Crown Motor Company. It appears that cars were sold here until the late 1980s. In 2008, the building was empty. |
| former Ford showroom [gone] San Diego, CA |
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| This former Ford showroom was designed by Walter Dorwin Teague and built from 1936-1937 for the San Diego Motor Co. Later, the showroom housed City Ford (late 1930s and 1940s) and Pearson Ford (1948-1964). The building was demolished in 2010. Teague also designed the Ford Building for the 1935-36 California Pacific International Exposition in Balboa Park which now houses the San Diego Air & Space Museum. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [1937 photo scan thanks Alden Jewell; 2009 photo thanks Gregory May] |
| Lusti Motors San Diego, CA |
Elite Motors San Carlos, CA |
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The Lusti Motors building was built in 1960 for Tower Motors, a Plymouth dealership. The company added other makes in the 1960s including Imperial, Simca, Sunbeam and Renault. In the 1980s, the building housed the San Diego Jeep-Eagle and Saab dealership. Lusti Motors, which was established in 1964, moved into this building in 1997. For more, see this website. [photos thanks Gregory May]
This former Elite Motors showroom was built in 1960 for Neufeld & Freeborn which sold Porsches and Volkswagens. When I was there in 2008, it appeared that the plate glass windows had been missing for years. The remainder of the showroom will probably be demolished soon. This ad from 1969 gives a better sense of what the building looked like originally. [scan thanks Alden Jewell] |
| Drew Ford La Mesa, CA |
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| Drew Ford was established in 1927. This "Roundhouse of Values" building was constructed in 1967. The design was inspired by the Ford Rotunda which was built for the 1964 World's Fair. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [photos thanks Gregory May] |
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More California Showrooms:
former showroom (Isleton) Frank Stilwell Studebaker (Los Angeles) [vintage] Gomer Jones Studebaker (Pomona) Studebaker (Pomona) [vintage] Southern California Car Dealerships Dodge Trucks (Ukiah) |
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CA page 1 |
CA page 2 |
CA page 3 |
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Car Showrooms Main Page |
| RoadsideArchitecture.com |