Keeping up with past and present happenings in a remarkable small town.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Early Downtown Car Dealership ~
Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet
Corner of Main and Brady Streets
11 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I remember this building when it was the location of Kelly Chevrolet and I remember how LONG it took to tear it down (reinforced concrete needed to support cars driving toward the upper floors the likely culprit) for construction of the Mellon Bank drive-in.
I remember the building very well since I bought my first new car there in 1941 - a 1941 maroon Chevrolet Club Coupe. The price was about $750.00 and that included radio and heater.
I remember going into Standard Motors new car show room after school at the old yellow brick Junior High. Looking at the new cars on display (55-57) was a great thrill. We didn't cause any problems and they didn't chase us out. I later bought a car there.
I believe this was originally owned by the Cheeseman family. There daughter Joan Cheeseman became Joan Chandler in Hollywood and starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Rope."
Back in the early 50s on the 4th of July, Butler held the Soapbox Derby on North Main Steet hill. For a couple days before the race our race cars were displayed in the show room at Standard Motors. We raced from halfway up the hill down almost to Penn Street. The winners received Silver Dollars for winning their race. The overall winner received a trip to Akron Ohio to compete against all the winners from all over USA.
I remember watching the big plate glass winows vibrating in and out when a certain early Chevy with duel Glass pack mufflers and a GMC 6 cylinder motor took off from Brady Street going up the hill. How about it,Jonny Reno. What a wonderful place Butler was to grow up in 50s.
Hello Iqqkrn, Have a look at this entry about the Soap Box Derby. Held on Jefferson Street. Maybe that was before the Main Street Derby.[?} Soap Box Derby
A lot of new car dealers have come and gone over the years in Butler. Dick Glenn Dodge, L.J. Forcht Lincoln / Mercury, Gil Morrow Pontiac, Buick at the top of N. Main St., Kagle's Trading Post, ETC. Today everything is a multiplex. At least old Butler County Ford is still there.
I remember how exciting the day the new cars were revealed. It was a big thing for us to troop down to Standard Motors to check out the new Chevys. Won't forget October of 1956 when I saw the new '57s. One Robins Egg Blue/white interior Chevy convertible and a '57 Corvette. Both were fuelies and I fell in love. Fortunatly I have been able to realize my love for fast Chevys.
I remember Standard Motors well. The mechanics used to drive like hell going up the ramps. A neighbor, Meade Thompson, was a Chevy salesman from after the war until he retired. I think that by the late 50's they were owned by someone from Pgh. As a Jr. High student we used to make the rounds of the dealerships looking at the new models every fall. Today, all cars look like lumps of melted ice cream on four wheels. Incidentally, the new car manager at Ford was "Jungle Jim" Lyons.
Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet
11 comments:
I remember this building when it was the location of Kelly Chevrolet and I remember how LONG it took to tear it down (reinforced concrete needed to support cars driving toward the upper floors the likely culprit) for construction of the Mellon Bank drive-in.
James Z.
Tampa, FL
I remember the building very well since I bought my first new car there in 1941 - a 1941 maroon Chevrolet Club Coupe. The price was about $750.00 and that included radio and heater.
I remember going into Standard Motors new car show room after school at the old yellow brick Junior High. Looking at the new cars on display (55-57) was a great thrill. We didn't cause any problems and they didn't chase us out. I later bought a car there.
I believe this was originally owned by the Cheeseman family. There daughter Joan Cheeseman became Joan Chandler in Hollywood and starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Rope."
Back in the early 50s on the 4th of July, Butler held the Soapbox Derby on North Main Steet hill. For a couple days before the race our race cars were displayed in the show room at Standard Motors. We raced from halfway up the hill down almost to Penn Street. The winners received Silver Dollars for winning their race. The overall winner received a trip to Akron Ohio to compete against all the winners from all over USA.
I remember watching the big plate glass winows vibrating in and out when a certain early Chevy with duel Glass pack mufflers and a GMC 6 cylinder motor took off from Brady Street going up the hill. How about it,Jonny Reno. What a wonderful place Butler was to grow up in 50s.
Hello Iqqkrn,
Have a look at this entry about the Soap Box Derby. Held on Jefferson Street. Maybe that was before the Main Street Derby.[?}
Soap Box Derby
Who were the owners of Standard Motors?
A lot of new car dealers have come and gone over the years in Butler.
Dick Glenn Dodge, L.J. Forcht Lincoln / Mercury, Gil Morrow Pontiac, Buick at the top of N. Main St., Kagle's Trading Post, ETC. Today everything is a multiplex.
At least old Butler County Ford is still there.
I remember how exciting the day the new cars were revealed. It was a big thing for us to troop down to Standard Motors to check out the new Chevys. Won't forget October of 1956 when I saw the new '57s. One Robins Egg Blue/white interior Chevy convertible and a '57 Corvette. Both were fuelies and I fell in love. Fortunatly I have been able to realize my love for fast Chevys.
I remember Standard Motors well. The mechanics used to drive like hell going up the ramps. A neighbor, Meade Thompson, was a Chevy salesman from after the war until he retired. I think that by the late 50's they were owned by someone from Pgh. As a Jr. High student we used to make the rounds of the dealerships looking at the new models every fall. Today, all cars look like lumps of melted ice cream on four wheels. Incidentally, the new car manager at Ford was "Jungle Jim" Lyons.
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