Tower Motors, Glendale, CA.
Berl Berry Lincoln-Mercury, Los Angeles, CA.
Irwin Motors, Laconia, NH.
Dickerson Motors, St. Louis, MO.
Tower Motors, Glendale, CA.
Irwin Motors, Laconia, NH.
Cox-Fitz Motors Inc., Florence, SC.
Devon Lincoln-Mercury, Ann Arbor, MI.
Merlin Motor Co., Camden, NJ.
Duffield Lincoln-Mercury, Long Beach, CA.
Foxgate Lincoln-Mercury, Memphis, TN.
Gorgeous imagery Rich. Tower Motors is especially attractive, as the architecture almost outshines the cars. The studio-like setting looking 20 years more modern, than the autos. Showroom designers deserved acclaim, if not awards. A clean and elegant presentation, others dealers could have emulated across the continent.
Berl Berry Lincoln-Mercury another beautiful work. The bridge-like structure almost lends a McDonalds-like quality to the scene. Reminds me of the Vimy Bridge, here in Ottawa.
Even the more modest L-M dealers here, are nicely presented.
The “Woody wagon” shot is awesome!
Found this one online last year. Definitely a blended dealership… Nice line up of brands
We actually had a discussion on that image here earlier this year:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/vintage-snapshots-and-photography/vintage-dealer-postcard-sr-lincoln-mercury-comet-triumph-fiat-one-stop-shopping-from-luxury-to-super-cheap/
I love the sight of a Lincoln and TR-3 sharing showroom space.
I have to agree. The Berl berry & Tower motors structures have me mesmorized at how they redefine ‘mid-century modern’ in their designs. To have been a fly on the wall there say, back in `53-54 to me would have been heaven. Presentation is everything in the business, and so many of these dealers deserve mention on how well they did it. Make mine a loaded mint green `54 Sun Valley with a dark green top!
In the first pic, the vivid contrast between the very elegant, modern, and upscale dealership architecture and the typical suburban setting across the street, is especially stunning.
With all the auto memories we cherish it is surprisingly seldom we consider the dealerships that made these rides possible. These dealerships were often amazing places where our parents were real friends with someone working there. Thanks for the post. For me it is a reminder of my own childhood. Our salesman was a family friend and relative. The flashy 2 story showroom was blissfully lit up at night featuring the cars on the second story. Impressive to us back then.
Devon L-M was proudly offering “English Ford” there for a minute in 1963 (ish) but by 1966 (ish) that sign was gone, as were the English Fords.
There were still two of those “rattling round” my home town “circa “1969ish”.
One blue, one yellow, as I recall.
Wonder if that ’49 (’50? ’51?) Mercury woodie still exists?
An unclosed hood is a sure sign of quality!
I love that last photo with the line of Mark IVs. It may be hard to believe, but back in the day, they were as common as Teslas are now!
Devon L-M in Ann Arbor – can you imagine a place where you would feel less special in buying a new Lincoln? The Berl Berry dealership in LA – something else altogether.
I just noticed the giant twin arches in the Berry building. They look very much like the early McDonalds buildings – I wonder if this dealership was an influence or if it was just part of a trend.
The Berl Berry dealership opened in 1951, but by 1959 was Walker Brothers Rambler.
There’s an extensive pictorial history of that block of Wilshire Blvd. here:
https://wilshireboulevardhouses.blogspot.com/2014/02/wilshire-after-its-houses-please-see.html
Nothing seems to last very long there!
I thought the same thing about the Devon Lincoln-Mercury building, and expected it to be in a small rural town, rather than someplace like Ann Arbor. These pictures were taken just after the dealership opened, and within a few years they moved into a more modern-looking dealership building a few miles away.
Amazingly, this original showroom and garage building is still standing. Thought the building’s been resurfaced, you can tell it’s still the same structure by the window and garage bay openings:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/q8jku8NyKfjeoyNz8
Did not know this iconic and long-lived Ford Lincoln-Mercury signage design, originally had the rotating Ford logo element. Very 1960s.
Branding style, I grew up with. With the widely-kerned dealer name in all caps.
Capris, Comets, and Panteras, featured over the luxury cars.
This is the first time I have ever seen a “rotating” Ford logo in the classic FoMoCo corporate signage. It is reminiscent of the rotating “GM” logo on the long time GM dealer signs. I have seen some that had the rotating GM and others that did not.
Tower Motors’ architecture was pretty forward-looking at the time, so my eyes expect nothing older than, say, a 1955 model.
TM appears to have been reworked/replaced (RH side of Glendale image), but it’s interesting to compare with two buildings across the street:
Cox-Fitz must have been the butt of a few jokes.
Excellent observation….I’m still laughing, inapropriately so.
On a related topic nothing points our the cultural descent (change, if you’re so inclined) of the once iconic American design and manufacturing car business and the larger cultural context where we seem be heading pell mell nto an indistiguishable future of “world” cars and blah architecture that makes it hard to distinguish one area of America from another.
Happy I grew up in the “other” America.
Devon Lincoln-Mercury was typical of the L-M dealerships found in smaller cities and towns. Most had taken the franchise post WWII after the Lincoln-Mercury Division was formed during October 1945. Mercury was poised to boom in that first decade of the generally ascendant medium-priced nameplate sales.
When the market turned, L-M dealers had some pretty lean years until the Comet came to save the day. Before that, they got saddled with an Edsel franchise after the one-year stand-alone program collapsed of its own stupidity. Although large urban L-M dealers were better at creating an upscale environment and experience, for smaller outfits, the occasional Lincoln sale was not the core of their business.
Our “LM dealer”was very small right up to it’s last days.. Think it was about “1985-6″.
Showroom did two cars if I’m recalling clearly.
Sat in a clearly ‘residential neighborhood”.
The photo of Merlin Lincoln-Mercury in Camden NJ really caught my eye.
The road in the foreground is divided by a Jersey barrier.
I did a little reading up on these barriers. They were introduced to roadways in 1959 by the New Jersey State Highway Department.
Since the cars at the dealership look to be early 1960’s models, we may be looking at a pioneering application of this barrier design which can now be seen on freeways and highways everywhere.
The Cox-Fitz dealership in Florence has cars out front promoting the Rebel 300 stock car race, held at Darlington, which is only about 10 mi. from Florence. That was an interesting race, because for several years it was a convertible-only race. The race was so named because it was held on the weekend of Confederate Memorial Day (commemorated by several Southern states, though on different dates… South Carolina’s holiday was in May).
This is the Cox-Fitz building in Florence as it appears now:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/RyaYfHtPifY1VhKs7
The Duffield Lincoln-Mercury of Long Beach reminds me of when Don Draper bought the 62 Cadillac.
I’m sure the Lincoln was excluded due to Gene Hofstadt (Betty’s dad) already driving a Continental which Betty eventually inherited.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/vintage-snapshots-and-photography/vintage-dealer-snapshots-lincoln-mercury-dealers-late-40s-to-mid-70s/
Opps!!
The link for Don buying the Cadillac:
This is the first time I have ever seen a “rotating” Ford logo in the classic FoMoCo corporate signage. It is reminiscent of the rotating “GM” logo on the long time GM dealer signs. I have seen some that had the rotating GM and others that did not.
“Cox-Fitz Motors… If it Fitz, You Sitz!”
Not sure how to work a woody joke in though; but I guess the service department can help with a lube job?
Thanks for the info on the Rebel 300 race. I was unaware.
I grew up in southern NH, and our Family purchased Many a Lincoln and or Mercury from State Motors in Manchester NH! The building was built in 1960 and the Owner had POSTCARDS of the dealership in the early 70s! They are very cool ( I wish I had Kept one)! Irwin which You highlighted also was the Toyota dealer for central NH! I don’t know if they sold out or not, I haven’t been in NH for almost 8 years!