Today, we’re stepping once again inside the world of Cadillac during its golden days. And through this collection of vintage postcards from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, we’ll visit dealerships from across the country and get a glimpse of how Cadillac presented itself to prospective buyers during some of its most celebrated years. Along the way, we’ll get a fun glimpse at the showrooms, architecture, and the newest models on display. Our first stop, above, is at Bud Davis Cadillac Inc., in Memphis, TN.
Connor Brown Cadillac, Fort Lauderdale, FL (late 1940s).
Brown & Thomas Cadillac-Oldsmobile, New Haven, CT.
Casa de Cadillac, Sherman Oaks, CA.
Plachter, Cadillac-Oldsmobile, Philadelphia, PA.
Raines Cadillac, Long Island, NY.
Voloshin Cadillac (with a 70 foot diameter plexiglass dome), Amity Road, Woodbridge, CT.
Martin Cadillac, Los Angeles, CA.
I am loving the rocket painted on the Oldsmobile dealership .
-Nate
Land must have been very inexpensive near Raines Cadillac, Long Island, NY. You could fit an entire shopping mall in that space including a Super WalMart.
I am very impressed by the ambiance at Ferraro Cadillac, Springfield, PA.
I will a share story how in my mid-20s I received a new 1976 Eldo convertible. I was in a relationship with someone whom I will just say had connections. At the time I was still in college, finishing my BFA degree in Interior Design. An historic abandoned movie theater came on the market, I bet him if he bought, and with my design plans for a disco club, it would double his money in six months. If I lost the bet, will not go into that. If I won the bet I wanted a 1976 Eldo convertible that I loved. He sold property in two months, with my design plans, made three times his purchase price without doing anything to the property. So in late 1975, I ordered my white 1976 Eldo conv. w/red interior.
Drove that Cadillac for ten years and 100,000 miles and so many wonderful memories.
Mr. Baucom, thank you for properly stating “An historical . . . “ in your shared remembrance. I often see “A historical . . .” which sounds off. Anyhow, great lifetime story!
I’m remembering Long Cadillac in Minneapolis. My Dad did business with George Long who always had a Hershey Bar or Snickers bar for the “kiddos. Great guy.
Every time I see one of these articles, I hope to see one of the dealerships I worked for in the story. Never seems to happen. Darn it anyhow. haha.
But it’s so fun to see these. I’ve been in (but didn’t buy a car) Casa De Cadillac on several occasions. The last one, Martin Cadillac (Buick and GMC) is no longer there. Too bad because that was such an impressive building and it had a second floor for show cars. I did buy a (Buick) car there once.
I love that Ferraro Cadillac looks basically like a cocktail lounge of the era, but with bright fluorescent overhead lighting. You know there were ashtrays in there.
And not just any ashtrays, but ashtrays worthy of a Cadillac dealer, like these:
Perfection. Ash with style.
I’d love to find one of those table and chair sets!
Casa de Cadillac is still there. Still waiting for a nice photo of the old Bob Spreen Cadillac… a beautiful place to buy a beautiful car… where the freeways meet in Downey (CA.) it had a rotating platform with a fountain circling it and an iconic canopy. Search You Tube. I think the owner’s descendants have a web article.
Bob Spreen Cadillac’s slogan “A beautiful place to lease or buy a beautiful car”
Casa De Cadillac was originally Don Lee’s second Cadillac dealership in Southern California. Don Lee was an early radio and television pioneer in California, and also happened to be the Cadillac distributor for much of California. Mount Lee, the location of the Hollywood sign, was named after him.
I’ve got to read up a bit on “Pennsylvania, PA.
Now, that was a silly typo. It’s fixed.
The number of Cadillac/Oldsmobile dealerships is interesting. Wonder what the percentage is of total Cadillac dealers, compared to Cadillac/Pontiac stores, or even Cadillac/Buick stores. Most of the Caddy stores I’m “familiar” with are Cadillac/Olds.
Read something years ago that noted or claimed, that 20 percent of Cadillac dealers were responsible for 80 percent of total Cadillac sales yearly.
For whatever reason, Oldsmobile seems to have been the most frequently “dualed” GM division by far, usually with Cadillac in larger cities and regional centers and with Chevrolet in smaller markets and Canada.
For parts and service commonality it is a good pairing. Hydramatic and C-bodied 98 are two examples. Status-wise essentially identical to Lincoln-Mercury.
I’m such a Blue Collar kid, I can’t remember any Cadillac dealers growing up.
Even today, I don’t know where’s there a Cadillac dealer.
Honest to god, I’ve never had an interest in knowing and have never asked.
I’m scandalized!
I wonder if the same architect designed that Bud Davis dealership and the Mayborn center here in Temple, TX?
I looked this up, and it appears that they were designed by different architects. The original Mayborn Convention Center was designed by Glenn Rucker and William Chamlee, both Temple architects. The Bud Davis showroom was designed by J. Wise Smith of Memphis. They do look mighty similar.
Cleveland has this downtown Cadillac dealer and they’ve kept updating the building. And from 1967 to 2007 you could buy a Cadillac from John DeLorean’s brother.
We had a beautiful Cadillac showroom in Pomona, CA. 1960’s Tate Motors, small but round with a high ceiling. Building still there but I think a very funky furniture store. Pomona is not what it used to be.
Love the mid-century modern Conner-Brown Cadillac in Ft. Lauderdale! The stone facing on the front reminds me of a `50s bowling alley here in Omaha where my dad bowled–Ranch Bowl. It was popular for many years, until it succumbed to an offer by Wal-Mart to buy the property they couldn’t resist.
Those were the years when floor-to-ceiling windows became popular. And it had unique signage in the lettering of the Cadillac logo. Goes very well with the “new for `49” Cadillacs gracing the showfloor! I bet fresh flowers were everywhere too.
Martin Cadillac was on the corner of Olympic and Bundy in West Los Angeles. It was there until just a few years ago, looking much the same. Very large dealership, the property was redeveloped and the dealership was split up into Santa Monica GMC and Beverly Hills Cadillac. Martin was originally a Cadillac/Oldsmobile dealership on Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica. That location went back to 30’s as Bay District Motors.
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I remember Mitchell Cadillac Oldsmobile in Huntington Station as I lived in Huntington in 1973. Dad had an Oldsmobile Cutlass as a company car, and we had to go to that dealership, for what, I don’t remember, I think it is still there as Mitchell Cadillac, but I could be mistaken. All the other local dealerships have changed hands, or closed.