Z Frank Chevrolet (Demolished)
Chicago, IL
Photo and info courtesy Jason Carlton

The Z Frank Chevrolet dealership in Chicago featured a four-story-tall sign with a working neon boomerang arrow. Towering above Western Avenue, it was one of the city's most recognizable automotive landmarks.

Founded in 1936 by Zollie Frank, Z Frank Chevrolet grew into one of the largest and most successful Chevrolet dealerships in the country. The dealership became well known throughout the Chicago area thanks to its memorable television commercials and its larger-than-life presence along one of the city's busiest commercial corridors.

The true showpiece was the towering roadside marquee. Fabricated by the White-Way Sign Company, the massive sign featured a glowing Chevrolet emblem and an animated neon boomerang arrow that guided motorists toward the showroom. Standing nearly 50 feet tall, it was a spectacular example of the oversized dealership signs that once dominated America's automotive landscape.

UPDATE: The Frank family sold the dealership in 2008, and the original Western Avenue property was eventually redeveloped. Despite efforts by preservationists to save the landmark, the iconic sign was removed and scrapped in December 2014 before construction of a new Toyota dealership. 06-26

City Auto Sales Chevrolet (Gone)
Chicago, IL
Photo courtesy Jason Carlton

Check out the used car lot and marquee for City Auto Sales Chevrolet. The dealership prominently featured Chevrolet's famous OK Used Cars logo, along with a beautifully preserved neon sign.

Introduced by Chevrolet in the mid-1920s, the OK Used Cars program helped bring confidence to the used car market through a standardized inspection process. Vehicles that passed the company's checklist earned the familiar red "OK" tag, making the program an early predecessor to today's certified pre-owned vehicle programs.

The Chicago dealership proudly incorporated the recognizable OK Used Cars emblem into its roadside marquee, creating a striking combination of corporate branding and classic neon. Kept in excellent condition, the sign was a standout example of mid-century dealership advertising and a reminder of an era when even used car lots invested in eye-catching roadside architecture.

UPDATE: The City Auto Sales Chevrolet dealership eventually closed, and the historic neon marquee with its distinctive OK Used Cars logo was removed during redevelopment of the property. While the dealership is gone, photographs like this preserve an important chapter in Chevrolet's used car history. 06-26

City Auto Sales Chevrolet Building (Gone)
Chicago, IL
Photo courtesy Jason Carlton

The building and main marquee for City Auto Sales are classic examples of early- to mid-century dealership architecture. The marquee adorning the side of the showroom even appears to retain its original working neon.

Built during an era when automobile dealerships doubled as architectural showpieces, the building features expansive showroom windows, clean modern lines, and a prominent corner location designed to showcase the latest Chevrolet models to passing motorists. Like many dealerships of the period, the structure relied as much on its appearance as the cars inside, projecting confidence, style, and modernity to customers.

The highlight is the large side-mounted marquee. Constructed of steel and outlined with neon tubing, the sign transformed the building into a nighttime landmark while advertising the dealership from blocks away. Large neon marquees like this once defined Chicago's commercial streets, but relatively few survive today.

UPDATE: The historic City Auto Sales Chevrolet building remains standing despite decades of change along the surrounding commercial corridor. While the dealership is gone, the classic showroom survives, and the distinctive side marquee remains mounted to the building, preserving a rare example of Chicago's mid-century automotive architecture. 06-26

Keen-Service (Closed)
Streator, IL
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

The Keen-Service station in Streator features an old facade that appears to date back to the pre-war era. With its stepped parapet, recessed service bays, and weathered storefront, the building is a wonderful reminder of the days when independent neighborhood garages were found in nearly every downtown.

Located along North Bloomington Street, the shop reflects a time when local service stations did far more than pump gas. They repaired engines, changed tires, and kept generations of motorists on the road before national chains and interstate highways reshaped the automotive landscape. The building's timeworn appearance only adds to its authentic roadside character, making it look much as it would have decades ago.

UPDATE: The historic Keen-Service building remains standing and continues to serve the community as an automotive repair shop. Although the gas pumps are long gone, the distinctive pre-war facade survives, preserving a rare piece of Streator's automotive heritage. 06-26

Steele's Garage
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

Here is a nice vintage sign displayed in front of Steele's Garage. It's always nice to see old marquees in great shape. Not sure if the neon still works, though.

Independent garages once relied on distinctive roadside signs to separate themselves from the competition. Long before standardized corporate branding, local repair shops invested in custom steel marquees with neon, porcelain panels, and bold lettering that could easily catch the attention of passing motorists. Many of these signs became neighborhood landmarks, often outlasting the businesses they originally advertised.

The Steele's Garage marquee is a fine example of this tradition. Its clean lines, classic styling, and remarkably well-preserved condition make it a standout piece of roadside Americana. Whether the neon still illuminates or not, the sign remains a reminder of an era when independent service stations gave every town its own unique roadside personality.

UPDATE: The current status of Steele's Garage is unverified. However, the vintage marquee was in excellent condition when photographed and remains a wonderful example of the craftsmanship that once defined neighborhood automotive signage. 06-26

Wolf Chevrolet (Gone)
Belvidere, IL
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

Check out the marquee for Wolf Chevrolet. True to form, the sign shows a wolf howling. Hopefully, the cars sold here didn't make anyone howl. Then again, the wolf sort of looks like Nipper, the RCA mascot. What a nice wolf!

The Wolf family began selling automobiles in Belvidere during the 1920s, eventually building one of northern Illinois' best-known Chevrolet dealerships. Along busy State Street, the business embraced its family name with one of the region's most memorable roadside displays—a towering three-piece neon sign that became a local landmark for generations.

The centerpiece was a 10-foot-tall howling wolf outlined in green neon, perched above a red porcelain Wolf sign and an enormous Chevrolet bowtie stretching nearly 28 feet across. Together, the sign perfectly captured the oversized roadside advertising of the mid-century era, when dealerships competed for attention with custom-built marquees that became just as recognizable as the businesses themselves.

UPDATE: Wolf Chevrolet closed around 2010 following General Motors' restructuring. After briefly being covered by modern signage, the iconic marquee was removed in 2015 and sold at a Mecum auction in separate pieces. The howling wolf brought $63,000, while the Chevrolet bowtie sold for $50,000, ensuring this famous roadside landmark would live on in private collections. 06-26