Chevyland (Gone)
Nashville, TN
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

“Yip’eee” was quite a greeting above Chevyland in Nashville. The colorful rooftop billboard featured a grinning cowboy whose enthusiasm made the dealership difficult to overlook. With multicolored lettering and a character built to attract attention, the display offered something more entertaining than an ordinary automobile advertisement.

Standing above Jim Reed Chevrolet on Broadway, the cowboy became a familiar feature of Nashville’s automotive district. His rocking movement added another reason to watch the sign, giving the dealership a landmark recognizable to people who never bought a car there. Jim Reed’s vehicle business dated to 1917, but this playful display supplied its most conspicuous roadside identity.

UPDATE: Jim Reed lost its Chevrolet franchise following General Motors’ 2009 bankruptcy. The property changed hands, and the Chevyland billboard and cowboy had disappeared by late 2011. The sign is gone, leaving photographs to preserve its cheerful welcome above Broadway. 08-26

Jim Reed's Truck Center (Gone)
Nashville, TN
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

The smiling neon character at Jim Reed's Truck Center gave Nashville’s Broadway another friendly automotive landmark. Near the larger Chevyland billboard, this display advertised the truck operation with a personality of its own. The mascot made a practical sales department look considerably more inviting than a plain corporate panel.

Jim Reed’s automobile business began in 1917 and became a familiar name among Nashville dealerships. The truck center’s sign belonged to the years when individual departments could receive their own custom roadside advertising. Together with the cowboy above Chevyland, it helped turn the property into a collection of recognizable displays rather than simply another vehicle lot.

UPDATE: The truck center sign disappeared after the dealership lost its Chevrolet franchise following General Motors’ 2009 bankruptcy. By late 2011, the property’s rebranding had removed the familiar mascot. 08-26

5 Points Pontiac (Closed)
Albemarle, NC
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Check out this 5 Points Pontiac sign that's located in Albemarle, NC. Rumors are they are renovating the old Pontiac building to be a restaurant, and that they plan to retain the sign. Hopefully this bit of news comes through. Many thanks to Tony Craig for info.

The building dates to 1917 and housed several automobile makes before becoming associated with Morgan Motor Company’s Pontiac operation. A 1949 remodeling introduced a rotating showroom display, allowing a new car to turn slowly in the front window. Between that presentation and the sign outside, the dealership clearly understood how to attract attention.

UPDATE: The former dealership became Five Points Public House, preserving automotive details while adapting the building for dining. The restored Pontiac sign continues to mark the intersection. Good to see the proposed reuse become a reality without sacrificing the feature that made the property especially recognizable. 08-26

Beaman Pontiac (Gone)
Nashville, TN
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

The Beaman Pontiac marquee gave Nashville’s Broadway a distinctive variation on the familiar dealership sign. Rather than displaying only lettering, the vertical structure incorporated the Pontiac profile into its outline. That treatment made the emblem part of the sign’s shape, giving motorists something recognizable before they finished reading the name.

Founded in 1945, Beaman grew into a prominent Tennessee automotive business, with Pontiac among its longtime franchises. The sign belonged to Broadway’s era of bold dealership advertising, when custom displays helped neighboring sellers establish separate identities. Its unusual construction made it particularly worthy of preservation once the property’s automotive chapter ended.

UPDATE: The old Broadway dealership buildings have been removed for redevelopment, but the Pontiac marquee was saved and donated to the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. The sign no longer marks a Nashville showroom, yet it survives as a reminder of the city’s once-colorful automobile district. 08-26

Curry Motor Co. (Gone)
Huntsville, AL
Photo courtesy Paul Foster

The Curry Motor Co. sign made its presence known above Governors Drive in Huntsville. Large lettering and a towering structure carried the dealership’s name beyond the showroom and parked cars below. It was an advertisement designed to be recognized while motorists were still some distance from the entrance.

The dealership belonged to the automotive landscape of a rapidly expanding Huntsville. During the postwar years, growth associated with military and space-program activity brought more residents, neighborhoods, and traffic. Businesses like Curry served that changing city, while their oversized signs became reference points along increasingly busy commercial roads.

UPDATE: Curry Motor Co. has disappeared, and its former property was redeveloped as Huntsville’s medical district expanded. The towering sign was removed with the dealership. 08-26