Ostrom Chevrolet

Remember the good ol' auto dealerships of yesteryear? A place where one was able to go in and purchase the latest futuristic vehicle for mere pennies? Well, not necessarily pennies. This section of Roadside Peek is a tribute to the old car dealerships that still survive. Also included are other dealerships of interest.

Center Chevrolet (Demolished)
San Bernardino, CA
Photo courtesy Georg Balandran

Rising above South E Street in San Bernardino, the immense marquee for Center Chevrolet gave motorists plenty of notice that cars were for sale. This was a sign that could be spotted for blocks, with working neon adding another reason to look its way after dark. Finding the dealership probably wasn’t much of a challenge.

The late-2000s downturn brought changes to the property. After Center Chevrolet closed, the lot reopened in March 2009 as Arrowhead Motors, selling repossessed and consignment vehicles. The towering marquee was adapted for the new business, giving it a brief second chapter.

UPDATE: Center Chevrolet’s marquee is gone. Following its reuse by Arrowhead Motors, the property was cleared, and by 2013 the once-busy dealership site had become a large vacant lot. Another big piece of San Bernardino’s neon scenery disappeared along with the cars. 10-26

Suburban Pontiac (Demolished)
Bellflower, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Check out what remained of Suburban Pontiac in Bellflower after the dealership had packed up. The business closed in the mid-1980s, but its old Pontiac chief-profile sign stayed behind, keeping watch over a lot that no longer had much to sell.

At 16515 Bellflower Boulevard, the lingering sign offered a clue to the property’s earlier days. Long after the showroom went quiet, the familiar outline still marked the former dealership. Even without its old glow, it was something to notice on a drive through town.

The empty building and surviving sign made an unusual pair. The cars were gone, the sales pitches had stopped, and the roadside advertising had outlasted the business it once promoted. Apparently nobody had told the Pontiac emblem that closing time had come and gone.

UPDATE: The remaining Pontiac chief-profile sign detail was removed in 2011, and the former dealership building was demolished in 2017. The old photograph catches a remnant that managed to hang around for decades after Suburban Pontiac closed. 10-26

Crenshaw Ford (Demolished)
Los Angeles, CA
Photo courtesy Georg Balandran

Take a look at the neon spread around Crenshaw Motors Ford in Los Angeles. The building’s Deco styling and illuminated lettering made the dealership a memorable stop along Crenshaw Boulevard, with plenty to admire even for someone just passing through. The photograph recalls the business before its closure. 08-13

Located at 5311 Crenshaw Boulevard, Crenshaw Motors belonged to a corridor where automobile dealerships once played a prominent role in neighborhood commerce. The showrooms reflected the growth and buying power of the area’s African American middle class, while their signs and architecture added to the boulevard’s character.

By the time Crenshaw Motors closed in 2007, it was the last new-car dealership remaining on the boulevard. Its departure ended a much longer chapter than the sale of the final Ford. The distinctive building stayed briefly, but the neon lettering was removed after the business shut down.

UPDATE: Crenshaw Motors Ford closed in 2007, and the dealership building had been demolished by 2011. The curved frontage and neon shown here are gone, leaving another familiar piece of the old Crenshaw automobile corridor in photographs. 10-26

Kaiser Bros. (Gone)
Los Angeles, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Along Los Angeles’s old Figueroa automobile corridor, Kaiser Bros. gave passing motorists a dealership facade worth a second look. The frontage shown here carried the business name as part of the building itself, recalling a time when the showroom’s appearance helped bring customers through the door.

Kaiser Bros. stood at 1540 South Figueroa Street and had a long association with Oldsmobile. The Auth family’s history selling the brand dated to 1917, putting the business well back into the early days of automobile sales in Los Angeles.

UPDATE: The historic Kaiser Bros. facade and signage shown here are gone. The photograph preserves the dealership’s earlier appearance along Figueroa, although the exact demolition date remains unconfirmed. 10-26

Felix Chevrolet
Los Angeles, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Keep an eye on the roof near Figueroa and Jefferson, where the giant cat at Felix Chevrolet has long greeted passing motorists. With that broad grin above the Chevrolet name, this marquee gives the dealership a personality that’s difficult to miss. Even drivers on the nearby 110 Freeway get a look.

The business began in 1921 under Winslow B. Felix. A friendship with cartoon producer Pat Sullivan led to an arrangement allowing Felix the Cat to appear in dealership advertising. Sharing a name certainly helped, and the cartoon feline became a familiar part of the automobile business.

After Nickolas Shammas purchased the dealership in 1957, he commissioned the enormous three-sided neon sign to attract attention from the developing freeway system. Designed by Wayne E. Heath, the marquee turned the rooftop into one of Los Angeles’s most recognizable roadside sights.

UPDATE: Felix Chevrolet remains open and its landmark rooftop marquee survives though the neon was replaced with LED. More than a century after the business began, Felix still has a place above the Los Angeles roadside. No trade-in needed for this cat. 10-26

Seville Motors (Gone)
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

There’s an older car-lot feel to Seville Motors, where the sign and dealership frontage recall a time before shopping for a vehicle meant opening a browser. A drive past the lot, a look through the windshield, and perhaps a stop to see what was parked out front would get things started.

Listed at 2530 Long Beach Boulevard in Long Beach, Seville operated as an independent used-car dealership. The photograph catches the sort of modest roadside business that could easily get overlooked while attention went to the larger showrooms elsewhere.

Whether the sign was an original or a later addition remains uncertain, but its appearance suited the setting. Together, the frontage and lettering gave the lot a little character of its own. There was still something to look at before getting around to mileage and monthly payments.

UPDATE: Seville Motors is listed as closed. The sign is gone. 10-26