Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Hello, I had wanted to pose my Modal A in front of a former Ford agency during the Model A era , however they are tearing it down before I got a chance. Attached are photos of the Keystone Ford of Erie Pa. before it’s gone.Located at 8th and Holland St.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...p;d=1644198935

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...p;d=1644198938

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...p;d=1644198941

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...p;d=1644198945

Keystone Ford - Erie PA being demolished - Photos by gdmn852

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Thank you for rotating pictures. Gary

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Got a pic when it was still a Ford dealership?

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

No, Been at the library looking though,maybe look through some newspapers of the era might get lucky. Found out it was a Ford Agency in 1931 city register , drove by that building countless times before I found out . Was also a Lincoln Ford agent on 7th street but that is all newer construction today.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

To everything there is a season……..
I know in our city there’s been so much demo and rebuild I hardly know where I live!

It’s said you know you’re getting old when you like everything the way it WAS….I’m there

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

I know exactly what you mean. My brother and I visited our home we lived in back in the mid-fifties, and we recognized the house although it's changed. The whole neighborhood was almost unrecognizable .....so much has changed. One surprising thing was the family's handprints in the cement walk on the side of the house. Our Father laid that cement and everyone put their handprint on it for posterity.....including our pet dog, "Patty".....that's still there! There used to be an old ranch next to our neighborhood......but, it's all rows of houses now.

It's kinda like the "back to the future" shock of seeing all the changes!

They say "never look back".....but, I'm glad we did!

eog

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

If you want to drive out to Albion the building Harris & Sergeant was in is still standing. They were in business from 1907-1990. 3rd oldest in the country when they closed. It's on RT 18 South just before the railroad tracks.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Hello, I remember after the deadly tornadoes that hit Albion in 1985 , the Ford agency had a hail sale , damaged brand new Fords discounted .On the list of pictures I want to take are also former Guy M Fish in Spartanburg, Plack and Crandall in Mckean also in Clymer,Ny and Dick Taylor on Route 20 in Connueat , Ohio. Probably find more when I get back to the Library .

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Also you are right about getting old , my wife remembers all the restaurants and stores that were on State street.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Remember the tornado too well. My wife and son along with M.I.L. where in trailer across the tracks from the dealership that got hit. Paul was 5 months old and had a skull fracture, bruised lung and cuts in his back to the muscle. God was with us and he survived. Add to your list Sherman NY and where Rigby Ford was in Conneautville. I think Rigby's building was the Center Street garage before Otto Koehler bought it. There are some great pictures on the Conneaut Facebook page of the Tyler building as Bates Motor and then Lillie Holden Ford.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Glad to hear your son recovered.Thank You the info on other agencies,more on list to photograph.When I first started to drive late 1960s it seemed that every small town had a car dealership. Even up to the 1990s the were still in business, a friend bought a SS454 truck in early 90s from Cordia Chevrolet in Clymer and was mad because they had driven it to give it a full tank of gas .He picked it up on a flatbed and still has it stored in his garage,almost zero miles!

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

I remember Cordia Chevrolet. Wasn't there also another GM dealership in Clymer at the implement dealership? I'm thinking Pontiac and maybe GMC. Conneautville had Ford, Chevy and John Deere with Pontiac. Albion had Ford Mercury, Plymouth -Desoto, Dodge, Pontiac -Buick and a Case dealership. You are right, every small town seemed to have a dealership. It was a great era we'll never see again but I'm glad I was part of.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

More pictures,didn’t take long.[ATTACH][/ATTACH]Attachment 483956

Attachment 483957

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Yeah, but memory is selective. The "good ol' days" often weren't.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

My wife and I both grow up in small towns, her in Michigan (Fenton) and me in California (Redwood City), both towns had nice old buildings from the late 1800's early 1900's, seems about the 70's they both decided to make the town more "modern".
Ruined both of them, they each lost their charm, their character and their history.
Guess we're just stuck in the old days

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Small towns (<10K or so) usually still have some old buildings.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

In Conway, Mo., about 5 miles from me, is the old Wilkinson Ford dealership building. It hasn't been a dealership for many years but the building has the Ford and Lincoln tiles imbedded along the top. Cool looking building, I've always talked about taking some pics with my car in front but haven't yet. It is the Senior Center now.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Hello to both of you , city of Erie had remodeling project in through the 70s that as more demolition than rebuilding, in many of the smaller towns around Erie they have gone more of a restoration mode fortunately. As you said memory is somewhat selective, era of the muscle car really wasn’t that pleasant, Vietnam war, riots, take over of colleges , assassination, generation gap, Manson family,and on and on .but we do remember the good times we personally enjoyed.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

I know I am getting old when one of the corners where I grew up is on its 3rd. building...

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Dodge, That's for sure about a 3rd building, I told my wife we've lived long enough to see 3 totally different buildings in one spot.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Hello, still looking for a picture of the building when it was a Ford agency , according to the city registration it became Williams Ford around 1937 and also sold Lincoln too at that time ,also listed was Robert Y Burns Ford located at 140-150 East 12 st roughly 2 blocks south of 8 th and Holland, Burns also had a location in Wesleyville ,that would be to the east of Erie city limits on US route 20 .

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

There was a calendar on Ebay for the Robert Burns agency 15 plus years ago. Kind of a Vargas girl type. I think it was something like $65 then. Wanted it in the worst way. Wife indicated not a good idea if I wanted to live....

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Are you sure we aren’t married to the same woman? I can remember my dad saying that he bought cars from Burns agency in early 40s , also saw a 39 Ford Deluxe Fordor at a show in early 1970s that still had decal on deck lid advertising Robert Y Burns with a 5 digit phone number, nice original car Folkstone gray . I think Harris later took over the Burns Ford as it was the same location . That Building is still standing on 12 street, but has been remodeled.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

My hometown of Delaware Ohio had many of its downtown buildings "modernized" in the early 1960s.
Ugly modern metal cladding installed over charming 19th century brickwork.
I remember the newapaper stories touting how "modern" it looked.

Fast forward to 21st century, appreciation of and preservation of old buildings has increased.
Now all of the hideous cladding has been removed and downtown Delaware looks much better.

Re: Picture before it’s too late dealership
 

Sometime in the1990s the original Duval Motors building was demolished in downtown Jacksonville FL.
It was the last survivor of the 4 buildings housing Ford agencies in December 1928.
The building had been a livery stable before a Ford dealership and was mostly wooden construction- lots of heart pine beams and beadboard which had been covered over the years by modern materials.
Would have loved to have had the opportunity to salvage that wood, but it was cheaper for them to send it to the landfill.
When I find the photos I took mid-demolition I will post.......