Historic Houston Ford Dealerships

[GEM]

Ford Dealership in La Porte Tx.????

Edited January 31, 2014 by GEM

[Michelle C]

I found this shot of downtown in my archives from 1950 it is not Ford related buy was taken that same time as the one of Earl McMillian Ford's old downtown location. It sat directly behind the Earl McMillian dealership. It is the Ineeda laundry, it sat on Smith Street and bordered by Rusk and Walker streets on either side. You can see old Jeff Davis hospital in the background as well as the Houston Coliseum. I can't remember for sure where all the smoke was coming from. In the back of my mind I am thinking it was possibly Ed Sacs paper company.

 

[brhaltx]

   Lone Star Ford is long gone (as are all of the Lone Star dealerships, I think).  I'll have to pay attention the next time I'm driving by doing 70; is the building gone now?

 

   Hmmm, I thought the Lone Star dealerships had all closed (due to bankruptcy), and I'm pretty sure the Lone Star Ford location is/was empty for a couple of years.  But, I heard a commercial for Lone Start Ford, just south of Beltway 8 (on I-45) this afternoon.

[Michelle C]

Thanks Subdude for the info.

 

Here is another old one from Houston. Turbiville Lincoln Mercury. They were located at 3535 Main and the building is still being used.

 

[Ross]

I know I have seen the Tommie Vaughn sign lit fairly recently, though I never paid enough attention to it to know if it is lit regularly.  The "Tommie Vaughn" side is blue neon, but I think the "Ford" side is white neon.  Never seen the sign rotate, though...

 

When I drove past it tonight, the Tommie on the South side of the sign was lit, in yellow, and the Ford on the North was lit in blue/white.

 

[Purpledevil]

Hmmm, I thought the Lone Star dealerships had all closed (due to bankruptcy), and I'm pretty sure the Lone Star Ford location is/was empty for a couple of years. But, I heard a commercial for Lone Start Ford, just south of Beltway 8 (on I-45) this afternoon.

Yeah, Lone Star is alive and well on the North Freeway. Landmark Chevrolet might be what you're thinking of. That one is the ransacked lot right up 45 @ Mt. Houston. Lone Star's been up there awhile, since the 70's that I know of, and probably several years prior to that. It and Mac Haik's Greenspoint Dodge are the only two big dealers left inside the Belt on 45. Mac Haik is the old Lester Goodson Pontiac, hence Goodson St. running directly next to it. I know there's got to be some old Lone Star pictures tucked away in this city.

[Michelle C]

I found a couple of pictures of Davis Motor Company. Their used lot at Fannin and Bell. one of their service trucks parked on the north side of Westheimer between Mandell and Kueter with a mess of fish tied to the side of the truck. Someone had found a pretty good fishing hole. The building behind the truck is still standing.

 

 

[Rpearson]

My husband is a great grandson of Raymond Pearson. We would love to see any pictures that you may have of his car dealership. 

 

Thank you,

Rachelle 

[plumber2]

Jack Roach Ford moved to a new building on the SW Freeway sometime during the late 60's, possibly early 1970. I remember being fascinated by rooftop parking lot, with a drive ramp on the back side. The building is still there, now being occupied by Noel furniture.

[57Tbird]

On 6/24/2018 at 10:58 PM, Rpearson said:

My husband is a great grandson of Raymond Pearson. We would love to see any pictures that you may have of his car dealership. 

 

Thank you,

Rachelle 

 

Found a couple dealer buildings and a sign.

 

[Michelle C]

On 6/24/2018 at 10:58 PM, Rpearson said:

My husband is a great grandson of Raymond Pearson. We would love to see any pictures that you may have of his car dealership. 

 

Thank you,

Rachelle 

I graduated from High school in 1963, I went to school with a Ray Pearson, that was the son of Raymond Pearson, I think he went to work for one of  the dealerships because my husband bought a Mercury Cougar from him about 68 or 69.

[Rusty_S]

This is a photo of the Ivy Russell dealership Yale @ 11th street, this photo was taken in 1957 or early 1958 showcasing 1958 year model Fords.

 

Ok with this said I want to ask if anyone has any photos that shows this dealership a bit better?

 

I am working on planning a 1/25 scale model of this dealership and I will be taking some liberties with it for not knowing exactly what vehicles were on the lot at the time of mine was in '56.  But I would like to know more about the layout of the parking lot.  Such as where were the cars parked at?  Were there only cars or were trucks sold as well?  Things like that.

 

Aside from that I am also attaching photos taken in during the renovation.

[Michelle C]

Rusty, I have that same photo. Its the only one I have ever seen of that particular store. There was no automotive repair work done there, it was only sales. The main store was downtown.

[Rusty_S]

17 hours ago, Michelle C said:

Rusty, I have that same photo. Its the only one I have ever seen of that particular store. There was no automotive repair work done there, it was only sales. The main store was downtown.

 

Really?  There was no service department for the location?  I wonder what was in the back then where there were no glass walls at then.  I figure the wall you can see to the right side that is aligned with the glass blocks above the awning I figured that might be sales offices but there is quite a bit of space on the left side past the blocks that couldn't be sales offices too could it?

 

I wouldn't know I contacted the Harris County archives to see if there were plans for the building as there had to have been plans drawn up for the remodeling after Henke and Pillot left cause the building was just a square block while they resided here and then when Ivy Russell took over it was this art deco style.  Sadly all Harris County archives could find was a land value ticket for 1969.  The woman that looked into it for me said the complete file unfortunally has become lost.  Really sucks for me because I don't know how the building was laid out internally let alone externally.

 

For me for my project if there was no service center at this location it was just sales well then that really hinders my project because plans I had made for the second half of the project would be pointless as it revolved around a service center.

Edited December 28, 2018 by Rusty_S

[John Hall]

I'd love to see any of the old Mort Hall Ford (my Dad) pics, we don't have any good ones.  Here's an old ad from his first dealership in Waxahachie before we moved to Houston to take over the Jensen Drive store in 1967.

 

John Hall

jhall@jetav.com

[Zeuce]

Didn't ED Smith take over the Pearson location downtown?

[Zeuce]

On 1/28/2014 at 8:35 AM, GEM said:

Osborne-Apple:Pasadena..........?????

I went there many of times. Test drove a lime green 68 Mustang

[Ruff Draught]

Regarding Osborne Apple on Richey Street in Pasadena, thinking the Hickman-Garrett Ford dealership on Clinton Drive in Galena Park became Garrett-Arthur Ford in late 1950's, and moved to a different building farther west down Clinton Drive and across the street, and eventually moved to South Richey Street, Pasadena, the name changed again, probably Osborne-Apple, maybe Mosehart-Keller in between?  I think Harry Arthur Jr graduated from Galena Park High School in 1962. There was a little old lady on Houston Street in Pasadena who told me she worked for this dealership in Galena Park for many, many years.  She may be gone now, but I may go by her old house and see if she might still be around and have some memories to share.  I bought a '73 Ford Courier from this place, in 1973, then A.C. Collins Ford, on South Richey Street.   Years later moved to the East Beltway, and are now Mac Haik Ford. 

[4pawfan]

On 11/19/2020 at 7:30 AM, Ruff Draught said:

Regarding Osborne Apple on Richey Street in Pasadena, thinking the Hickman-Garrett Ford dealership on Clinton Drive in Galena Park became Garrett-Arthur Ford in late 1950's, and moved to a different building farther west down Clinton Drive and across the street, and eventually moved to South Richey Street, Pasadena, the name changed again, probably Osborne-Apple, maybe Mosehart-Keller in between?  I think Harry Arthur Jr graduated from Galena Park High School in 1962. There was a little old lady on Houston Street in Pasadena who told me she worked for this dealership in Galena Park for many, many years.  She may be gone now, but I may go by her old house and see if she might still be around and have some memories to share.  I bought a '73 Ford Courier from this place, in 1973, then A.C. Collins Ford, on South Richey Street.   Years later moved to the East Beltway, and are now Mac Haik Ford. 

A.C. Collins ( Ace ) was the general manager of Mosehart and Keller on , I think OST.  In 1970, he purchased Osborne-Apple Ford on South Richey Street in Pasadena.  He also had the Yamaha dealership on South Houston road between Richey and Allendale plus Ford dealerships in Austin and New Orleans.  I worked at the dealership for four years after school and in the summer from 1971 to 1974.  They moved from the Richey location as the traffic had died after all the building of the Beltway and new highways.