Fred Tucker Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Materene, do you recall a Fred Tucker, a rather tall man with a son in a wheelchair, at Al Parker? That was my grandfather & I know he worked there for 20 years or so.Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenwest Posted August 20, 2013 Share Posted August 20, 2013 does anyone remember the old car dealership that sat out there on 290 north of town back in the 80s? what was its name and where did it move to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Urban Commando Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 If you are meaning the one in Cypress, it was Doug Russell Chevrolet. I remember it because he, along with I.W. Marks and some young guy and his relatively new Gallery Furniture were sponsors of Houston wrestling with Paul Boesch on Saturday nights. The dealership folded and I believe that Mr. Russell is no longer among us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenwest Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 thank you. its been so long ago.i just hate it when i cant remember the name of something even though i drove by it almost every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilioScotia Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 (edited) You'll have to be a bit more specific. Between the Beltway and FM 1960 there is a near continuous string of new and used car dealerships. One right after another. Some have changed hands and names several times, and several are closed and sitting empty. Edited August 21, 2013 by FilioScotia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 Filio, Doug Russell Chevorlet was on old US 290 (the Hempstead Highway) not the current 290. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilioScotia Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 Ah yes. The "old" 290. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 Ah yes. The "old" 290. Thanks.IIRC it was a modest facility too. There was a carport big enough to cover about a dozen vehicles parked side by side (similar to what Star Motors on the Old Katy Road has for their used cars today) and a showroom that could probably hold three cars at most. Of course there was a service garage behind that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose Patriot Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 I used 2 recall watching a scene from the 1970 film Brewster McCloud where a billboard for MacRobert Chevrolet (later AJ Foyt, now the present-day Kroger Meyer Park) was advertised; some in the Montrose used 2 come across the following dealerships: Auto Sports Ltd (later Dominion Jaguar) Kirby/West Alabama (where the former Borders bookstore is now located)Mahan Volkswagen (now Momentum Audi) Kirby/RichmondJimmie Green Chevrolet (now the Randalls off Westheimer/S Shepherd)River Oaks Lincoln-Mercury (now Whole Foods Market Kirby/West Alabama)DeMontrond (later Hub) Buick (currently a strip mall Westheimer/Kirby - current DeMontrond Buick located off 45/Rankin)Mossy (later Ray Hewitt, Rice Menger) Oldsmobile - Main/McGowen (later USA Body and Paint late 80s - 90s, now Stewart (formerly Don Massey) Cadillac; Mossy dealership moved 2 the Katy Freeway/Kirkwood in 1979 adjacent 2 the present day Mac Haik (formerly Tom Peacock) Chevrolet, now Mossy Nissan across from Westside Lexus)Bland-Curran Cadillac (Bagby/West Gray/Webster - now Post Lofts since 1997)Bill McDavid Oldsmobile (Gulf Freeway north of Gulfgate - later became a furniture store but site redeveloped into a Home Depot) The only inner loop dealerships still in business without name changes - Tommie Vaughn Ford and Knapp Chevrolet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 20, 2013 Author Share Posted November 20, 2013 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEM Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 Auto Sports Ltd.:Bought a Fiat there in the mid 70s............... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilioScotia Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 (edited) Thanks for that late 1950s photo of Tommie Vaughn Ford on N. Shepherd. It was probably taken a year or two after Vaughn moved his dealership from a location on North Main to North Shepherd. I love the story of Tommie Vaughn. He was a college football hero at A&M, flew bombers in WWII, got into the car business after the war and opened a Houston dealership that's still family owned and doing business nearly 60 years later. He was also active in all kinds of civic stuff, and when he died he was one of Houston's best-loved citizens. Sadly, they don't make men like Tommie Vaughn anymore. Check out his story on their website. http://tommievaughnford.com/Heritage-History/ I could be wrong, but I think Tommie Vaughn is the oldest car dealer in Houston, and maybe the last one that's been family owned since the beginning. Edited November 20, 2013 by FilioScotia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 Is the dealership building in the photo still standing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Is the dealership building in the photo still standing? I don't think so. It looks like it was replaced by a newer building at some point. HCAD shows buildings from 1959 (service bays) on up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Here's a 1951 Downtown Chevrolet (later Mike Persia) rendering: http://arch-ive.org/archive/downtown-chevrolet-company/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilioScotia Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Judging from the old 1950s photo and the latest as seen on the Tommie Vaughn Ford website, the old dealership building has either been torn down and replaced, or it has had a complete makeover. I lean toward makeover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 On Saturday, I was talking to a fellow who does remodeling and architecture for local dealerships. He mentioned Tommie Vaughn and said that the original building is still there underneath various layers of remodeling. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpledevil Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Wow, Subdude! That pic of Tommie Vaughn predates my recollection. That is awesome, but where's the big towering Ford sign? That thing's been up there since I was a kid. Hadn't paid real attention to it in years since I don't live in the Heights anymore, but it used to light up at night and rotate. My older brother used to work at the Goodyear there on 11th, next to the old Wiener's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little frau Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Auto Sports Ltd.:Bought a Fiat there in the mid 70s............... I bought an MGB there in the mid 70s but Auto Sports was on the Southwest Fwy then, somewhere around the Chimney Rock exit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEM Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 (edited) Wrecked that Fiat I did.................. Edited January 3, 2014 by GEM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6thgentxn Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 (edited) deleted = covered by others Edited January 4, 2014 by 6thgentxn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle C Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Thanks for that late 1950s photo of Tommie Vaughn Ford on N. Shepherd. It was probably taken a year or two after Vaughn moved his dealership from a location on North Main to North Shepherd. I love the story of Tommie Vaughn. He was a college football hero at A&M, flew bombers in WWII, got into the car business after the war and opened a Houston dealership that's still family owned and doing business nearly 60 years later. He was also active in all kinds of civic stuff, and when he died he was one of Houston's best-loved citizens. Sadly, they don't make men like Tommie Vaughn anymore. Check out his story on their website. http://tommievaughnford.com/Heritage-History/ I could be wrong, but I think Tommie Vaughn is the oldest car dealer in Houston, and maybe the last one that's been family owned since the beginning. Jack Roach Ford is the oldest Ford dealer ship in Houston. The started in either 1921 or 1923. My dad bought a new Ford from Tommy Vaughn in 1957. The dealer ship was then located on North Main, so I know it had to be after 1957 when they moved to Shepherd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEM Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 (edited) Jay Marks Chevrolet in La Porte,Tx............ :/ Edited January 31, 2014 by GEM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I ran across this photo library of Houston car dealers on Photobucket while looking for a photo of the elusive Bill McDavid Oldsmobile neon sign. Some of these have been posted here before, but there are quite a few others I hadn't seen before. http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/automotivehistorian/library/Houston%20Car%20Dealers?sort=3&page=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iliketurtles Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Anyone know where the original Gay Family Pontiac was on HWY 3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 I ran across this photo library of Houston car dealers on Photobucket while looking for a photo of the elusive Bill McDavid Oldsmobile neon sign. Some of these have been posted here before, but there are quite a few others I hadn't seen before. http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/automotivehistorian/library/Houston%20Car%20Dealers?sort=3&page=1 Cool stuff. Thanks for posting the link. To me it is interesting to see how dealerships gradually migrated from downtown to the far outskirts of the city. It is hard to believe now that Kirby was once fairly heavily lined with car dealerships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 More Kirby: Sam Montgomery Oldsmobile ("Sam the Rocket Man") was in the Village, and IIRC had a spaceman astride a rocket coming out of the roof over Kirby. (sheez, now I've got the jingle stuck in my head). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 There was an Archer Rambler on the 5000 block of Kirby by Goode Company. I believe the dealership building is still in use. I don't know the name of it, but I think there might have been a Lincoln-Mercury dealer close to Kirby and Alabama. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLWM8609 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 There was an Archer Rambler on the 5000 block of Kirby by Goode Company. I believe the dealership building is still in use. I don't know the name of it, but I think there might have been a Lincoln-Mercury dealer close to Kirby and Alabama. It was probably River Oaks Lincoln Mercury. I saw a nice 88-91 Mercury Grand Marquis last week that still had the River Oaks Lincoln Mercury decal on the trunklid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle C Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Cool stuff. Thanks for posting the link. To me it is interesting to see how dealerships gradually migrated from downtown to the far outskirts of the city. It is hard to believe now that Kirby was once fairly heavily lined with car dealerships. Early in the history of Houston the dealer ships seemed to be not only in the downtown area but were strung along Washington Ave. and Harrisburg and on around the curve onto Broadway. Washington Ave was old Hwy. 90 and continued on to Preston in the downtown area. Milam seemed to be heavily vested with dealerships in the downtown area, I can think of about a half dozen that was on Milam just off the top of my head. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.