Historic Houston Ford Dealerships

[Michelle C]

I was raised in the fifties in Houston and remember a lot of the old Ford dealerships. My dad worked for Ford Motor Company and called on all of them and others around the state of Texas.

 

I was always fascinated with Jack Roach because they was probably the oldest one in the city of Houston. I am not sure where the original dealership was located. The earliest one I can remember was on Broadway street. I know that they later moved down the street to another location still located on Broadway. Later they moved to a new location on the corner of Bissonnet and Buffalo Speedway about 1953 give or take a year. I also know at one time they had a location on Westheimer and Yoakum on the east end of the Tower Theatre complex. If any one has pictures of any of the dealerships, please post them.

 

Earl McMillian was another old Ford dealership that was located down town on the corner of Louisiana and Rusk, they later moved out to Katy Road and eventually changed the name to Don McMillian. Others I remember are Raymond Pearson, Tommy Vaughn, and Ivy Russell.

 

Earl McMillian's downtown store, the cars shown are on Louisiana street. The other is Jack Roach Ford on the corner of Westheimer and Yoakum next to the Tower theatre.

 

Edited January 26, 2014 by Michelle C

[Subdude]

Raymond Pearson Ford dowtown

 

[Purpledevil]

Jack Roach Ford was in the Tower Theater building? I never knew! Very cool, and thanks for posting these, Michelle!

[FilioScotia]

You're harking back to the time when Ford had a parts plant here in Houston. It was on Harrisburg in the building that's now a coffee plant. Check out some of the old local Ford dealership photos on this link:

 

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/840188-vintage-dealership-photos.html

Edited January 27, 2014 by FilioScotia

[acamarillo]

did jack roach ever take over Pearson?  in '62, my aunt bought a fairlane from the dealership in that building, but i've always remembered it as jack roach ford.  also, as a side note, does anyone know if Jack Roach was related to the Roach boys, one who pitched at SHSU, and one worked at Astroworld, ald later they opened Spanky's Pizza on 610 near Gulfgate?

[Michelle C]

The Ford plant at 3906 Harrisburg was not only a parts plant but they also built cars there as well. It was one of two Ford assembly plants in the state of Texas at the time. I am not sure when it closed down, either in the thirties or forties. I have the same picture in my archives as in the link.

 

[Michelle C]

Acamarillo, Jack Roach never took over Raymond Pearson, I think you are confusing the Jack Roach store at Buffalo Speedway and Bissonnet. The two buildings looked a lot alike. When I first saw the picture I thought it was the Jack Roach store too.The Pearson dealership was located at Leeland and Austin streets near downtown.

 

I am adding a picture of the back side of the Pearson dealership. Pease street is directly behind the building and Austin street to the side of it. Another picture of the front taken from Austin and Leeland. A third picture as it looks today from Austin and Leeland. One more of the dealership as it looked in 1957.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Michelle C

[mollusk]

That dealership was there well into the 80s, if not the 90s, albeit under a different name I think (Osborne Apple?).  And what IS it with the front bumpers on those '57 Fairlanes that makes it look like they come pre-knocked into something?

[Subdude]

I was raised in the fifties in Houston and remember a lot of the old Ford dealerships. My dad worked for Ford Motor Company and called on all of them and others around the state of Texas.

 

I was always fascinated with Jack Roach because they was probably the oldest one in the city of Houston. I am not sure where the original dealership was located. The earliest one I can remember was on Broadway street. I know that they later moved down the street to another location still located on Broadway. Later they moved to a new location on the corner of Bissonnet and Buffalo Speedway about 1953 give or take a year. I also know at one time they had a location on Westheimer and Yoakum on the east end of the Tower Theatre complex. If any one has pictures of any of the dealerships, please post them.

 

Earl McMillian was another old Ford dealership that was located down town on the corner of Louisiana and Rusk, they later moved out to Katy Road and eventually changed the name to Don McMillian. Others I remember are Raymond Pearson, Tommy Vaughn, and Ivy Russell.

 

Earl McMillian's downtown store, the cars shown are on Louisiana street. The other is Jack Roach Ford on the corner of Westheimer and Yoakum next to the Tower theatre.

 

Great pictures.  Do you know what block on Louisiana that was?

[Michelle C]

Great pictures.  Do you know what block on Louisiana that was?

 

Yes, it was on the south west corner of Louisiana and Rusk.

 

This picture taken from atop of a near by building and you can see the dealership. That will be Louisiana running in front of the Orleans hotel and Rusk running beside the dealership. You can see the downtown Houston public library in the back ground. The picture was made Aug. 29 1950

 

[Subdude]

Another Ford dealer

[GEM]

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

Edited January 28, 2014 by GEM

[Michelle C]

Another Ford dealer

I have that very same picture. Do you know the location? That is the old Weingartens store at Yale and Eleventh St. in the Heights. The location later became a Top Value stamps redemption center. I have no clue what it became after the redemption center moved out. According to Google maps it is now a Lola eatery.

[Michelle C]

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

 

Yes, another old Ford dealership, I had forgotten about it. Osborne Apple later became A. C. Collins Ford. They have since moved from the old location to Beltway 8.

[Michelle C]

The Earl McMillian store at 7115 old Katy Road.                              Earl McMillian at 8920 Jensen Dr.

 

[sevfiv]

Yeah, that one had a pretty nice redo: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=1102+yale+st&hl=en&ll=29.790712,-95.399008&spn=0.00797,0.013937&sll=29.791110,-95.398613&layer=c&cbp=13,45.2,,0,-3.76&cbll=29.79067,-95.398856&hnear=1102+Yale+St,+Houston,+Texas+77008&t=h&z=17&panoid=QzppOGd3SFLXNtMBaIiavQ

 

I have some pre-renovation pictures of when the newer (Eckerd's era) facade was removed and the stamps signs are showing. 

 

 

 

I have that very same picture. Do you know the location? That is the old Weingartens store at Yale and Eleventh St. in the Heights. The location later became a Top Value stamps redemption center. I have no clue what it became after the redemption center moved out. According to Google maps it is now a Lola eatery.

 

[Michelle C]

Yeah, that one had a pretty nice redo: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=1102+yale+st&hl=en&ll=29.790712,-95.399008&spn=0.00797,0.013937&sll=29.791110,-95.398613&layer=c&cbp=13,45.2,,0,-3.76&cbll=29.79067,-95.398856&hnear=1102+Yale+St,+Houston,+Texas+77008&t=h&z=17&panoid=QzppOGd3SFLXNtMBaIiavQ

 

I have some pre-renovation pictures of when the newer (Eckerd's era) facade was removed and the stamps signs are showing. 

 

Please do post the picture of the pre renovation period you have. Having been raised in Houston I love Houston history of the fifties, sixties and seventies.

 

Here is another photo of Ivy Russell Ford at 2120 Main.

[brhaltx]

I have that very same picture. Do you know the location? That is the old Weingartens store at Yale and Eleventh St. in the Heights. The location later became a Top Value stamps redemption center. I have no clue what it became after the redemption center moved out. According to Google maps it is now a Lola eatery.

 

   Lola and more; there are 3 or 4 businesses in that building.

[brucesw]

Please do post the picture of the pre renovation period you have. Having been raised in Houston I love Houston history of the fifties, sixties and seventies.

 

Here is another photo of Ivy Russell Ford at 2120 Main.

 

The picture helps; I was trying to remember that one.  Reminds me of Curry Ford on 2nd Street in Freeport.  Other Ford dealerships in Brazosport included Angleton Motors on what is now 288B, close to the County Courthouse complex.  I think that building is still there, converted to county offices; I'm going down that way this weekend and will check.  The Ford dealer in West Columbia was Clyde V. Lee Motors, which I can't place but was probably on TX 35.

 

Here's the photos in the Bob Bailey Collection at UT labeled Ford.  Many of cars, a few of dealers including several of Raymond Pearson and one I'd never heard of, Alsbury-Burke.

 

[sevfiv]

Wow, I found the pictures (from February 2008) and they actually have remnants of the Ivy Russell name, not the stamps. There was a "big bonus stamps" sign sitting in a window though. I'll have them up soon - Subdude, can I use your Ivy Russell image? I'll credit how you wish

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

Yes, it was on the south west corner of Louisiana and Rusk.

 

 

 

 

whoa.. this picture.

 

when we see downtown now, we see the huge (to us) buildings, and the empty parking lots.

 

even the distance shots of downtown in the late 50's start to look like the modern downtown we know today, but this picture, with all the older buldings, the water tower, and the TREES in downtown....... wow!

 

epic  

[Subdude]

Wow, I found the pictures (from February 2008) and they actually have remnants of the Ivy Russell name, not the stamps. There was a "big bonus stamps" sign sitting in a window though. I'll have them up soon - Subdude, can I use your Ivy Russell image? I'll credit how you wish

 

Sure thing.

 

[Michelle C]

Wow, I found the pictures (from February 2008) and they actually have remnants of the Ivy Russell name, not the stamps. There was a "big bonus stamps" sign sitting in a window though. I'll have them up soon - Subdude, can I use your Ivy Russell image? I'll credit how you wish

 

I scrolled through hundreds of pictures but was unable to find it. I did however find many other things of interest.

 

[mollusk]

@ Tumbleweed -Those trees are largely still there - at least those in the foreground, which are in front of the library and City Hall.  The Ford dealership block is now taken up by the Public Works building (HL & P once upon a time).  The Orleans Hotel is where Pennzoil is now (if I'm oriented correctly).

[brhaltx]

   Lola and more; there are 3 or 4 businesses in that building.

 

   I drove by the Ivy Russell building at Yale/11th today; besides Lola, there's a vitamin place and a fitness place, and room for more.

Edited January 29, 2014 by brhaltx

[brhaltx]

Somebody asked about the Tommy Vaughn sign; it may have been in another thread.   It's still there, but I don't think I've ever seen it rotate.  I'm not sure if they even light it.  I'm not in that area after dark very often.

[Ross]

Somebody asked about the Tommy Vaughn sign; it may have been in another thread.   It's still there, but I don't think I've ever seen it rotate.  I'm not sure if they even light it.  I'm not in that area after dark very often.

The sign no longer rotates, that change was made when it was renovated a few years back. I haven't noticed if it is lighted or not, I'll try to remember to look the next day or so.

[Purpledevil]

It was me, sorry to hear the old sign doesn't rotate anymore at Tommie Vaughn. As I remember it, and its been years, the FORD on the back of the sign glows red, the Tommie Vaughn name on the front side glows blue. I suspect it's not lit either, since it is no longer rotating.

What about Lone Star on the North Freeway @ West Gulf Bank? I'd love to see what it looked like originally. That, and Mort Hall Ford/Mike Hall Dodge on the Eastex @ Jensen/Saunders. The Hall dealerships were, I believe, where Home Depot sits now. They've been gone probably 20 years now.

[9075]

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...

[brhaltx]

What about Lone Star on the North Freeway @ West Gulf Bank? I'd love to see what it looked like originally. That, and Mort Hall Ford/Mike Hall Dodge on the Eastex @ Jensen/Saunders. The Hall dealerships were, I believe, where Home Depot sits now. They've been gone probably 20 years now.

 

   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?