Vintage Dealer Snapshots: Buick New Models In 1959 – Posted on November 23, 2023 A few days ago we talked about the excitement the arrival of new models used to cause back in the day. In that post, I showcased a few Chevy showrooms. For today, the excitement belongs to the wild and exuberant Buicks of 1959. And as the showroom above shows, the whole matter was quite a ritual filled with expectation. Just look at the crowd in the photo below if you need further proof. The few pictures in this post all belong to the same dealer; Moore Buick in Walla Walla, Washington. Also, pay attention to Moore Buick’s Lubricare service stations in the last photo. Its condition is probably closer to reality than the otherworldly promo Lubricare snapshots I posted a while ago. 12 Comments Reply Daniel M. Posted November 23, 2023 at 6:33 AM The flower arrangements are a very elegant touch. Plus, they add a nice aroma to mask the smell of oil and rubber, and they help fill out the space. The General Motors of Canada dealership in the small town I grew up in, had a similar art deco exterior. They didn’t sell Buicks though, they were a Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealership from the 1930s until the early 1980s. Reply Daniel M. Posted November 23, 2023 at 8:15 AM Same location from August 2022: https://www.google.com/maps/@44.900...e0!5s20220801T000000!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu Reply Eric703 Posted November 23, 2023 at 6:51 AM I love art deco car showrooms. This was the Buick dealer near where I grew up, though the showroom was built as a Dodge dealership, and they switched to Buick in about 1960. Sometime in the 1980s, the Buick dealer built a larger showroom across the street, and used this art deco building for its new Isuzu franchise. It was demolished about 15 years ago. Reply George Ferencz Posted November 23, 2023 at 7:07 AM Dealership photos are always fun, but the “new car” ones are especially exciting. I’m a Ford guy, but that 1959 Buick really appeals! Here’s eBay’s sole souvenir today of this dealership: https://www.ebay.com/itm/304984729134 Reply Eric703 Posted November 23, 2023 at 7:25 AM $222 for a vintage license plate frame!! Reply Eric703 Posted November 23, 2023 at 7:27 AM I think the occasion for these photos was likely the dealership’s grand opening – Moore Buick moved into this building early 1959. Prior to that, the building served as a Dodge dealership (photo below), but that dealership merged with another in 1958 and subsequently moved. A grand opening would also explain the spotlessly clean service bays. Reply Eric703 Posted November 23, 2023 at 11:52 AM And here’s a view from the inside at the grand opening – with the ceremonial ribbon cut by a man with a sword. No wonder there was a big crowd. There was also a Grand Opening event with prizes. Reply polistra Posted November 23, 2023 at 10:26 AM GM mastered the art of Hollywood-style Grand Premieres in the 30s. This Chevy film was sent to dealers, not to the public. It trained the dealers to run a year-long campaign of carefully planned and phased anticipation for the Big Event. https://archive.org/details/0799_Chevrolet_Blankets_the_Nation_08_29_53_00 Reply William Scheuer Posted November 23, 2023 at 11:11 AM In the 3rd photo of just the dealership, I think I see an Opel. The nose is pointed at us and looks to be a ’59 Rekord. It is just behind where the name “Opel” is painted on the window. Reply BPM Posted November 23, 2023 at 11:47 AM What an odd looking vehicle, just like the rest of the ’59 Detroit offerings (’58 also true IMO). Reply -Nate Posted November 23, 2023 at 2:29 PM Still looks sharp to my eyes . A musical tribute : -Nate Reply Actually Mike Posted November 23, 2023 at 4:07 PM This reminds me of something I saw at a car show in Bellingham, WA a few years. That’s a lot of 1959 Buicks!
Found this information about the Moore Buick dealership: Moore Buick Company had its grand opening at 215 E Main on Jan 21, 1959, followed by a total liquidation auction two years later. File photos courtesy of the Union-Bulletin. Click thumbnails The Company moved from Poplar Street to Main at end of 1958. Garden City Furniture and Carpet moved into this space in 1961.
This Moore Buick license plate frame, that's now for sale on eBay, is super rare. Price is US$ 222 Click image to visit the listing
The building is still there today, at 207 East Main Street, Walla Walla, WA. This is a Google Street View image from August 2012: Click image to look around the area in 2022
Those remind me of OTHO-WILLIAMS BUICK,that used to be on Pennsylvania Avenue, and Silver Hill Rd., Suitland Maryland. It was the place where they had a 1970 BUICK GSX SATURN YELLOW. on the Showroom floor. It was gorgeous...They tore the dealership down, now A CHIK*FILET and the GIANT FOOD STORE SHOPPING CENTER SITS THERE.
This is where my Buick was originally delivered back in 1970. Twin City still exists today at a newer location. I had fun a few years ago researching at the local library.
Here is a pic of my dealer where I bought my first new GS in 72. Bought it 2 months before Hurricane Agnes came. I had it in for warranty work and picked it up 2 days before the flood came. Pic is of dealership during flood.
This is where my GSX was delivered . Bill Price Buick in Burlington NC It was once a Hudson , Packard and Studebaker dealer . Moved to the outskirts of town .
Yes it is! On Broadway Ave. In Cleveland just up the street from Bud Brady Ford where I worked in the 90’s was an old Buick dealership that had a sandstone “Buick” insert above the door facing the street, always thought “how cool” The detail they put in old construction back then was beautiful.
Witt is still around, but not as a Buick dealership. In 2012 they were selling cars at the same spot for 100 years: Muskegon's Witt Buick celebrates 100 years of selling cars in the same spot Published: Jun. 30, 2012, 2:03 p.m. Classic cars participated in a show celebrating Witt Buick's centennial Friday afternoon. MUSKEGON, MI – When the Witt family set up their auto dealership in Muskegon, they rented horses and carriages out of the back of the garage. The “horseless carriage” was a relatively new invention in 1912, but it apparently didn’t take Muskegon residents long to decide they liked it better than animal-powered transportation. Witt Buick, 67 W. Western, celebrated its centennial Friday afternoon with a classic car show, a milestone that seemed out of reach three years ago. General Motors had slated Witt for closure in 2009, but the Witt family fought to keep their Buick affiliation. Gary Scharlow said he has worked as a car salesman for 40 years, with 20 of those years at Witt. The customers’ loyalty struck him, he said. “Probably the best return customers I’ve seen anywhere,” he said. Scharlow estimated he had directed about 100 classic cars onto the Witt lot over the first two hours of the show. The current Buick inventory was moved to the other side of the building, he said. Paul and Patricia Petermann of Silver Lake brought a five-passenger Buick Model 29 touring car to the show. It was from 1912, but wasn’t purchased at Witt -- although Witt co-owner Jan Witt had asked them to display it there from time to time. Paul and Patricia Petermann, of Silver Lake, brought their 1912 Buick Model 29 touring car to Witt Buick's centennial car show Friday afternoon. They brought it on a trailer, Patricia Petermann said, because the car can’t get up to highway speeds. “It likes 30 (mph),” Paul Petermann said. “It starts to make weird noises at 32.” The lack of horsepower isn’t something to lament, he said, because it also doesn’t have modern brakes that allow it to stop quickly. In a way, it’s a window into the past. “A trip into town was an all-day event,” he said. George Mazurek of Cloverille, who volunteers at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, said it’s “almost unheard of” for a dealership to last so long. “It’s amazing having a dealership in one family for 100 years,” he said. Witt actually sold Hudsons before bringing Buicks to their lineup Mazurek said. Hudson merged with American Motors in 1958 and soon ceased production. But in the 1920s and 1930s they were favorites with both cops and gangsters. They could go one-quarter mile in 20 seconds, he said, which works out to about 45 mph. “They were the fast car of the day,” he said. “Hudson was the car of choice because of their performance.” Scharlow said the show was a “thank you” for Witt’s customers. “We’ve got a lot of 89-year-old customers,” he said. “It’s fun for them because it brings back when their mom or dad drove one of these. Everybody’s got a story to tell.”
This is where my GS originally was sold. I purchased it about 15 miles from its original dealership. You could never tell this was once a Buick dealer.
Mike, there's an empty 1969 Community Motors matchbook for sale on eBay: Click photo to view the listing on eBay
