Years – 1930 to 1940
By the 1930’s, few car dealerships were still located in downtown Baltimore City, although there was still a good presence along Mount Royal Avenue and North Avenue. Parking was beginning to be an issue however . Zell Motor Car Company was still in business, located at 11-19 East Mount Royal Avenue, and there were numerous dealerships along Mt Royal, but dealerships were also showing up in outside of typical areas, such as at the 4700 block of Liberty Heights Avenue, 4400 block of York Road, and 1600 block of East Lombard Street, just to name a few. In the 1930’s, traveling to various Baltimore neighborhoods, such as Remington , one could find a decent car dealership. On 25th Street, just a few blocks north of North Avenue, dealerships began to show up, such as M-M-T Motor Company ( 25th and Greenmount ).
Ashley Chevrolet
Ads mention they are located on Broadway “extended”, which is the section of Broadway just North of North Avenue.
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Bittorf Motor Company – ( Auburn / Nash)
Cathedral and Eager Streets
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A beautiful building, that had seen use as a nightclub, until a fire in the 1980’s gutted it. The building has been restored and is currently a restaurant. In the mid 1930’s, the building was used to showroom Auburn vehicles, and was used until at least the late 1940’s at least that I can tell.
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Bob Fleigh Studebaker
Mt Royal at McMechen
( Circa 1939 )
There were plenty of car dealerships along Mount Royal Avenue, in the area of Charles Street, but at least one dealership, Bob Fleigh could be found a few blocks north on Mount Royal , at McMechen Street, just south of North Avenue. There, one could find the latest Studebaker models for sale, until the dealership moved to 29th Street in the 1940’s.
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Bradford Brothers
4800 Belair Road
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Brooks – Price Buick
1370 West North Avenue
One of the old car dealership buildings in the City is the Brooks- Price Buick dealership on West North Avenue, just east of Pennsylvania Avenue. The building has been used by Greenwood’s Garage ( a towing company ) for years, and much of the complex is still used by Greenwood’s. The Baltimore City Health Department currently uses part of the building today.
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Buick Motors Sales Company
Mount Royal and Maryland Avenues
One of several dealerships along Mt Royal Avenue, the Motor Sales Company seen to the right could be found a few years later, with everything the same on this postcard, except the vehicle brand had been carefully changed to show the Desoto car brand. The building is gone, and is now part of the University of Baltimore complex.
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C.W. Curry
Mt Royal and Maryland Avenues
( Circa 1930 )
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Chenoweth Motors
Harford and Joppa Roads.
Traveling through the intersection of Harford Road and Joppa Road today is just part of the daily commute , but back in the 1930’s, I’m sure it was considered quite a ride to ” go so far “. Chenoweth Motors carried several brands and would supply car buyers with the cards seen here to remind you of the car you were considering buying.
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Cunliffe Cadillac
North Charles Street at 24th Street
Cadillacs weren’t cheap in the 1930’s, and the building for Cunliffe Cadillac on the northeast corner of 24th and Charles Street was built to remind you of this fact. Even into the 1980’s, when the building was finally torn down ( as Chesapeake Cadilllac ) , the building was a attractive addition to the neighborhood. Some of the buildings details were used in the design of the new building, a supermarket.
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Downtown Motors Inc- (Ford )
814 Light Street
814 Light Street had been the location of a early movie theatre for years , just south of Baltimore City. When the theatre was torn down, the address was used for years as various car lots. The lot was empty for years, until the 1980’s, when a office building was built there. In later years, Volkswagens were sold there.
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Fidelity Motors ( Chrysler )
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Ford Motor Company Sales – ( Ford )
134 West North Avenue
I’m not sure if Ford wanted to go by the dealership name of Ford Motor Sales or not, but for years, a local name could not be found selling Ford vehicles in Baltimore. Fords could be bought in the City at 21 East North Avenue, 2 blocks away at 131 West North Avenue, and just down the street at Mount Royal and Maryland Avenues. I’m not quite sure why there were three different locations for Ford sales in such a close area.
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Funk & Ennis
1309 – 1311 Cathedral Street
( Circa 1935 )
Just a few blocks south of the many Mount Royal Avenue dealerships, on Cathedral Street, you could find Funk & Ennis Chrysler. Cathedral Street had several smaller dealerships located along it.
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Hudson
Various dealerships around the City.
In the 1930’s, Hudson was looking for your used car, and you were able to trade up to a brand new Hudson at over 10 locations in the Baltimore area.
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Hupmobile
Reisterstown Road and Elgin Avenue
The building survives to this day, although painted an odd green. The building is currently in use as a business.
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Jarman Motors ( Circa 1935 )
AKA Harton B. Hull Motors ( circa 1930 )
301 West 29th Street
Northern Baltimore City
The address of 301 West 29th Street ( at Remington ) on the Southwest corner went by several different names over the years. It opened I believe as the Eastwick Motor Sales, and was soon being operated as Harter B. Hull Dodge by 1930. In 1935, Jarman Motors Inc offered the 1935 Plymouth from the address,as well as Dodge trucks , and Jarman would remain at the location for years, also selling Pontiacs in later years. The Dealership , under the name of Jarman, seems to have started around 1931, replacing the Harter Hull Dodge Dealership in town. Before this , Jarman had worked for the Hull Dealership. Below, you can see the dealership building still being used by Anderson for Body Repairs, in 2007. In recent years, it appears the entire building has been converted to a shopping style building, serving food from various stands.
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Kelly Buick Sales Corp.
Charles and Mt . Royal Avenue
( Circa 1939 )
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Martin J. Barry
Martin Brothers ( Ford )
1700 North Charles Street
Martin J. Barry appears to have started as a repair and accessory shop, but by the 1950’s, you could buy Mercury’s and Lincoln’s from Martin J. Barry at this same address. The garage is still used as a parking garage, across the street from the Charles Theatre, while the dealership showroom is a laundrymat, if I remember correctly.
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Mid City Car Sales
111 West North Avenue
( circa 1939 )
West North Avenue around Howard Street had several car dealerships , and was one location where you could find a Desoto in Baltimore. Across the street , you could find a Oldsmobile dealership and a Willy Jeep dealership. I believe this Dealer later moved to the 2400 Block of Greenmount Avenue.
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Oriole Pontiac
Oak Street ( Howard Street ) at North Avenue
( circa 1935 )
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Park Circle Ford
3400 Reisterstown Road
( Circa 1934 )
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Penn Brothers Oakland – Pontiac
4109 Reisterstown Road
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Talbotts Motor Company – (Ford)
3431 Greenmount Avenue
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Walter Scott Inc ( Ford )
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Zell Dodge
10- 12- 14 East Mount Royal Avenue
( Circa 1935 )
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Baltimore Car Dealerships 1930 to 1939
Allen’s Motor Service – 1201 Bush Street – Hudson – <1936>
Auto Clinic Inc 229 West Chase Street – Chrysler – <1933>
Backus Motor Company – 29th & Remingotn – Ford – <1938>
Bauer Motor Company – 106 West 36th street – Chrysler <1931>
Berger Motors Inc. Pennsylvania Avenue at Fulton Avenue – Dodge / Plymouth <1934>
Bob Fleigh – Charles and Preston Streets – Pierce Arrow <1935>
12 East Mount Royal Studebaker < 1933 >
1315 Cathedral Street Studebaker < 1933>
Edmondson Avenue at Bentalou Studebaker <1933>
Bradford Bros & Scharta – 4800 Belair Rd – DeSoto <1930
Brooks – Price Towson, Maryland – Buick <1933>
“ York Road and Washington Avenue
Bruce & White Inc. – 1300 Guilford Avenue – Chrysler – <1933>
Callis Motors – 403 South Conkling Street – Dodge – Plymouth <1938>
C.H. Reeves & Co . – 1313 Cathedral Street – Lincoln <1933>
City Line Sales & Service – 5900 blk Liberty Hgts Avenue – Chrysler <1933>
D.S.& D. Motor Company – 25th Street and Homewood Avenue – Dodge <1934>
Downtown Motors – 814 Light Street – Ford <1936>
E.Durand Hartman – 1120-22 Harford Avenue Chryser < 1931>
Eastern Auto Service – Fleets and Eaton Streets – 1934 Dodge and Plymouths
Edgemere Garage – Sparrows Point, Ms Hudson < 1936>
Fidelity Motors Co – Cathedral & Mt Royal – Chrysler <1931>
Ford Motors Sales Company – Mount Royal and Maryland Avenues – Ford <1936>
Ford Brothers – Frederick Rd & Smallwood – Pontiac <1934>
Forest Park Garage – Liberty Heights at Garrison Avenue Plymouth <1930?
Funk & Ennis Inc 1309 Cathedral Street , Chrysler- Plymouth < 1933>
Funk & Ennis 1014 Morton Street Chrysler < 1931>
Griebel Motors 814 Light Street Ford <1938>
Hayden Motor Company – 3317 Keswick Rd Ford – <1933>
Hoffman & Cleman 5028 Resiterstown Rd – Chrysler <1933>
Holmes Motor Co – 6400 Frederick R, Plymouth <1930>
International Harvester Trucks 920 East 26th Street
Jarman Motors, Inc – 29th and Remington – Dodge <1934>Jones Automobile Co – Mount Royal & McMechen Sts Plymouth <1930>
Kolpack and Mitchell – Chase & Guilford Avenue – Dodge Plymouth 1934
Kelly Auto Sales – 5603 Belair Road Pontiac <1934>
Kelly Buick Sales Corp. 107 to 113 West Mount Royal Avenue Buick < 1933>
Branch – Bank and Conking Streets Buick <1935>
Levis Motors Company – Mount Royal and Maryland Avenues – Hudson/Terraplane <1936>
M.. Anderson 3539 South Hanover Street – Chrysler. Plymouth <1933>
Martin Brothers – 2300 North Monroe Street – Ford < 1936>
Manuel – Reuling Motor Co. – Fleet and Conking Streets – Chrysler <1933>
Miller Brothers – 4311 Harford Road Hudson < 1936>
Nash Baltimore Motors, Inc. 116-122 West Read Street – Nash 1935
Northern Motor Co – 3937 Falls Road, Willy’s <1930>
Oriole Pontiac – 340 South Highland Avenue – Pontiac <1934>
200 West North Avenue – Pontiac <1934>
Ortel Motor Car Company 3223 Eastern Avenue Graham / Ford <1933>
Parkway Auto Company – 4406 Evan Chapel Rd = Chrysler <1933>
Listed in 1931 as simply “ Roland Park “
Reliable Motor Company – Mount & Mulberry Sts. Dodge <1935>
Roger & Sewell – 4024 Belvedere Avenue – Hudson <1936>
Roger Sullivan – 1406 Bloomingdale Rd – Chrysler <1933>
Stein Motors Co – 15 West Mt Royal Avenue – Graham < 1936>
Tracey & Berner 1600 North Calvert Street – Willy <1930>
Toland Motors – 3501 O’Donnell Street Hudson < 1936 >
Von Schlegell Inc. 428 East Preston Street – Hudson <1936>
Walter Scott – 438 East Preston Street De Soto – <1933>
St Paul at Mount Royal <1933>
Webster’s Garage 2400 Annapolis Rd Graham <1933 >
Weil & Scott Brothers – 1111 Cathedral Street <1936>
Wienecke Motors Inc . 211 South Highland Avenue – Hudson <1936>
Willy’s Knight Mid City Sales – Mt Royal and McMecen Str Willys Knight <1930>
Showroom – 2100 Frederick Rd
Smallwood & Pratt
Wm. Schmidt – Belair Road and Kenwood Avenue – Chrysler 1931
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