By the 1920's,
most the newer car dealerships had moved out of
downtown Baltimore, and began to open
north of downtown. ................................................................................................................ ....................................................................................................................................Maryland Motors - 500 block of North Calvert Street |
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.......................................................................................................................................Ad Circa 1928 One survivor from the 1920's is Chrysler , shown here in an ad for the Chrysler "72", which in 1928 started out at about $1545.( for the two seat coupe ) . The Crown Sedan, as seen above in the ad, went for $1795. Fidelity Motors Co. was located on Mount Royal Avenue and Cathedral Street. |
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............. ..................................................... ......................19 By the 1920's, Mount Royal Avenue continued growing, with dealerships of all sizes and brands opening up on the strip, from Guilford Avenue to North Avenue. The heaviest concentration of dealerships was around Charles Street and Cathedral Street. Below, you can see that same view today, with most of the old dealerships now gone. .................. |
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......................................................................................................................Ad circa 1924 Nearly double the costs of the new Chevrolet at the time , Hudson was offering a new Super-Six Chassis , while still pushing the point that the car was a great value. Lambert Automotive sold Hudson's in Baltimore in the 1920's, and were located at the intersection of Mount Royal Avenue and Maryland Avenue. ....................................................................................... \... The Zell Motor Car Co, back in the 1920's, was located on odd side of Mount Royal Avenue, at addresses 11-13-15-17-and 19. The building, which still stands, can be seen below. While the building has been modifed over the years, you can still clearly see many of the old characterics today. ....................................... |
Below, the old Garage, on the
Northwest corner of North Charles Street and Mount
Royal Avenue, currently used by the University of
Baltimore. ............................... ........................................................ ......... |
................................................................ .......................... ........................... While Mount Royal Avenue was the center of activity for Baltimore car dealerships in the 1920's, North Avenue, just a few blocks north, was beginning to see it's share of car dealerships as well. Known in the 1920's as the United Auto Company, this building on the Northwest corner of West North Avenue and Howard Street ( Oak Street ), later became the Oriole Pontiac Company. The building is in excellent condition and is currently used by the State of Maryland. |
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21 East North Avenue, in the 1920's was the site of The Auto Outing Company, selling Selden Trucks and Buick cars. The ad mentions when buying a car or truck, the lowest price isn't always the best deal. |
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.............. .................................... This Dodge Brothers showroom window was located at 120 -126 West North Avenue. In the 1920's, it was not uncommon in Baltimore for a sales department to be separated from the maintenance department. Below is the building as it stands today. |
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Just off of Mount Royal Avenue at Cathedral Street, where several dealerships were located. The ad above is for the 1925 Nash, four passenger enclosed car, with models ranging from $1095 to $2290. Wilson-Nash Motors Co. was located at 1109-1113 Cathedral Street, and there were several other locations around town you could find a Nash as well. |
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Nattan Motors Inc were located at 1419-23 Maryland Avenue, and sold the 1925 Durant. A 5 passenger Durant in 1925 went for $830. while the 5 passenger sedan topped out at $1190. The vehicle came " Upholstered in Real Mohair " , where high quality , at a reasonable price, seem to be the selling points of the Durant. |
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In 1928, you could buy a Peerless Six-91 from the Peerless Motor Company , from the dealership at Cathedral and Eager Streets. Prices ranged from $1195 to $2545. .......................................................................... ................... |
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.................................................... A 1924 Chevrolet ad for the 5 passenger sedan, starting at only $795. |
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An ad, circa 1920 , for the Ford Model T one ton truck. This ad is focused towards small businesses and the need of such a truck for deliveries , while being quite inexpensive to maintain. |
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........... .................................................... ......................................................................................................... Madison Square Garage A East Baltimore Olds, and later Dodge Dealer, located on the Northeast corner of Chase Street at Eden. The dealer didn't last long, nor have I been able to find any ads in the local papers for this dealership, but there were several advertising postcards made back in the 1920's, which have survived to this day. The dealership closed years ago, and the building has been razed, replaced by a school yard as seen below. ............................... |
........................ .............................................................................Mack Truck Dealership .............................................................. East 20th Street ( East of Aisquith Street ) Another survivor from the past, the 1920's era Mack Truck dealership in East Baltimore. The dealership was built in 1925 and is used today as a school bus depot. Photo - Courtesy of the Baltimore Gas and Electric Collection at the Baltimore Museum of Industry . .... ............... |
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As roads
improved and more people owned cars, Baltimore found dealerships
moving further out . Below is a opening day ad for Anderson
Chevy at Edmondson Avenue and Hilton Street. While the
building survives today, it has been greatly altered and
is currently a health care center........ .............................. ..................................................... |
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.. . If you couldn't afford a new car back in the 1920's, you could always buy one of the bargains around town at one of the many used car lots opening around town. |
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For years, ownership of a car was considered a luxury. Baltimore had plenty of streetcar lines, and getting around was never a problem, as people tended to live closer together . However, if you didn't have a car and needed to get to a location outside the limits of public transportation, Yellow Cab Company was always there. |
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