Princeton Indiana Studebaker dealership

[Chris_Dresbach]

A friend of mine emailed me these photos and wanted them posted here. A couple neat photos of an old dealership:

[Milaca]

Nice pics Chris! I think the tow-truck is a KB-5 International Harvester.

[Mike Sal]

I'm near Princeton every once in a while. I'll have to see if the building is still standing.

The last studebaker dealer in Fairfield, IL was in a building very much like this one, but on a slightly smaller scale. They just tore off the front area a few years ago, due to deterioration. I was always told there was still a lot of studebaker glass in the building in the basement, but the basement was always flooded, so I never got the chance to look around.
Mike Sal

[jlmccuan]

It's been a super dry summer. Send me a PM and we'll meet up and go check it out.

[copcars1]

Mike, I'm the one who asked Chris to post these on here, I've yet to figure out how to do it. This building is still standing and is a used car lot on N Main St. Here is the info on the dealership,
Phillips Robb Studebaker from 1940 to 1954. Located on the corner of Main & Warnock ST. in 1954 John Bill McGarrah bought the building and started selling Plymouth Desoto then later on sold Dodge there till the late 80's. This building is currently a used car lot "Cheap Cars".
I searched for ages for a good picture of this building and a local historian came across them. I collect pictures of old dealers and service station from here in Princeton and about crapped my pants when he gave me these pics! If you are ever this way get with me and I'll take you by it.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Make sure to put this in the dealer thread where it belongs (so it won't get lost later on)

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?1021-Studebaker-Dealers&highlight=Studebaker+Dealers

[64V-K7]

Copcars1:

You mention the name of the dealer in picture 1 is Phillips Rob, etc, but the name over the entry way is Franks Sales & Service

[8E45E]

I searched for ages for a good picture of this building and a local historian came across them. I collect pictures of old dealers and service station from here in Princeton and about crapped my pants when he gave me these pics!

It might be worth a visit to the main branch to the public library in Princeton. They should have all the old issues of the local paper on microfilm, and one can bet there will be some old photographs of that dealership. It may be the needle-in-the-haystack search at times, but you can count on the fall at new car introduction times, and find out when the 1940 'grand opening' was exactly, and search those issues first.

Craig

[copcars1]

Copcars1:

You mention the name of the dealer in picture 1 is Phillips Rob, etc, but the name over the entry way is Franks Sales & Service

dont hold me to this but I think Frank was Mr. Robb's first name. When the dealership was built it was named Phillips Robb, it is possible that Mr Robb bought out the other guys part. His wife is still living and I have not got to take her a copy of these yet but when I do I will be asking her more questions. I took her a VERY poor quality copy of a copy from an old newspaper ad and she about cries, she told me she didnt have anypictures from the dealership and it meant a lot to her for me giving that to her. So I cant wait to get over there and show her these!!

[copcars1]

It might be worth a visit to the main branch to the public library in Princeton. They should have all the old issues of the local paper on microfilm, and one can bet there will be some old photographs of that dealership. It may be the needle-in-the-haystack search at times, but you can count on the fall at new car introduction times, and find out when the 1940 'grand opening' was exactly, and search those issues first.

Craig

I spent two days going through old city directories and other files the library had but I've not got to the newspapers yet and I do know they have all them till back in the late 1800's on file. Thanks for the heads up on looking in the fall issues. I grew up in a time after all the dealers made big deals about the new cars for the next year! It is amazing arooind here how the dealers in the 20's till the early 50's would switch brands they sold so much. One year a place would sell Chevrolet then the next they would have Plymouth or Ford.

[copcars1]

Make sure to put this in the dealer thread where it belongs (so it won't get lost later on)

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...ebaker+Dealers

Deep in hock, if you know how to move pictures on here would you please do it, I'm not smart enough to figure out how to put them on the site let alone move them. I would hate to see them get lost in the shuffle on here. I absolutly love this site, there is not much I can contribute to it but when I found these I knew there would be others who would enjoy seeing these pictures.

[copcars1]

Can anyone tell the years of the trucks in the picture?

[DEEPNHOCK]

Done!
I just 'quoted' your original post here, and pasted it in as a new reply over there....
Good to go!
Jeff

Deep in hock, if you know how to move pictures on here would you please do it, I'm not smart enough to figure out how to put them on the site let alone move them. I would hate to see them get lost in the shuffle on here. I absolutly love this site, there is not much I can contribute to it but when I found these I knew there would be others who would enjoy seeing these pictures.

[supersix]

Here is how it looks today. A pitched roof has been added to the old showroom section:

[Mike Sal]

Wow, talk about a transformation. I would have never recognized the building except for the angled garage door.

I did get a chance to go thru the Fairifield building a long time ago (the main floor). The showroom section extended into the larger building & had some storage above it. The only studebaker item I found up there was a large format "inside facts" book for the 1952 models, but the cover is badly stained some dark colors, as they had used the book as a "drop cloth" to mix paint on.

Jim,
The building is on route 45 about a mile south of town, on the left side of the road. The round clamp ring, which held the round studebaker sign, is still hanging from a pole there. The owners won't sell it. I used to live just down the road from this building & watched it slowly go down hill. There was an addtion put on in the early 60's when they took on selling ford tractors as well as studebakers and the owners rent it to a couple of shade tree mechanics.
Mike Sal