Re: Automobile Dealers
Posted by:
jak378
(---.dhcp.embarqhsd.net)
Date: February 13, 2012 03:24PM
Dunning1 Wrote:
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> The Ford dealer at Hoyne and Irving Park Road was
> Alvin Motors. Later it became an appliance dealer
> that also seems to be now closed. Further west,
> between Oakley and Western, there was a
> Nash/AMC/Jeep dealer called George Hill, and on
> Western, just north of Addison, on the west side
> of the street north of the Wendy's was a
> Studebaker dealer. Going further west on Irving
> Park Road, you had Claussen/Ostrow/Foley Dodge
> about 3500 West, on the north side, then
> Nelson-Hirschberg Ford at what is now Marino
> Chrysler Plymouth. Seltzer Pontiac was on the
> corner of Lockwood and Irving, and Lynch Buick was
> across the street on the north side of Irving Park
> Road, before Lynch expanded into a multi line
> dealer. I remember a fascinating 1961 Buick
> Electra 225 Limousine they had in the showroom
> window at what is now the Volkswagen dealer.
> Hudec Olds, later City Olds, was further west on
> Irving in what was later the Saturn dealer. Tom
> Lyons Chrysler was on Milwaukee Avenue, I believe
> around 4200 North, and later Portage Park Chrysler
> Plymouth was on Cicero in what is now a U Haul
> Dealership. Nickey Chevrolet was on the south
> side of Irving, right along the railroad tracks,
> where the new townhouses are now built. Foreman
> Motors, which originally dealt in used Cadillacs,
> was on Fullerton Avenue just east of Cicero, on
> the north side of the street. I believe the place
> is now a laundromat. That was the site of a
> murder years ago. Hope this clears up some of the
> old car dealer controversies.
To clear up the Fohrman (not Foreman) Motors controversy. Fohrman Motors was at about 2700 West Madison, owned by Ben Fohrman and was at that time strictly a used car dealer. A supposedly disgruntled customer, Donnie Jackson, walked in and started shooting, killing 2 sons, Sidney and Edward, I think, and another employee named Sizer. Jackson was killed by police who arrived almost immediately. It was quite a bloody scene. Speculation was that Jackson had been cheated by the Fohrmans but that was not true. He had a good deal for the time and the car had been damaged by him in an accident. He was, incidentally high on barbiturates, and had spent a fair amount of time in prison.
Incidentally, on my last visit to Chicago over Christmas, I was surprised to see that Balzekas Chrysler was still in business on Archer. That has to be one of the longest running dealers in Chicago area.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2012 03:26PM by jak378.