Here’s an old Ad from 1952 that caught my eye.
I always liked this building, and I thought it had interesting brickwork over the doors. Check out that Neon sign…
Sadly there was a huge fire at a body shop last year, and the building burned as part of the collateral damage. Looks like the frame for the sign is still mounted to the roof…
I didn’t manage to ever get around to shooting it pre-fire…
However you can see the brickwork around the doors here…
I went by to get a new photo of it since the fire, and imagine my surprise to find a vacant lot. This place is only 2 blocks from my house, and I didn’t even notice it go… They must have been pretty quick to take it down. 
They must have been pretty quick to take it down Aren’t they always Andrew? They sure seem to tear down businesses that have caught fire but when it comes to residential houses they will sit for 1-2 and even three years. So much for our neighbourhoods…
it’s so interesting to learn buildings pasts! really unfortunate for the building itself though
in the ad is see “chryco” …..can i assume this is the predicessor to “mopar” ?
oh…and i’m sure you all read the headlines today? eddie sure acts like he doesn’t seem to care that mr. heil resigned, but *poof* all of a sudden the city want to rehab the city. what a novel idea .
Dodge/DeSoto seems like an odd mix. I’d think it would be a lot like a Pontiac/Buick dealership. Both are a bit upscale from the base brand or their respective corporations. DeSoto was usually paired with Plymouth in dealerships.
Aaron, the most recent newspaper article on Heil was a calcluated attack on his character. The headline said “mixed reactions” but the Star actually went out of their way to interview obvious political enemies for comments on Heil’s resignation. Francis? Jones?? Cuderman??? Totally unbalanced. So to the average reader, it appears Heil was not very cooperative or well-liked. Foruntately the comments indicate an obvious bulk of support FOR Heil. His was a thankless yet valuable contribution and the lack of gratitude shown in the wake of his resignation by those interviewed goes hand in hand with the city’s usual contempt for heritage in the first place (unless of course heritage serves a political end, as we know).
I was very surprised to read that this building was gone. Not that I don’t believe you, Andrew, but I had to take a ride by myself just to double-check.
Yup, it’s now officially gone (if a tree falls in the forest…) Talk about an uber-quiet demolition! Those building-eaters sure are getting slicker and slicker, aren’t they?
I think that’s how most of them go, Chris. Once the demo permit is in hand, demo crew is in and out quickly and before you know it all that’s left is a pattern of yellow lines on the ground.