Dandy Dave Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Been meaning to post photos of this for a while. This building was the original Ford Dealership in Pine Plains N.Y. The Stained Glass windows have been there since the teens or twenty's. Now it is a fun place to get lunch. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted August 31, 2022 Author Share Posted August 31, 2022 (edited) A few more photos. Looks like someone traded in a GMC on a Ford. 😁 Dandy Dave! Edited August 31, 2022 by Dandy Dave (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted August 31, 2022 Author Share Posted August 31, 2022 Toys in the windows. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brass is Best Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Great building! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 That's a place I could enjoy grabbing a bite to eat. Great repurposing and preservation. Old buildings and architecture are another rabbit hole. I work at the local historical society's research library most Thursdays and it's rare we don't have a new picture of an old building to research every week. Several of the old small town car dealership buildings around here still exist. One loss was the Ford store in Yanceyville NC. It could have been saved but the little town got a new manager who decided it needed to come down his first day on the job. He got rid of the 1920s Chevrolet building too. Me and that little punk had strong words over those demolitions. We lost the Dan River Mills buildings in Danville VA to a city manager's ambitions, too. He was intent on erasing any trace the company had ever existed in its hometown. The last one came down four years ago. There'll be a Caesars casino on that property, if the thing ever gets built. It's already more than a year behind schedule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Glenn I can sympathize with what you say and have seen happen. I have been involved as a local historian and in the state historians meetings for nearly 30 years. the $ sign is in the eye of developers and owners who don't even live in the community, see it as an "investment" No appreciation for gentle reworking of a structure , house, etc to adapt to "modern" living and use. It's why I started our village Architectural Review Board 30+ years ago and wrote the law and drew up a booklet to make it easier to understand. Today it is an accepted practice in a lot of local villages but when I did it with the consent of the then Mayor it got a huge amount of people angry - "my property, my way to change it" - my answer to that was "NOT" . Told them when you move out we are left with the mess you created for generations. All calm now but for some time I was not the most popular person in town. ( like it really mattered to me!) No one could really question why I knew what was best ( I did have a committee) because they new I had a Masters Degree+ in Art, taught art and architecture and had two well known architects on the same committee. It is like seeing a great old car restored in Popsicle colors and zebra striped upholstery and top because the owner wants it that way................. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 DRM Schoolfield: In its 1960s heyday The last building circa 2015 The concept. The three boiler stacks were all that was saved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Caswell Motor Company building shortly before its 2018 demolition. The building was stable and usable. Nothing there now but a vacant lot. And Cole Chevrolet-Olds, around 2010. This shows the 1947 facelift before its 2018 demolition. That town manager wanted a pavilion and park there. Cole was an early casualty of GM's "service territory" concept that eliminated dozens of small-town dealers. It yanked the franchises in late 1990s. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Crowell Ford Agency, Danville VA then And now 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f.f.jones Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Not a Ford dealership, but historically interesting anyway... THEN: NOW: SAN JOSE, CA 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMAV8FORD Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 I was in the Pine Plains dealership when they were still selling Fords and I have photos of it at that time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Repurposing a existing structure can take a lot of planning and thought and yes indeed added expense. BUT the "bones" are so very solid that can be done and with some deep thought - not a quick and easy demo it, then slap it up mentality. My family heritage on my father's side is masons - builders in brick, stone, cast block etc. from walls to foundations. All this started in England generations ago , went to Canada then here about 35 miles east of NY City. As a kid I knew what a brick trowel was ( assorted sizes) , wood level, etc. And yes often saw concrete ( mortar) mixed by hand. I saw my grandfather and father as a small child construct the house I live in from the foundation up. My Dad was "skinny" and my parents did not want me to continue in the family trade because they saw everything being replaced by alloy and plastic. I am a hands on guy about nearly everything ( unless it sparks or leaks !!!) seeing the structures here is both so very sad but also heart warming to me because I know some of you appreciate the architecture of the same era as our pre war vehicles as much as I do. I toured the Franklin Automobile factory a number of times 45-50 years ago when it still stood, amazing structure built on swamp land. it was like a castle, tiled staircases to make an easy daily clean up, coal fired power plant with a railroad track into the property to drop off freight cars full of coal. The factory was torn down - but it took dynamite to take down the walls because steel balls on a crane wore out ! I was there for that as well, as was a crowd on an early Sunday morning - everyone standing around went into shock when we pulled up in a black 1932 Franklin Airman sedan ( like a ghost arriving for a funeral) . the blast went off, a wall came down and there wasn't a dry eye in the hundreds of people standing there. Yes, I am a 20th century dinosaur. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
41 Su8 Posted August 31, 2022 Share Posted August 31, 2022 Dave, I remember the front of that building had the stained glass windows on both sides of the center door. After the left one broke, they filled it in with wood. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted September 1, 2022 Share Posted September 1, 2022 20 hours ago, Walt G said: Glenn I can sympathize with what you say and have seen happen. I have been involved as a local historian and in the state historians meetings for nearly 30 years. the $ sign is in the eye of developers and owners who don't even live in the community, see it as an "investment" No appreciation for gentle reworking of a structure , house, etc to adapt to "modern" living and use. It's why I started our village Architectural Review Board 30+ years ago and wrote the law and drew up a booklet to make it easier to understand. Today it is an accepted practice in a lot of local villages but when I did it with the consent of the then Mayor it got a huge amount of people angry - "my property, my way to change it" - my answer to that was "NOT" . Told them when you move out we are left with the mess you created for generations. All calm now but for some time I was not the most popular person in town. ( like it really mattered to me!) No one could really question why I knew what was best ( I did have a committee) because they new I had a Masters Degree+ in Art, taught art and architecture and had two well known architects on the same committee. It is like seeing a great old car restored in Popsicle colors and zebra striped upholstery and top because the owner wants it that way................. Unfortunately, demolition of the Tegler Building in Edmonton spawned a preservation movement AFTER it happened: https://www.edmontonsarchitecturalheritage.ca/index.cfm/structures/tegler-building/ Now, only 40 years later, the building that replaced it was recently demolished with no tears shed at all: https://edmonton.skyrisecities.com/news/2018/01/photos-gutting-downtowns-bmo-building-continues Craig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now