The history of Ford dealerships on University Avenue

Brian McMahon, author of “The Ford Century in Minnesota,” will give a free Illustrated talk on Mon., Dec. 19, at 7:pm at the Lifetrack Building (formerly the Owens Motor Company), 709 University Ave.

By the mid-1920s, there were three Ford dealerships on University Ave. The Avenue already had a cluster of auto-related businesses and had become nationally known as America’s Great Highway.

Photo right: Historic photo of Owens Motor Company dealership, 709 University Ave. The building remains, and is now Lifetrack—and where Brian McMahon, author of “The Ford Century in Minnesota,” will give a free Illustrated talk on Mon., Dec. 19, at 7:pm.

McMahon will give an illustrated talk, using the Owens Motor Company, the W. H. Schmelzel Company, and the Muessel Motor Company, as a starting point to explain the evolution of the dealership system.

Henry Ford not only changed the way cars were made; he changed the way they were sold. Ford realized early on that mass production could not work without mass consumption—a huge number of buyers had to purchase the cars streaming off the assembly line. To convince people to give up their horse and buy a Model T, Ford created the modern distribution system with dealerships in virtually every town with a population over 2,000. He also established a network of over 70,000 authorized service agents. Because cars were expensive to purchase, buyers needed reassurance that their complex machines could be properly maintained and serviced, particularly at a time of unpaved roads.

Other dealerships later located on the Avenue, including Midway Ford and Saxon Ford. These are still in business but have since relocated. Ford’s trial and error methods could be hard on those who invested in their automobile franchise, and some were driven out of business by his harsh policies.

One causality, M.J. Osborn, lost his dealership at 117 University and invested in another business which had a more successful outcome—Ecolab.

This lecture will explore the business practices and the colorful personalities of those who sold, serviced and maintained Ford cars and trucks, Lincoln automobiles, and Fordson tractors.

McMahon, a trained architect, will also explain how the dealership buildings evolved as a new building type for the new sales and services operations. Large storefront windows were featured to showcase new cars, and the dealers utilized several other marketing gimmicks including sponsoring marching bands, novelty vehicles, and sports’ teams.

McMahon, who was previously the Executive Director of University UNITED, will have books on hand for sale. For information call 651-399-7221.