The "The Old Neighborhood: Mohn Bros. Buick" Story

Building was the original Mohn Bros. Buick dealership

It was an ordinary day.  Stopped at Horsepower Enterprises at 939 N. Prince Street to see the '54 Vette they had in the window for almost a month.  Parked the car at the end of their lot and walked to the showroom.  As soon as I walked in the place I knew I was in for a disappointment.  No car!  Young girl approached me and asked if she could help me.  "What happened to the Vette that was in that spot for the last couple of weeks," I said as I pointed to the far corner of the showroom by the small window.  "We just sold it and the guy picked it up yesterday," she replied.  Car had been for sale for $66,199 and I thought it would sit in the showroom for ever, but this place moves classic cars almost as fast as Mecum does on it's auto shows on TV.  I actually had my camera along with me so I could take a photo of the grill for a story I have planned called "Motor Mouths."  Pretty neat title, huh?  Anyway, we talked for a short time and I told her this was my old stomping grounds from my childhood and was wondering if she would mind if I walk around and take a few photos.  She seemed disinterested in my comment, but said it was no problem for her, so I walked outside and across the street to get a shot of what used to be Mohn Bros. Buick dealership.  I lived in the last house on N. Queen Street, a block to the east of the car dealer.  Spent quite a bit of time in the 50s and early 60s in the old neighborhood.  Many a day I would take a short cut to visit with a friend or two to the west of Mohn Bros. and would walk through their parking lot.  That was when cars had character and had real bumpers made of chrome.  I can still remember late September in the 50s when the three car dealers on the corner of North Prince and McGovern Ave. would all cover their display windows with brown Kraft paper to keep viewers from seeing the new models for the upcoming year.  That was when the new models didn't look exactly the same as the one they were replacing.  Sometime around late October they would all remove the paper for a grand opening to reveal the chrome and fins on the cars.  Mohn Bros. was on the south-east corner, Lancaster Lincoln-Mercury was on the north-east corner and Wolf Motors was on the north-west corner.  When I entered junior-high school, and had to take the bus to school, the bus stop was on the south-west corner so we had plenty of days to prepare for the grand opening of all three dealerships.  Many a time we would try to see over the top of the paper or maybe through a small hole in the paper, but never worked.  Mohn Bros. opened their doors for business in 1929 and remained there until 1981.  The father of my friend Jerry worked at the nearby Railway Express until it closed then got a job driving the three-wheeled motorcycle for Mohn Bros. for a couple of years until he was old enough to retire.  Sad, but he never made it to 62 and retirement .  When I was 17 years old I had a 1955 Ford that was pink and white in color and I got razzed about the color all the time.  I knew the guy who ran the paint shop at Mohn Bros., since I would stop in often to talk and he painted the car black for me, but the interior still had the pink and white theme to it.  Oh, well.  In 1981 the dealership changed hands and was called Red Rose Buick.  At this point in time I was married with three kids and no longer lived in the neighborhood.  Red Rose closed in 1999, probably because the Buick was not as popular as it  once was.  The building sat vacant for a few years until the current owner moved into it.  Well, I took a few exterior shots of the place and headed into the garage area as I did many times in the 50s and 60s.  Cars of all ages were in all stages of restoration.  I saw another Vette in the rear of the garage and headed to see it, but was stopped and told I couldn't be in the garage.  I explained my mission, but didn't matter.  Insurance didn't allow it.  So I left the place for probably the last time ever.  Did bring back many memories of my early years in the old neighborhood.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.