Durant Motors Internet Forum

Our Purpose

  Preserve the automobiles manufactured by the Durant Motor Company, provide enjoyment for each member with meets, tours & technical assistance.


This forum is provided by the Durant Motors Automobile Club located at durantmotors.org

How to Add Pictures             Rocky

General Discussion Forum
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
Seattle Durant Dealership

Greetings Durantist , some time ago a member posted a query as to the where a bouts of the Seattle Durant dealership. After some checking around I believe I may have found the building. It is largely intact and completely restored and now houses sales of high-end Oriental rugs. I have good reason to believe this building is the right location. The address for the location was originally put down as 333 East Everett Ave. However this address does not exist now or even then. Some further digging and I found that a Durant dealer existed on 333 Westlake Ave N in 1928. The Seattle registry showed a Durant Motors of California existed at this location. I went to the location and viewed the building and observed the construction. The owner was very gracious and allowed me to look around after I explained my mission. The building has been beautifully restored and all of its original architecture is intact. The second floor is suspended by large steel beams which are exposed and the substrate flooring for the upper deck are 2x4s laid side up tight together With a hardwood floor laid on top of that. Made to hold good amount of weight.
This construction is the same as the construction in the shop where I work which was built around the same time and was a Ford dealership for many years. (The steel I beam with the roller blocks for pulling engines and what have you are still just where they left them in my shop!) . The windows and garage door bay look to be in the same location as in the photo that was posted. The roof fascia also looks as it did back in the day. A cement ramp goes to the upper deck behind the garage bay door and is large enough for an auto of that time to go up. Looking at the building from the same angle as the photo the street on right has a slight upward grade with the facing street a very slight downward grade. There is a Star logo on the side of the building with the Durant dragon flanking the sides. Nowhere on the building is the Durant name visible. I will post detailed photos of this building, inside and out for other members’ consideration and see if indeed this is it. This is very exciting for me because the car that I own was purchased new by a woman, who lived in the Freemont district, just a mile away from the listed location, owned it for many years then sold it to Elmer Gustafson an old family friend of my mother and father then passed on to me. I have good reason to believe my car came from this location even though there is no actual documentation. Also this building I have seen many times. In fact I went with my father to pick up mattress there when it was furniture store in the 60’s.
I have made countless deliveries to this lower downtown district and never paid it any mind. There are other buildings in this district and the lower capital hill area with very similar arcitecture. But closer examination revealed some interesting things.
Photos soon to follow!

Re: Seattle Durant Dealership

Go Keith Go, get those pictures. Try to take one at the same angle as the original. It's always great to see then and now pictures.

Do You own a car built by Durant? 28 Durant Model 65

 

The Durant Motors Automobile Club