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Let Me Out: 1920

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "District Motor Co., front." Won't someone give me a home? Or at least a garage. National Photo glass negative. View full size.

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "District Motor Co., front." Won't someone give me a home? Or at least a garage. National Photo glass negative. View full size.

 

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Rare now

Premier made cars for 30 odd years and apparently there are only about a dozen left. If you want to see a running 1914 Premier see Jay Leno's Big Dog Garage.

The invisible man

is leaving footprints!

Advanced Technology

Electrically shifted gears in 1920, bet that was real reliable.

932 14th St., N.W.

The location is 932 Fourteenth St., N.W. (streetview). The storefront, designed by Appleton P. Clark, jr., housed a string of motor vehicle sales rooms. The building was razed in 1928 to make way for the Ambassador Hotel.


Washington Post, Oct 5, 1913

Will Remodel 2 Buildings

H.K. Willard to Make Improvements to 930 and 932 Fourteenth Street.

Two more of Washington's buildings are to be remodeled and converted into modern business buildings. The properties at 930 and 932 Fourteenth street northwest are to be entirely reconverted, which will include rebuilding of the front walls and lowering the first floor to the level of the sidewalk.

The windows will also be change in the rear of the first floor, and electricity will be placed in the entire building. The cost of the work will amount to about $14,000. The owner of the building is H.K. Willard, and the plans have been drawn by Appleton P. Clarke, jr. The construction work will be done by Henry Hull.


The following timeline is culled from adverts in the Washington Post. Killeen's truck sales business had a prior storefront on the same block of 14th street, seen in the Shorpy Post: Worm Drive: 1919.

Apr 20, 1919.
Henderson Motor Car Co.
F.S. Carmody, President.
Franklin 5611.
selling the Columbia Six, Gem of the Highway.

Apr 4, 1920.
W.P. Killeen.
Telephone Frank 6188.
Service Station: 612 L St. N.W.
selling Rainier worm drive trucks.

Oct 21, 1923.
District Motor Company.
Main 620.
Space 13, Fall Show.
selling the new Series U Six-40 Moon.

The Car With Kaleidoscope Eyes

I can't help but think of the Beatles song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, when I look at those headlights. They are beautiful. It also looks as if someone is seated in the drivers seat, although I realize it is only reflections. Kinda creepy, but still a great shot!

Now concentrate

on those amazing and mesmerizing reflector bowls on the head lamps. On the count of three you'll be fast asleep!

A Home?

There's a spot in my garage just meant for you!

Poor thing, cooped up in there

Premier Motor Corporation (of Indianapolis) wasn't in good financial health by July of 1922:

Another ad for Premier, showing the same (or a very similar) model. This ad claims a "magnetic" gear shift. Sounds sophisticated.

Correspondence

Is that a letter hanging in the mailslot under "932"?

I'll adopt it!

I really like the latticed design on the headlight glass covers... I know, that sounds like a weird reason to buy a car; but maybe, if that is indeed a Premier car, and the copy in the attached 1920s ad is true, the fact that "its gears are changed electrically" could be enough to convince the missus that this was not another useless purchase.

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