Colgan Motors Then & Now

Back here, I talked about the building at 1803 Broadway that started out as the home of Colgan Motors in the 1920's, and ended up as an outlet for Forest City Auto Parts.

Well, a couple of days ago I was happy to find this photo, as well as some information about the company. It was all part of an ad for Colgan Motors that ran in the June 21, 1955 Lorain Journal. The caption read, "James F. Colgan came to Lorain from Elyria, Ohio, April 2, 1922, and started the Studebaker agency in a small frame house with just enough room for one car at 1797 Broadway under the name Colgan Motors. In 1924, Colgan built his present sales room and repair department, and at that time, took on the Packard agency along with Studebaker. In 1934, he started the Cadillac agency along with Studebaker, and he still operates the Cadillac agency. In May, 1954, Colgan Motors terminated its contract with the Studebaker Corporation after a period of 32 years."

It was quite a handsome building in its original form, with the Studebaker sign right where I thought it would be.

And here's the 'now' shot.

Lastly, here's an article that appeared in the Journal on January 15th, 1958 upon Mr. Colgan's retirement.

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By the way, if you want to see another former Studebaker agency – but with its original sign intact – head over to 1290 W. 117th Street on the Lakewood/Cleveland border. I've driven by this for years, and always thought it was pretty cool. As you can see, the building (below) has certain similarities to the one at 1803 Broadway in Lorain.

February 2012 Photo

Today the building is the home for Air Rite Service.