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I observed that the Reid Ward Motor Company was located at one point along the McGee Trafficway.

In later years, the building was occupied by Bill Neale Chrysler-Plymouth. After that dealer closed and before the building was demolished, the "PACKARD" name was clearly evident on the building. I don't recall when the building was demolished but it was part of the Crown Center project.

For those who are interested in dealer advertising, Bill Neale spent quite a bit of money on "singing cars." A local filmmaker/producer opened and closed the hoods of cars and shot photos so that when the photos were run as a film, the cars were "singing" the dealer's theme, "YOU get the FEEL-ing of honest DEAL-ing when you see BILL NEALE!"

These productions evidently took several days to shoot because the filmmaker moved the hoods on three or four cars only a fraction of an inch at a time for each frame. It was extremely labor intensive but quite effective.

I've looked on the Missouri Valley Room website (KCMO public library) and found nothing on the building. This is surprising because it survived at least into the 1970s and probably into the mid-1980s.

Is this the building on McGee? or was this the location on Main St?

My car was delivered out of Reid-Ward in July 1940.

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Big Kev asked an excellent question: whether the photo is of the Reid Ward location on Main or on McGee Trafficway.

It is definitely Main Street.

My next comments piece together information and have conclusions which I believe to be correct, however should not be taken as the definitive truth.

Main Street rises rapidly as you go south from Union Station (23rd & Main). The reason for this is that Union Station was built in low land so that tracks from several directions could converge at one point.

St. Mary's Hospital rose on the hill above Union Station just west of Main. St. Mary's was opened before Union Station though while Union Station was being planned.

It appears that Reid Ward Motors was located directly on Main Street.

An expansion of St. Mary's Hospital began on October 14, 1948. My guess is that the expansion required acquisition of the Reid Ward property, and that it was demolished as a part of the hospital expansion.

I am speculating that Reid Ward chose this time to move east and south about 2? blocks. The building that I recall looked more like more modern car dealers, with a large showroom and a glass front, with a sizable lot beside and behind the building. The repair facility extended on behind the showroom.

From what I recall of the building, it was quite modern in appearance, with limestone used liberally in the facade. The name, "Packard" was cut into the limestone above the main entrance, which fronted on McGee Trafficway. I should point out that limestone is found in abundance in Kansas City so quite a few buildings in this area are made of this stone.

The building reflected both a very modern but also very stately appearance, as one would expect of a car appealing to an upper demographic segment of the market.

I can say definitively that the Main Street location was the older one. I'm offering some speculation as to the timing of the move but the fact that St. Mary's Hospital expanded about the same time as the new building was constructed strongly suggests that the events were connected.

Hope this helps.

West Peterson attached a photo of a gorgeous car which was originally purchased from the dealer in Kansas City.

Based upon the delivery date, I can say with almost absolute certainty that it was purchased in the building which appears in the photo.

I found this website which points to the photo as being on the McGee address:

http://www.kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/Henry&CISOPTR=84&CISOBOX=1&REC=15

Much as though I despise being wrong -- I may have been when I reported that the old building was on Main.

I researched this further.

Even numbered addresses are on the west side of the street in Kansas City; odd numbered addresses are on the east. The newer building was on the east side of the street facing west.

I must therefore concede that the newer building would have therefore faced the Liberty Memorial, Penn Valley Park, and St. Mary's Hospital.

If you look at Google Earth or one of the other satellite map services, you can see a grassy, open area just south of the Crown Center complex. This is where the dealer would have been. After Bill Neale Chrysler Plymouth closed, the building was vacant for several years. Kansas City's climate is especially hard on vacant buildings so the empty dealership was probably in poor condition by the time it was demolished.

I checked the McGee location and this building was, in fact, replaced by Hallmark Cards headquarters.

I hope this doesn't discourage anyone from buying Hallmark cards.

Drp.

Are you a member of Mid-America Packards? Regardless of that, at one time Bob Aller and i had a lengthy discussion about the two buildings. you are correct to remember the second being more modern with "packard" carved into the stone above the front door. best as i remember the story, Hallmark bought the building after it was no longer a chrysler dealership. they used it for several years then tore it down. the very first info and photo i saw of the building was a story by, i believe the Kansas City Star about the building being torn down. The photo was of the "packard" stone laying on the side walk in the midst of the debris. i'll have to see if i can find that article. it may be with my Data Plate news leters.

Was the Packard Zone Office located with the dealership in the newer location? If so, I was there with my father to pick-up a car for him to sell. He would often take the train to Kansas City for a dealer delivery. On that same trip, I remember visiting the Oldsmobile dealer, which I think was nearby to see the new Rocket V-8 Oldsmobiles. I remembe him looking at those cars and saying that this is what Packard needed.

(o{I}o)