Lincoln-Mercury isn’t a make of car that I see much on the roads around Los Angeles these days, but back in 1951, when this striking photo was taken at the Berl Berry Lincoln Mercury car dealership, 3700 Wilshire Blvd, they would have been a much more common sight. I love the way the ceiling lighting reflect off the cars, and also those two dramatic semi-circular pylons. (They also make me think of a certain fast-food company’s golden arches.)
This is that site in July 2022. Unfortunately the building is gone, but at least there’s a nice green park there now (and not some hideous soulless eyesore.
This was ultra modern a the time, very expensive glass.
Thanks for sharing.
Look at the vacation billboards just beyond. I’m guessing that’s pushing the Cal Neva Lodge and something about Del Mar. Like the gods of commerce yelling, “Don’t just buy one of these beautiful machines…go somewhere in it! Gas ain’t getting cheaper!!”. Ah, before times got bad at the El Royale.
Ed Sullivan was Lincoln-Mercury’s biggest sponsored star at the time – he was, of course, New York-based but somebody would’ve had to provide him with a car to use when he came out west, and I wonder which dealership would’ve handled such “brass hat” duties.