Okay, lest you think I’m crazy, my post title today was actually the slogan for the Studebaker Motor Company in 1947. Studebaker started in 1857, when they produced their very first carriage. Over time, and as technology progressed, Studebaker became a major auto manufacturer in the United States, but they pretty much went away after the last Studebaker rolled off the assembly line in 1966.
But, while they were viable, they had showrooms, just like other major auto companies all around the country, and St. Petersburg was home to one of them. There was a Studebaker showroom built on the Southeast corner of 4th Street and 6th Avenue South by the Peninsular Motor Company in 1925, and when the showroom opened, the St. Petersburg dealership was the fourth largest Studebaker dealer in the world! However, only one year later, Peninsular went out of business, and the showroom closed. After closing, the building was used for many other purposes over the years.
In July, 1985, the building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. A few years later, in 1989, the United States Geological Survey moved into the building, and soon thereafter, they began a major project in which the building was completely restored and renovated. In 1990, USGS won an award for outstanding achievement in renovation/restoration of a non-residential structure. The building is still alive and well today, still home to the USGS. It’s a beautiful red brick, Tudor Revival style structure, and it looks much as it did when it was first constructed. The Studebaker signs are showing their years of wear, but if you look at the second picture below and click the photo to see the full-sized image, you can still make out the letters and see the logo, pretty much an exact replica of the logo that I’m showing in the top right corner of this post.
Studebaker Building (click on photo for larger image)
Studebaker Sign (click on photo for larger image)
Hi Bob – I’m surprised you didn’t tell your readers that at one time you lived right across the street from this building! – Susan
Well, it’s true, but it didn’t seem relevant to the story. But, yes, I did live directly across the street for a couple of years, in a great old two story house with 7 bedrooms. Those were my ‘formative’ years, so it was great – I shared the house with several other people, and we each paid about $30 a month for our share of the rent. And I lived on pot pies and donuts from the Jack Frost donut shop, which was right next door to the Studebaker building!