The building at NW 8th and Everett hosting the Roy Burnett Motors sign apparently began as a warehouse. Roy Burnett ran a Chrysler-Imperial dealership there in the 1960s; how much earlier and how much later I've not been able to determine.
By the 1980s the building housed a used auto parts company, John's Import Auto Wrecking as I recall. I remember going there myself a number of times; you could wander through six floors of junked cars and car parts. I vaguely remember being saddened when they moved out of the building to the suburbs.
By the mid-1990s or so, the building had its top chopped off, along with a few feet of the signs on the north- and east-facing sides. Five more floors of condos were added as the whole building was transformed into the North Park Lofts.
Apparently Roy Burnett owned the Desoto-Plymouth dealership two blocks south at NW Broadway and Couch in the 1940s.
You can best view these signs at NW Flanders at Broadway or 8th in the Park Blocks.
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6 comments:
Very nice building that is solid and very well insulated The exterior presents a modern facade while the interior has clean lines and an fashionable, lofty feel. Nicely done with exposed pipes, duct work and earthquake struts.
My grandfather worked for Roy Burnett Chrysler Plymouth his entire career. We had many fun classic cars in our family including a few Hemi's.
I miss those days.
Grandpa is Warren Oliver
Hey there Steve Barnet, I just happen to own a 67 Plymouth that was originally sold a Roy Burnett Motors in 1967. I have been looking for a Dealer name plate for that dealership for quite a while. Do you have any ideas where a guy might be able to find one?
Thanks, Ronnie Kuhl.
My email address is mrbelvedere1967@aol.com
my father was Roy O. Burnett Jr. he told me my grandfather - Roy came on the TV O. Burnett the first started the motor company in 1928 with General Motors
and switched to Chrysler in 1929. the business was in the N.E. and burn't in 1945. my grand father called Bud as he was called by family
and friends to ask if he would come back to Portland and run the
business he would buy the property at 210 nw Broadway and get it running again. Bud said yes and ran the store from 1946 until 1975 or 1976 when he sold the biz to Chrysler as an MID store and it ran as that for around a year when one night we were watching TV and an ad came on the
TV with black people in the ad and Bud cancelled his contract with Chrysler the next day. this is fact - Tom Burnett 971-977-2595. lot more stories and photographs
We just purchased a 1971 Barracuda that came from this dealership. A few papers of documentation associated with the purchase from here.
John's Import Auto wrecking was in that building by the mid 70's. I remember going there in a three-piece suit, going up to the sixth floor and removing the fuel gauge sending unit for a wrecked Fiat X 1/9 and going down and putting it into my car out on the street. I was there in the 80's as well buying parts. It was a great resource and you didn't have to trod through the mud. I loved that place.
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