Sutton Chevrolet Then and Now

111 Military Avenue

It seems odd now to think of the block of Military between Central and Avenue A as being residential but that’s how it was for more than 50 years. The home at 111 Military Avenue was large enough to accommodate a few tenants and at least one home-based business. C. C. Joehnk operated a shoe repair shop at that location in the 1910s.

James Sutton hired W. A. Card to construct a new building for his Chevrolet dealership in the Spring of 1926. His business had moved a couple times already and needed more space.

The building was completed that Summer.

The 1926 Sanborn shows the sales agency with auto repair on the lower level at the south end of the building, which was accessed from Minden Place, a street no longer in existence.

By 1928, the Wooten Auto Top & Paint business was operating out of the basement. James Sutton sold the dealership to employees G. W. Bixler and Mack Foster in October of 1929.

In case you’re wondering, Viking cars were manufactured by General Motors and were considered a step up from Oldsmobiles. The line was discontinued around 1930. Bixler and Foster changed the name of the business to Dodge City Oldsmobile Company.

Am I seeing things or is the name at the bottom of this ticket Carl Fay? He was involved in several auto sales and repair businesses in Dodge, including the Carl Fay Motor Co. I am unaware of his connection to this Oldsmobile dealership.

By 1937, Scott McDowell had moved his Chevrolet dealership to the building.

McDowell sold the business to Don Poorman and Bill Hellman in August of 1951.

They renamed the dealership Don’s Chevrolet Co., Inc.

Don’s moved to 50 Second Ave around 1953 and the building was then home to Rollie Jack, Inc. beginning in 1955.

The printing business was formed by Rolland, Dee, and Bee Jacquart of Sublette. In addition to publishing the Sublette Monitor, Rollie Jack was also a long-time contributor to the Garden City Telegram.

In this photo, which was taken from the Lora-Locke Hotel, you can see windows along the west wall of the building as well as the Rollie Jack sign painted on the brick.

Rollie Jack, Inc. moved to Sublette in 1965 and the building underwent a complete remodel the following year.

The west windows were bricked in to prepare the building for metal siding and the chimney was removed.

Sigh…

Sears was the new tenant and they stuck around for a couple decades.

Fowler Furniture rented most of the newly remodeled basement for storage and Sears used a blocked-off section at the southeast corner for their auto department.

Sears moved to the Village Square Shopping Center around 1991. Paul and Tandy Kornechuk moved Key Office Equipment to the building around 1992. Also, typos happen.

The business was sold in 2016 and the new owners leased the building until they moved to the old Konda Glass location in 2019. Since that time, it has been used mostly for storage.

This is how the former Sutton Chevrolet looks now:

I should note that this is the only building on the south side of Military between Central and Avenue A to survive Urban Renewal. Maybe the Sears remodel saved it? We may never know. Many thanks to Paul Kornechuk III, a supporter of my website, for several photos and details contained in this story. I appreciate the assistance!

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