Ellis Brooks Auto Center

Ellis Brooks Auto Center is an automobile dealership in San Francisco, California. It is best known for its commercials, featuring an adaptation of See the USA in Your Chevrolet. Originally Ellis Brooks Chevrolet, the company later became "Auto Center" after it began marketing other brands of automobile.[1][2] The company is now located at 1565 Bush Street,[3] but the original Ellis Brooks sign is still used.[4] The company was founded in 1939[5]

Background

The dealership located on Van Ness Street and Bush Avenue,[6] had been a fixture there for decades up to the late 2000s.[7] It was founded in 1939. In 1952 it began selling new Chevrolet cars. Marie Brooks took over the company after her husband had suffered an illness and died.[8]

The early years

In the 1930s, possibly around 1936, Ellis Brooks started out with his partner Louis Cuneo. Their dealership called Brooks & Cuneo was located on 815 Van Ness ave and 74 12th street. Brooks was a REO dealer and then later a Hudson dealer.[9][10][11] Around 1950, Ellis's San Francisco based Hudson HQ had Dan Albee on staff as assistant sales manager.[12] Tony Mistlin who started there in 1948 and who would eventually work his way up to sales manager would eventually start out on his own and in later years end up with largest Honda dealership in Northern California.[13]

The cessation of selling new cars

It was announced in the Nov 23, 2008 edition of American City Business Journals that of the 15th of December that year, the dealership would stop selling new cars. This would mean that 45 people who worked in the parts and service departments would lose their jobs. Two reasons given were the rise in cost of doing business in San Francisco and a union pension fund which was said to be a burden. The president of the dealership at the time was Marie Brooks. She said that economic challenges were difficultfor domestic-automobile dealers.[14]

Later years

In February 2010, Wheego Electric Cars announced that it signed Ellis Brooks Auto Center as its dealer. The dealership had been given exclusive rights to exclusive sell the Wheego Electric Cars throughout California's San Francisco Bay Area. Other areas included San Mateo, Santa Cruz etc.[15] In 2011, the company moved to its new location at 1565 Bush Street, San Francisco, California.[16] By 2012, the site was a combined Nissan and Infiniti dealership. For years the building's owner Marie Brooks resisted offers but eventually made a deal with Roger Penske.[17] In February 2013, while the center was looking to celebrate their 75th anniversary that year, they were getting phone calls intended for Nunavut Arctic College. This came about as a result of the college having the phone number on their website listed as 1-866-797-7222 instead of 1-866-979-7222. The following morning the error was corrected.[18]

The original street corner now features auto dealerships and cafes among other buildings. The main facility specializes in used cars[19]

Jingle

See Ellis Brooks today
For your Chevrolet
Corner of Bush and Van Ness!
He's got a deal for you
Oh what a deal for you
A Chevy deal that you will like the best![20]

Staff
  • John Brooks - General Manager - 2010[21]
  • Arthur Brooks (Born July 25, 1961, Died August 17, 2012) - Production Manager[22][23]

References
  1. SFGate Tuesday, January 16, 2001 "Those Merry Oldsmobile Days Waning / Demise of Auto Row has been tip-off" - Ken Garcia
  2. Automotive News June 18, 2012 "How Roger Penske wooed and won Frisco's grande dame of auto retailing and revived a 7-story downtown jewel" Lindsay Chappell
  3. Cars.com Ellis Brooks Auto Center
  4. TopicWay.com Ellis Brooks Chevrolet Archived 2016-04-22 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Manta Media Inc Ellis Brooks Auto Center
  6. Lodi News-Sentinel Friday June 1, 2001 Page 5 Inmate escapers wearing underwear
  7. American City Business Journals Nov 23, 2008 Longtime S.F. auto dealer Ellis Brooks drops new cars - Mark Calvey
  8. SFGate November 30, 2008 It's painful to watch passing parade of change by Carl Nolte
  9. RoadsideArchitecture San Francisco Car Showrooms & Dealerships
  10. SFGeneaology Polk's Crocker-Langley San Francisco City Directory
  11. Good old sandplot days Ellis Brooks Chevrolet
  12. Western Automotive Service, Volumes 28-29 Page 28 People ...
  13. The Modesto Bee October 4, 2007 Award-winning Mistlin a salesman extraordinaire By John Holland
  14. American City Business Journals Nov 23, 2008 Longtime S.F. auto dealer Ellis Brooks drops new cars - Mark Calvey
  15. Wheego Electric Cars Ellis Brooks Auto Center to Sell Wheego Electric Cars
  16. One Owner Collector Car CALIFORNIA/ SAN FRANCISCO City Dealers, ELLIS BROOKS CHEVROLET, San Francisco, CA/ (1939-2008)/ occupied by Nissan San Francisco
  17. Automotive News June 18, 2012 How Roger Penske wooed and won Frisco's grande dame of auto retailing and revived a 7-story downtown jewel - Lindsay Chappell
  18. Nunatsiaq News February 14, 2013 Nunavut Arctic College toll-free number typo sends callers to San Francisco - Lisa Gregoire
  19. Google Maps
  20. SFGate November 30, 2008 It's painful to watch passing parade of change by Carl Nolte
  21. Wheego Electric Cars Ellis Brooks Auto Center to Sell Wheego Electric Cars
  22. SFGate Obituaries Arthur Eugene Brooks, Obituary
  23. Wheego Electric Cars Ellis Brooks Auto Center to Sell Wheego Electric Cars
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