Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer
PolaraPaul
Posted 2017-09-29 10:39 PM (#549444)
Subject: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


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Does anyone Know what state this Dealer was from. H. E. Hull and Sons



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Ev's62Chrysler
Posted 2017-09-29 10:49 PM (#549446 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer



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28-31 REMSEN ST
Cohoes, NY.

http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2018/Troy%20NY%20Times%20Record/...
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59 explorer
Posted 2017-10-01 2:36 PM (#549538 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


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Rare item as there were only 32 dealers who were so honored being with Desoto from the beginning to the date of the Driveaway September 22-23, 1958
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LostDeere59
Posted 2017-10-01 6:03 PM (#549547 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: RE: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer



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Where do you guys find this stuff . . . . ?

Very cool.



Gregg
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Hull & Sons
Posted 2022-07-24 5:14 PM (#623147 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: RE: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


Member

Posts: 7

Location: Cohoes, NY
HELLO ALL: I just stumbled across this 2017 thread concerning our family business H. E. Hull & Sons, Inc. in Cohoes.NY (150 north of NYC). I am Hiram E. Hull's oldest grandson (75) Raymond W. Jr.. My father, Raymond and his brother William in 1958 bought out my grandfather (retired) and a third brother Alex and received this plaque at an awards dinner from Chrysler Corp. It hung on the office wall for the next 20 years, and I always thought the slogan "A New Generation of Fine Cars" was perfect for our family business.

In one of the responses to this original post I was astounded at a reference to we being ONE of only 32 dealers so honored at the "DriveAway." I recall that clearly: My parents went to Detroit for the Dealer announcment of the 59 models and were to drive home a car they had ordered earlier. Except Dad said it was chaos when everybody in the stadium bolted for their cars. He could not find his, so he took some other dealer's salmon and white Firedome 9-passenger STATION WAGON and drove it home. They arrived in town about mid-afternoon and drove over to school to pick me up in it. I jumped in the 3rd seat and recall yelling out to friends as we cruised toward home "Hey guys, this a '59!" They didn't seem impressed, but as a 8th grader, I sure was.

So, I'll leave off here and see if any of the other respondents catch up. I'll also note personal knowledge of other 1950-60s local Albany, NY area dealers (and their families).

Whitbeck Motors, Troy, NY
VanDyke Motors, Middleburgh, NY
Armory Garage, Albany NY
Marshall's Garage, Ravena, NY

Ray Hull, Jr.

Edited by Hull & Sons 2022-07-24 5:51 PM
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Viper Guy
Posted 2022-07-24 7:37 PM (#623148 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer



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Neat! My dad drove his home too from that dealer drive-a-way. But we lived in Michigan and I guess he got the right car.

Just nice to see there are others still around that had that experience.
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Powerflite
Posted 2022-07-24 9:17 PM (#623149 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer



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Thanks for posting the great information about your family's business Ray! Do you remember any other details about the dealers you listed, such as which makes they sold?

Edited by Powerflite 2022-07-25 1:12 PM
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PolaraPaul
Posted 2022-07-24 10:02 PM (#623151 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


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Thanks for the information on the rare and unique DeSoto sign and your family dealership. We happened to own a 59 Fireflite wagon when we learned about the sign and a dealer poster that another 59 collector had. We also have the 30 year anniversary DeSoto glasses that came out then and use them whenever we have 5 p.m. drinks.

Edited by PolaraPaul 2022-07-24 10:08 PM




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Hull & Sons
Posted 2022-07-25 9:36 AM (#623159 - in reply to #623151)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


Member

Posts: 7

Location: Cohoes, NY
Thanks for your response. We are trying to figure out how that plaque got where it is today. I was not living locally when the dealership was sold and thus have no recollection of what details may have been left behind (except for the monstrous 7' tall safe which the office was built around!)

I too had the 30-year "double old-fashion" (how old fashioned!) glasses, except that one was broken a year or two ago. For those who have not seen them, they have the circular DeSoto profile logo with the Forward Look emblem--same as the 30 year plaque, with a stone gray painted background in the circle and a gold lip, which will wear off if your put it in the dishwasher!

For 59, my father drove a Firedome 4-dr hardtop white with pink roof and color sweep. It had gray upholstery, including swivel seats. Dad was always careful not to overstep family seniority--my retired grandfather drove the Fireflight and my (younger) uncle usually drove a Plymouth.

As a coda, I should note that after 50 years in business in Cohoes a fading, small, textile-mill city* in upstate NY, the dealership was sought after by a couple of factory reps, who called the eastern Syracuse region a "rocking-chair district for DeSotos" because they sold so well. We sold TWICE as many DeSotos as Plymouths. After we took on Chrysler, the larger cars sales fell right off. Most of the successful business and professional people in town thought DeSoto was "just right", whereas Chrysler was a bit extravagant. Ultimately the agency was sold to an Albany Dodge dealer's Leasing and fleet manager. Unfortunately he only lasted a couple of years and we had to take the building back in forclosure.


* the next town north, Waterford, where we lived, was home to National Automotive Fibers Inc. (aka NAFI). It was NAFI that made the Chrysler Corp interior cloth upholstery for seats etc. And our neighbor was the main mill manager. He got my mother a bolt of gray 55 or 56 Firedome cloth and she had a suit for herself and a coat for my sister made out of the cloth. It was very stiff and heavy and didn't drape at all. We never did take a picture of her in the suit, sitting in a matching car seat! NAFI was bought out by Chris-Craft and one of their mills made upholstery and insulation material for the boats.

I have a 55 Chris-Craft Continental and have often wondered if its original gold vinyl was made in town, perhaps for the early Fury or Adventurer models?

Ray Hull, Jr.


Edited by Hull & Sons 2022-07-25 9:48 AM
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Hull & Sons
Posted 2022-07-25 9:45 AM (#623162 - in reply to #623149)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


Member

Posts: 7

Location: Cohoes, NY
They were all DeSoto-Plymouth dealers. As I noted below, this was a huge DeSoto sales area, so much that the factory reps considered it a "rockiing chair" district to oversee.
Armory has been sold, but is still very much in business in Albany as a full-line Chrysler Corp dealer. The rest are gone, sold or changed franchises. Marshall was last advertised as a Subaru dealership, but I haven't seen any word about them lately.

All of these dealers were WWII vets who mostlly married into or inherited their family dealerships...and all had kids about my age that I have come to know over the years.

Ray Hull, Jr.


Edited by Hull & Sons 2022-07-25 9:48 AM
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buzzbeeberkly
Posted 2022-07-25 10:08 AM (#623163 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


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Hi Ray
Thank you so much for the history I am fairly local over in the fingerlakes region. Its always great to learn this history of our area I have several 59 DeSoto's myself
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Hull & Sons
Posted 2022-07-25 10:15 AM (#623164 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: RE: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


Member

Posts: 7

Location: Cohoes, NY
Hey Polara Paul,
What are the MEASUREMENTS of that 30 year plaque? I think I recall our having TWO of them: one big showroom display-size (cardboard?) and one personal office size (of real wood). This looks like a BIG one to me.
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Viper Guy
Posted 2022-07-25 11:16 AM (#623170 - in reply to #623159)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer



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I too had the 30-year "double old-fashion" (how old fashioned!) glasses, except that one was broken a year or two ago. For those who have not seen them, they have the circular DeSoto profile logo with the Forward Look emblem--same as the 30 year plaque, with a stone gray painted background in the circle and a gold lip, which will wear off if your put it in the dishwasher!


I have three of these still like new. They may not have ever been used and I don't know how many came in the set.

I also have a 1959 DeSoto Firedome. The DeSoto was dad's favorite car and I guess the apple didn't fall too far from the tree.



Edited by Viper Guy 2022-07-25 11:39 AM




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PolaraPaul
Posted 2022-07-25 12:56 PM (#623172 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


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The wood sign is 48 inches wide and 40 inches tall. Great additional history provided above.
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Hull & Sons
Posted 2022-07-25 5:58 PM (#623184 - in reply to #623172)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


Member

Posts: 7

Location: Cohoes, NY
Thx Paul, At 48 x 40 that would be the showroom display model. The office version (solid walnut) was about half that size. But still, none of us has any idea how it got loose, unless the dealership purchaser sold the stuff off as part of his desperation move. When we repossessed the property, the building was empty.

Thanks for continuing the mystery!


Ray Hull, Jr.
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Hull & Sons
Posted 2022-07-25 6:11 PM (#623185 - in reply to #623170)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


Member

Posts: 7

Location: Cohoes, NY
Yup there it is, in its glassy glory. I'm guessing they were handed out at the Driveaway. I don't recall more than two at home; perhaps the other two were given to my uncle who tended the store during driveaway. I recall that mother and dad took the Canadian route home and were hassled at the border for a case of scocth and dealer plates on a brand new unannounced model.

Your Firedome is magnificent...and those chrome spokes...to die for. Gov/VP Nelson Rockefeller's 300 C convertible, black with palomino leather, had those same wheels.

Thanks for posting.

Ray Hull, Jr
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Hull & Sons
Posted 2022-08-18 3:08 PM (#623612 - in reply to #549446)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


Member

Posts: 7

Location: Cohoes, NY
Ev's62: As long as we are filling in blanks here around 1959, I wanted to thank you for posting the what we called the "interim address"--29-31 Remsen St.

In 1929, My grandfather built a new expansive building with a 6-car showroom, on Columbia Street, the main thoroughfare into and out of town. He stayed there until WWII when cars became extinct for war-time production. He moved the entire business downtown to a former burlesque> movie theater he owned--after doing some major conversion and tossing out a ton of seats! But the mechanics LOVED it, as the main 4 repair stalls were on the former stage, which had Steam-HEATED floorboards from the furnace and cellar below. In upstate NY winters, that was a luxury unmatched anywhere, any dealership!

As part of my father and uncle's purchase of the business upon H.E.'s retirement in 1958, they began remodeling the former Columbia Street location which had been converted into a Grand Union supermarket. They remodeled the facade so that it was all showroom (originally bifurcated showroom with entrance driveway between them) and cut a new overhead door in the west wall for service area entrance. We moved the entire dealership "uptown" to 136 Columbia St. in Agusut of 1958 in time for the announcement of the 1959 models, the first of which I mentioned elsewhere as having been seriously outgrown. The biggest down-side was the new cold concrete floors in the remodeled building--everytime that overhead door opened, you could hear the groans and shivers from the techs on creepers on the floor!

Ray Hull, Jr.
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ronbo97
Posted 2022-08-18 10:24 PM (#623627 - in reply to #623612)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer


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Interesting that you should mention Armory. On my last visit to the Albany area, maybe four or five years ago, I wandered into what I believe was Armory Chrysler. Since they looked like they had been there a long time, I asked their parts dept if they had any old stuff in the back. While they did not, the parts guy directed me to their showroom, where they had a 37 Desoto and a 61 Desoto on display ! I believe there were one or two other Desotos as well. But not sure right now.

Ron

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Ev's62Chrysler
Posted 2022-08-19 7:48 PM (#623642 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer



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Ray,

If you'd like to PM me your email address I could email you the full page. Unfortunately it's a bit grainy, but I'm sure you'll recognize a few people. Perhaps you already have a better copy.

Robert



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Ev's62Chrysler
Posted 2022-08-19 8:05 PM (#623643 - in reply to #549444)
Subject: Re: Desoto Charter Member 30 yr Award H. E. Hull Dealer



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Article about the 30th. Might be tough to read, but I can email a larger file if necessary.



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