Lawrence Brothers’ Garage Business shows growth
Not long after the inven- tion of the automobile came the invention of the automobile dealership, and soon after that, the automobile repair shop.
The earliest purveyor of autos was often the general store merchant who kept catalogs and could order a car straight from the factory to be delivered via the railroad. The wait time for a new car was often quite a while, so it was not surprising that people with an entrepreneurial spirit began to see the profit in having those shiny machines on display behind big plate glass windows, and the automobile dealership became a fixture in even the smallest of towns.
Among the first and the largest in Marshall County was the Lawrence Brothers Garage. The Lawrence brothers bought the building that had housed the First Methodist Church until that congregation moved quarters and sold the building in anticipation of moving into their new building on the corner of Michigan and Adams streets in 1914. (That same building, newly remodeled, is set to be rededicated on April 28, 2024.) The lightly edited article below was taken from the Plymouth Daily Pilot 6 December 1917:
“Back in 1912 when the automobile business was just getting a good start, Oliver Lawrence quit teaching school and he and his two brothers, James and John, formed a partnership and began building a garage adjoining the (fire) engine house on the south, (on the southeast corner of Center and Washington streets). After the foundation had been laid, the old Methodist church building was offered for sale, and the Lawrence Brothers purchased it. Abandoning the construction of the new garage, they remodeled the church and converted it into a garage.
“At the time the partnership was formed, the boys sold Ford and Studebaker cars. John only remained in the business a short time then sold his interest to Oliver and moved to the farm. Oliver and James had been selling Fords and Studebakers for some time, when the Studebaker was dropped, and the Overland agency taken. Later, the Ford agency was disposed of and agencies taken for Reo, Dodge, Cadillac, and Mitchell. These four standard cars are still represented.
“The expansion of the Lawrence automobile business was evidenced when, in 1914, a branch garage was located in Culver followed by a branch in Bourbon in 1915, and the taking over of the Lake Shore garage in Culver in 1917.
“The expansion of the Lawrence business has not consisted alone in the addition of branch garages. The original building was too small from the start, and in 1915 floor space was rented across the street and in the Wolford building. A large office was built onto the church building. Still lacking floor space, the firm is just completing a second addition to the original garage. The new addition adds almost 6,000 feet of floor space and will be occupied December 1, 1917. The new addition will be used as storage and a sales room, thus giving ample space for a modernly equipped repair shop apart from the floor where storage is conducted, and sales are made.”
Note: Early automobiles were not all winter proof and were often stored during the snowy/icy months. If the owner did not have a barn or garage to keep the car out of the elements, livery stables and auto shops would often accommodate storage.
“In connection with the automobiles, the firm carries a full line of accessories and parts for all cars used extensively in the county and conducts an upholstering department where tops and cushions are repaired. The garage and leased buildings now in use by Lawrence Brothers cover 20,000 feet of floor space, and the entire frontage on Laporte Street is of plate glass.
“Oliver H. and James own the entire business. Oliver is the business manager and James looks after the details of the shop work. It is such progressive firms as Lawrence Brothers that make Plymouth an attractive city for those seeking a new location or entering business.”
The former Methodist Church that housed the Lawrence Bros. Garage was located on the southwest corner of Center and Laporte streets. The back wall of the present single-story building is made up of a portion of the original church wall. The history of businesses and buildings is just a portion of what we have to offer at the Marshall County Historical Society and Museum. Come in any time Tuesday – Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to satisfy your curiosity!