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Thanks for the info guys. I know it’s all relative, but I wanted to have a feel how much various things would actually cost. I really don’t have any mechanical experience myself, so I would have to farm out work like this.

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Just out of curiousity, as a newbie to this, does anyone have a ROUGH idea of how much it would cost to restore this car to decent driver condition?

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Thank you Bill! Got them this evening.

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Thanks Bill! I’d appreciate the pics when you have time. Vincent Fitch from upstate New York also called me and is going to send me a picture of a dealer badge from Paulman that he has in his collection. You’ve given me the Michigan Avenue locations, and the Chris Diekman article had a picture of the Evanston location. On the weekend, I’ll snoop around Oak Park and see if I can find where Pierce had a branch along there. There were a lot of car dealers along Madison Street in the past, and Cadillac even had a big factory branch on Madison just east of Oak Park Avenue. This archeology work is interesting!

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David, thank you very much for the article! I’ve only been a member of the PAS for the last year, and haven’t seen much of the earlier articles. The story of Glessner really rings true. I’m really familiar with Prairie Avenue, having run down it many times on my lunch breaks back when working in the South Loop. I have heard that wholly one-fifth of the national wealth of the United States was controlled by the families living on a few block stretch of Prairie Avenue during the 1890’s. Unfortunately, the area when through a rapid decline in the 1910’s and many of the old mansions were later converted to rooming houses or torn down for industrial buildings. A few, including Glessner House, still survive.

I’ve often heard a story about Chicago department store magnate Marshall Field and Pierce Arrow. Field was the dean of Chicago millionaires, and before his death in 1906, he was worth over $100,000,000.00. He had an uncanny business sense, and was successful in everything he undertook with the exception of his personal life. He was a prime target for salesmen of automobiles, and salesman were after him to buy their brand of automobile as his reputation would influence other buyers. He met with the salesmen, but always said to them, “I realize that your car is the best, but just out of curiosity, what car would you consider the second best?” They always answered Pierce, and that’s what Field finally bought.

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Hoo Hah! I found my answer! And guess where? At this website! Chris Diekman wrote a feature article in 2015(?) titled Pierce Arrow Salesman 101 outlining details of the Pierce operation in Chicago. There was a main branch in Chicago (Michigan Ave. probably) as well as a branch in Evanston and Oak Park. The article does not make clear who actually owned the dealership at that time, but the Chicago Tribune states that Henry Paulman retired in 1925, and the dealership was becoming a factory branch.

It appears that Paulman did have a lot of other interests. It seems that his son, Henry Paulman Jr. was the publisher of the Automotive Red Book for years. He passed away in 1972, but not before influencing George Dammann to start the famous Crestline series of automotive books.

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Do you know of any other dealerships in the Chicago area? I’d really be surprised if there wasn’t one on the North Shore, or out in Oak Park.

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Second Additional Picture

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Additional Picture

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It’s interesting to note that how different manufacturers have applied names to various models that may or may not have anything to do with their original meaning. Over the years, many manufacturers have used the title “Brougham” to describe their models, and a brougham was originally an enclosed light two passenger carriage. How that transmogrified into the big Cadillacs of the 1960s and 1970s is anyone’s guess. By the same token, Lincoln called, and still calls, their largest cars the “Town Car,” which originally would have an open drivers compartment which became a four door closed sedan, maybe with a sun roof, and now is a SUV model. Pullman is also used to describe long luxurious limousines, but the only car bodies I know of that were actually built by the Pullman company were open touring cars on the Packard chassis during the 1920s. I’d be curious to know if Pullman ever bodied any Pierces during that time. Anyway, interesting to note how advertising works!

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My understanding of a berline is it is a car with a retractable divider window which can be used as a formal limousine. The driver’s compartment and the passenger compartment are upholstered in the same material, so that the owner can drive the car with the divider window down as a large sedan. With the divider window up, it’s driven as a limousine.

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I believe the car was sold at Hershey. I was interested in it and contacted Merlin, but alas, the car was gone.

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Thanks guys for passing this information on. It’s pretty encouraging for me to see that some really nice cars are selling for prices that I can afford!

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I wasn’t trying to be sarcastic above there. I’m kind of new to old car collecting but one thing I have learned is to be very cautious of cars that members of PAS are not familiar with!

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It looks really nice. Now I want to hear what’s wrong with it!

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You can use these calendars to find “hidden” Pierce Arrow lovers! I mentioned the calendar to the nice little 86 year old lady who plays the piano at church, and she lit up like a Las Vegas marquee! Now I have to order some more because I promised her one! I’ll call you tomorrow!

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Just got my calendars and posters, and sitting here in the living room with a warm hound sleeping on my feet while reading the copy of “There Is No Mistaking A Pierce Arrow”” that I scored at a used book store! The beautiful calendar pictures and the posters provide the perfect background to go over this book!”

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George. how did you make out with the engine?

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Hey, my 1973 Town and Country was one of my favorite cars! Ran it for almost 300K miles before it finally died. Only problem was the mileage was dismal with the A/C on.

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Now I just have to find a Pierce!

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