Hollywood Citizen News 1/27/1926

One of those properties no one ever took a picture of on purpose, Gordon Warren’s Chevrolet dealership occupied the parcel directly east of the Mountain View Inn on the south side of Hollywood Boulevard west of Bronson.

The building started out as a shopping center with the imaginative name, “The Shopping Center,” built for investor Roland J. Pagen, an auditor with the Ventura Refining Company, who took a 99-year lease for the site on September 16, 1921, and realtor A. H. Meyer.

Hollywood Citizen 9/16/1921

The Shopping Center, like El Adobe Market, was an early example of 1920s car culture and the Los Angeles tend of drive-in everything. Open on the front and sides, it catered to both pedestrian and motorized customers, with auto entrances on both sides and driveways along the sides of the building that led to a parking lot in the rear, completely encircling the building. Its motto was, no wonder, “Circumnavigate the Shopping Center.”

The first vendor, an Italian restaurant called The Blue Mill opened in December 1921. The market itself had a 2-day gala grand opening February 10-11, 1922.

Hollywood Daily Citizen 12/20/1921

Hollywood Daily Citizen 2/10/1922

The “Shopping Center” was The Motorists Market. Hollywood Daily Citizen 2/10/1922.

Let the record state that Blue Mill was not stingy with the maple syrup. The Mary’s Lighthouse referenced in this ad was a new real estate office located at 6002 Hollywood Boulevard. Hollywood Citizen News 6/6/1922.

If you want to travel back in time and circumnavigate The Shopping Center, set your time machine to no later than July 1923.

On May 25, 1925, the business reopened as Anderson’s Hollywood Grand Central Market, a link in a chain of “Daley’s” grocery stores (formerly Federated Grocery Co.).

Hollywood Daily Citizen 5/4/1925

In November 1925, it was announced that the site was being taken over as a third Hollywood outlet of Gordon Warren Chevrolet.

Hollywood Citizen 11/4/1925

Warren came to California in the ‘teens from his native Missouri, where he’d owned a clothing store. Previously a salesman for a Chevrolet dealer, he opened his own Chevy dealership in July 1923 and soon had 2 locations.

Warren altered the existing market building, keeping only the exterior walls and roof, which were revamped to give the building a “modified Spanish” architectural style. The new dealership opened in December 1925.

Hollywood Citizen 12/16/1925

Hollywood Daily Citizen 8/19/1931.

Chevrolet marketed its used cars under the “OK” guarantee system. 4/23/1930.

5950 remained Gordon Warren Chevrolet for nearly 30 years. In July 1952, when the Mountain View Inn at 5956 Hollywood Boulevard was demolished, Warren would expand his car lot to include this property. He retired in July 1954 and the dealership was sold. He died in November 1955, age 65.

Gordon Warren Hollywood Chevrolet became Lew Williams Chevrolet. Hollywood Citizen News 6/12/1954

Hollywood Citizen News 5/4/1955

5950 Hollywood Boulevard remained a Chevrolet dealership, first as Lew Williams Chevrolet, starting in June 1954, until September 1957, when Williams’ salesman Fritz Bruder took it over. It became Vic Potamkin Chevy in 1966 to 1969.

As Lew Williams Chevrolet. Hollywood Citizen News 5/8/1957.

Fire damaged the (previously altered) building in May 1969 when it was Potanikin Chevy. Hollywood Citizen News 5/26/1969.

It continued to have various auto-related uses after that. Today the lot is vacant and appears to be used for parking.