Bolin Ford adds new with the old

Completion remains weeks away, but the rebuilding of Bolin Ford Inc. in Bristow, Okla., is far enough along that I decided to take a tour of the facilities on Saturday before an open house in early December.

A fire heavily damaged Bolin Ford in December 2008. The owners could have rebuilt in a mundane way. But they elected to pay tribute to Bristow’s historic downtown architecture by giving their reconstructed building of a look from another era.

“All of the buildings in downtown go back to the 1920s, so we decided to go back to the 1920s,” Bolin Ford sales coordinator Kathy Wisotsky said about Bolin’s new but retro design when it was announced a year ago. “And, besides, it’s on Route 66.”

Tulsa architect John Sanford provided the dealership’s nostalgic look, and the work by a contractor from Eureka Springs, Ark. — a town that frequently merges new architecture with old buildings — is nearing completion.

Bolin Ford will host an open house on Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to celebrate the completion of the project, including entertainment by an Elvis impersonator. But Wisotsky gave me a tour on the mostly finished facility.

The fire mostly spared the 1923 Bristow Motor Co. building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That portion sits on the south end of the block.

Here, you can see the details of Bristow Motor Co.’s brickwork and facade.

The reconstructed portion merges with the building’s 1920s portion nearly seamlessly. Check the facade; the Shattuck name is Wisotsky’s father and Bolin Ford’s longtime general manager:

Look at the old-time styling of the architecture, sign, and light fixtures near the service entrance. If you look closely, you’ll see a Route 66 shield on the cornerstone:

On a windy day, you may note what looks like a whirligig on top of the Bolin sign tower. It’s eye-catching, but it also serves as a 4-kilowatt wind turbine.

Wisotsky says the turbine is tied into the grid to help offset the dealership’s electricity costs. She says it hasn’t been operating long enough to know how much power Bolin Ford is receiving from Mother Nature.

The “Bolin” sign tower pays tribute to a still-standing sign tower for a defunct Chrysler-Plymouth dealership two blocks east of Route 66, Wisotsky said. Here’s the old sign tower:

The “Bolin” sign tower at night is animated, as this video shows. You’ll also see the “Service” sign at night for good measure:

Inside, Bolin Ford pays homage to Streamline Moderne‘s sweeping curves. You can see it in this new desk …

… and in the curves of this new hallway.

Here’s one of the light fixtures in the hallway:

And Wisotsky showed replicas of light fixtures from the Chrysler Building that will be installed in one of the showrooms:

The main showroom contains exposed metal roof trusses:

If you look closely, you’ll see this ghost sign on one of the walls, which Wisotsky said will be preserved.

In a corner sits a dinner bell that once was used at Wisotsky’s great-grandmother’s farm near Bristow. She said the bell will be rung every time a car or truck is sold.

One of the upcoming projects Wisotsky is most excited about involves the middle room of the dealership. It doesn’t look like much now …

… but the original tin ceiling soon will be re-installed. Stacks of the tin panels sit nearby on the floor.

Wisotsky showed the asparagus accents on one of the panels …

… and the detail on another:

You’ll find artifacts from Bristow Motor Co.’s history sprinkled throughout the dealership. This photograph sat on a television while the Texas-Oklahoma college football game was being broadcast:

In a side room hangs a collection of old hubcaps:

And a back storage area contains several old signs:

Wisotsky recently acquired this old sales barometer board.

It’s too badly damaged to be used. But Wisotsky said she will make a replica and use the new board to keep track of sales.

Also in the back storage area is an original monorail hanging from the ceiling, used during the 1920s to assemble Ford vehicles when they arrived in crates from the factory:

And this vintage desk eventually will be used in the front of the dealership:

An old horse-drawn wagon, used by Bolin Ford for decorative purposes, was lost in the fire. But Wisotsky acquired another wagon — a pristine Bain model nearly a century old. It’s kept under the original Bristow Motor Co. canopy on the south end of the property.

I mentioned it appeared that the dealership’s big Ford sign, one side noticeably damaged by intense heat from the 2008 fire, hadn’t been repaired or replaced.

“I’m keeping it as as a reminder” of the fire, Wisotsky said. She added that despite the many artifacts on display, many were lost in the blaze nearly three years ago. She said it was caused by pieces of 1970s petroleum-based insulation falling onto a heating unit and igniting.

“Once it started, it went ‘woosh’ — just like that,” she said.

After such a calamity — especially when the economy was tanking — it would have been tempting for Bolin Ford’s owners to take shortcuts when rebuilding. But they decided to make a concerted effort to pay homage to Bristow’s history and Route 66. For that, they deserve heaps of commendation.