Who's got the oldest car wash still operating?

The Birth of Car Washing from carwashTV.com on Vimeo.

May 1954, my dad opened this conveyor in Panama City. I think all prior conveyor locations are now gone. Does anyone know of an older location still operating?

My dad bought a 16mm camera in 1955 and made these films. The car wash was built next door to my dad's fast food restaurant, which was opened in 1948.

Our Manchester, NH Location was Opened 1957. and Our "Old and sold" Brockton, MA location Opened 1953

My father took over our current Chicago Broadway location In 1953 from his brother. (Not sure when he started). (April I think) Building was leveled and rebuilt in 1964.

Mike's http://www.mikescarwash.com/default.aspx?page=aboutus&subpage=corporatefaqs&action=viewfaq&item=1 opened in 1948 not sure if tht location is still operting.

Michael is the one opened in 1953 still open?

Earl, I'm a little confused. Are you saying one you operate today was opened before 53? If so, you may be the oldest!

I've emailed Mike's to see if there old unit is still running.

Ben Alford's dad built one in downtown Pensacola, FL in 1952 that just closed.

Pronto, in St Pete FL, was built in 1955 by Jack Talkwicz and is still in operation.

My wash was opened in 1956. It was originally called Glitter Wash, then operated as Protecto Auto Wash, then Mike's Carwash and now for the last 25 years under my ownership as Red Carpet Car Wash.

I love your home movies Jim.

Thanks Jon, the original film is much better quality.
We just had another galv pipe rust through that was in the slab. One of those things you have to deal with on a 57 year old building. I am still using two 200 amp service disconnects from 1954. Lots of history...lots of work.
thank, JB

Here's a quick look at what you can do with an old film transfer with freeware tools:

http://vimeo.com/26825803

Mike's first location built in 1948 is still operating so it's the oldest.

I think Earl has the second oldest(1953) location with mine being
the third oldest(1954).

Let's see if anybody chimes from the NE?

I talked to Millie Talkwicz(Jack's wife) yesterday. She said Jack got in the business because of a busy location he went to in Chicago. Probably your old wash Earl. Jack built a conveyor prior to 1952 in Panama City that was torn down by 1953. Jack's wash in Panama City was so busy that it caused Mr Alford to leave the key shop industry and go into car washing. His key shop was across the street from the wash and he would count Jack's washes everyday using unsold key blanks.

I love it.

We are still operating a car wash that my father "Dan Hanna" built in 1956
located in Milwaukie,OR.
This is one of the locations where he tested one of the first wrap around
brushes - location was called "Rub-A-Dub"
Dan Jr

>>Earl, I'm a little confused. Are you saying one you operate today was opened before 53? If so, you may be the oldest!<<<

I'll ask my father if he has more info. We had to do environmental checks a while back and know that gasoline sales were happening there since the 1920's but did not research when they strated washing cars and don't think those records would bneccessarily be on file unless the city licensed it seperately in those days.

Awesome Dan Jr!!! Got any old pics or movies? How many washes are y'all still operating?
I didn't realize your Dad had started that early!

Thanks for the research Earl.

So far Mike's(Fort Wayne) is still the oldest.

I guess there aren't any older in Detroit? (circa 1944?)

Jim,
Our family operates multiple stores in Oregon & SW Washington
Hanna brothers - Washman Car Wash, 12 locations
Chuck Kaady ( Dan Hanna's nephew) - Kaady Car Wash, 16 locations

Of this total 5 locations were built by my father in the late 50's and 60's

Thanks for asking his legacy still lives on

Amen brother...that's great to hear.

It's up to us second and third generation car washers to

keep it going even through these economic "tough times".

I think Chuck/Carl Howard has maintained your dad's prototype better than

anyone else in the east. They are up to 61 locations now.

Guys:

Of the washes built in the 50's, what kind of equipment would that have been? What was the tunnel setup?

-Kyle

Chem Therm was the friction...Calif built I believe.

Can't speak for everyone but I know at my families locations,in the 1950's except for a log chain conveyor the equipment had 2 arms and 2 legs. There were troughs on stands holding soapy water and the guys had "Mits" (The "Mitters")they would dip in the troughs and then had wash the cars as the conveyor pulled them through.

Lter I recal a "Three Brush Unit" Top and 2 sides and blowers with huge cabinets. Equipment was activatr by "Wands" mounted on stands sticking out into the tunnel and the car pushed them aside activating switches as it passed.

Wands would ose their protective covers and scratch, f a car jumped out tf the track that chain could still drag it until shear pins broke on the drive pulley, and getting stck in an equipment cabinet was lawys fun tring to get in the car to turn the wheels.

We need to have a history booth at Car Care World Expo! We could get old pieces and blow up old photos. I know the Detroit Historical Society will loan us that Paul's sign from the carwashTV video. I think it would be really cool.

ICA has a bunch of stuff stored in Chicago.
I have the history book written by Trantham.
I've got to have the oldest film/video.
History is being lost everyday...the generations
are passing.

I still have the remenants of the Haverberg Wheel washers at my wash.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/2837759.pdf

I got a butterfly pull chain. There's no telling what's buried behind the wash in the 4 or 5 feet of vacuum/pit dirt. Probably Jimmy Hoffa.

Haverberg...man they would clean some chrome wheels and whitewalls but if you didn't grease them every night you have one of those wheels whobbling soon.

Jim...

I think one of Bruce Milen's JAX car washes in Detroit is a contender. His dad, Jack Milen started in the late 40's-early fifties.

-Steve

Jim, just curious, was your father an EOE?

I'll email Bruce...thanks Steve.
I heard this week that Paul's in Detroit may still be open. I believe it was opened around 1945. Bruce may know that also. thks

Homer...dunno...what's an EOE?

No PAULS is gone that was the first i think Randy

Pauls in Detroit opened around the mid to late 1940's and closed i believe in the mid 1980's.
My father opened his 1st Jax in 1953. That location is still being operated as a car wash today. We sold it in the Mid 1980's.

Thanks Bruce,

So here's the potential list:

Gilo Dearborn, MI 1946 Dearborn Auto
Dahms. Fort Wayne 1948 Mike's
Earl Weiss dad. Chicago April 1953 Broadway
Jack Milen. Detroit 1953 Jax's
Jimmy Branch sr. Panama City 1954 Jimmy's (now Speedy)
George Lindley sr. Jacksonville 1954 4th St
Jack Talkwicz. St Pete 1955 Pronto
Sonny Fazio Lynn, MA 1955 (now WashDepot)
Dan Hanna. Milwalkee,OR 1956 Rub a Dub
JonS. Canton,OH 1956 Glitter (now Red Carpet)
Mike Balboni. Manchester,NH 1957

I know there were a lot of others prior to 1953 that are gone. But this is the list of survivors. Any corrections? Thanks guys, this is interesting.

nevermind Jim...it was a bad joke.

Sonny Fazio's second location in Lynn Mass. Opend 1955 is still operated as a car wash by Wash Depot.

Thanks Robert, didn't know it was still open. I'll go back and edit list. This could be the 10 oldest still operating.

interesting history

My grandfather started Dearborn Auto Wash in Jan. of 1496. In 2008 we sold the wash but it is still in operation. I will ask my farther about some of the equipment that was used and if we can find any pictures.

Wow! you have everone beat by about 450 yrs.

Sorry about that..we started in 1946.

yes, get me an address also. That beats the Dahm' for the oldest.
Thanks Steve...awesome. Maybe we can get PCD to do an article sometime.

I just got back from the Canadian car wash show , I visited two car washes build 50 years ago that are still using the old Sherman " hook" style conveyors , and one location has the old " huge " Sherman blower. I took lots of video . I also heard of a car wash built in 1928 or so still running today . In 1914 the first car wash was constructed in Detroit ,on Woodward Ave.by Frank McCormick and J.W. Hinkle , this car wash was constructed in a huge building ( 150x180 )the cars were pushed from station to station making a big circle of the inside of the building , they could do 100 cars per day.They only lasted less than two years. In 1924 or so the " Gillespie system " was invented,it was a large revolving turntable inside of a building. 6 were built around the country. In 1926 the Muller brothers in Hollywood Calif.( Frank and Walter) had the first "in line" car wash.It had a log chain to pull cars down a straight line. All work was done by hand. The " Minit-Man " system was developed on paper during World War Two by a Detroit foundry owner named L.J. Rosseau. The Minit Man system included brushes and a blower. From 1945 to 1950 about 300 fast car washes were built.The real boom started in 1951 , from 1951 to 1956 about 2,500more fast car washes were built. Paul's Auto Wash in Detroit, owned by Paul Marian, held many records in 1956, he was doing about 350,000 cars per year !!!!! 45,000 cars a month during his best months !!!! Mendal Margolus ,owner of Clark - Ridge Auto Wash in Chicago also did big numbers .

Spee - Dee auto wash in Windsor Ontario Canada says on their website ( speedeeautowash.com ) that they have been serving Windsor since 1929 . Not sure if they are at the same location as 1929