National Register of Historic Places in San Francisco

National Register #83001234: Paige Motor Car Company Paige Motor Car Company Building
27 March 2004
Paige Motor Car Advertisement Paige 6-66 Sedan
Saturday Evening Post Magazine, November 13, 1920
Courtesy Bill Roberts
Graham Blue Streak Graham Blue Streak
Courtesy Lars-Göran Lindgren

(Click Photos to Zoom)

National Register #83001234
Paige Motor Car Company Building
1699 Van Ness Avenue At Sacramento
Built 1912, 1919

The Paige Motor Car Company Building, designed by Sylvain Schnaittacher, is a nearly intact automobile showroom, one of the half-dozen grandest buildings of San Francisco's Auto Row (see San Francisco Landmarks 152 and 153).

The original tenant, the Paige Motor Car Company of Detroit (1908-1927) was best known for its Daytona Speedster, a sporty six-cylinder with a pull-out third seat over the right running board.

The Graham brothers bought the Paige concern and produced Graham-Paige cars (1927-1931) and then Grahams (1931-1941), including the 1932 Blue Streak immortalized as a children's Tootsie Toy.

A series of automobile dealerships followed: Howard Buick Company, Borgward, Van Ness Dodge, British Motors, California Porsche Audi.

After eighty years, the last automobile dealer was replaced by a real estate firm.

Adapted from the NRHP Nomination Form

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