Feature – “On the Go: Rockville Pike and Car Culture” by Peerless Rockville
It was 100 years ago that Lewis Reed signed a franchise agreement with brothers Horace and John Dodge in Detroit. Since then, the business that Lewis Reed founded grew and transformed into Rockville’s oldest family-owned and operated Dodge dealership.
As a part of Peerless Rockville’s “On the Go: Rockville Pike and Car Culture” lecture series, Peerless Rockville Historian, Dr Teresa Lachin offered a glimpse into the history of Reed Brothers Dodge as one of the City’s oldest and longest lasting automobile businesses. Reed Brothers Dodge operated from two locations on Rockville Pike for 97 years.
Pictured below is the brochure of the “On the Go: Rockville Pike and Car Culture” lecture series. (click images to enlarge)
Update: “Light Dodger” Sculpture Project by Tj Aitken
“Light Dodger” is close to completion. Here are shots from the lighting tests. The large glass pieces should go in next week (shown with surrogate panels). For scale, note Sculptor, Tj Aitken’s face in the smaller opening!
Street Hemi Lamps are complete and ready to go to the east coast for installation. The lamps are 8 feet high with concrete cam bases case with a custom formula that should not be taken for granite. The rods are powder coated steel. The aluminum clad, 1/2 inch thick, glass globes on top have been re-purposed from an old manufacturing facility. A row of these will grace the promenade near the Light Dodger sculpture. This grouping of 6 is 18ft x 4ft x 8ft high.
Featured Photos: Reed Brothers Service Dept circa 1960
Service Area
This photo of the inside of Reed Brothers Dodge service area was taken circa 1960. At the time this photo was taken, the dealership was located at the intersection of Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike.
Along the back wall inside the service area is the entrance to the new car showroom, parts counter and the cashier’s window. The new car showroom and service department were connected by large double doors, which was how new cars were moved in and out of the showroom. Above the cashier’s window is a small door that opened into the parts department storage area for the stock of tires. Reed Brothers was also a Goodyear tire retailer.
The roof is supported by steel trusses, which keep the entire floor free of pillars and makes the movement of cars easier. Also, most of the light for the area is provided by skylights and windows.
Rear entrance to the Service Department on what is now known as “Dodge Street”
Sales and Service Departments on the corner of Rockville Pike and Dodge Street
Update: “Light Dodger” Sculpture Project by Tj Aitken
Titled “Light Dodger,” the sculpture by Tj Aitken will stand 20 feet high and will have stained glass lens components over 6 feet in diameter. Currently being fabricated in Holland, Michigan – the home of its accomplished sculpture, Tj Aitken – it is slated to be installed March 2015 at Bainbridge Shady Grove Apartments at the entrance to the Shady Grove Metro Station on the Red Line to Washington, DC. Reed Brothers Dodge stood at this location for more than 40 years.
It is part of a project that commemorates the dealership that received the #8 Dodge from Detroit in 1915. The site will also include Tj’s “Hemi Piston Street Lamps”. (click on images to enlarge)
44 Years Ago Today: New Facility Grand Opening
Today marks forty four years since the Grand Opening of Reed Brothers Dodge new showroom and service facility.
When the state widened the roads in 1970, Reed Brothers Dodge relocated from its original 1800 square foot facility at the intersection of Veirs Mill Road and Rockville Pike to a state-of-the-art 26,000 square foot showroom and Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep service complex on Route 355 at 15955 Frederick Road Rockville, Maryland. The new building, a complete automotive sales and service facility also marked their 55th year of selling Dodge’s.
The new dealership provided a modern new vehicle showroom, 30 service bays, a comprehensive detail and car wash area, Parts Department, Body Shop, the newest technologies to service customer’s vehicles and provided customers with a convenient location to purchase and service their vehicle needs.
Design and construction of the new dealership was managed by the Glen Construction Company.
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Copyright Notice
Reed Brothers Dodge History (1915-2012) by Jeanne Gartner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Reed Brothers Dodge History 1915 – 2012 
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