Route 66 in the News
“Chevy on a Stick” May Get New Home
2008-11-16 10:17:47
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A 1955 Chevy BEL-AIRE two-door hardtop has rested atop a three-story pole at 2412 Clear Lake Ave. through 17 years, two car dealerships and two trips to the ground for thorough refurbishings.
Now, it’s out there on its own after the last car dealership relocated across Clear Lake Avenue last fall.
“I had a lot of fun doing that,” said George Stelle, the man who topped the pole with the ’55 Chevy in 1991. “I looked all over trying to find that thing, from Las Vegas to Springfield, and I found it about three blocks away,”
Stelle at the time was a partner in Young Motors LTD. He bought the car for $900, restored it and up it went.
The latest dealership to occupy the spot down below was Patriot Auto Sales, which moved in October to 2601 Clear Lake Ave. Taking the pole and the Chevy along was not an option, said owner Paul LeJeune.
“It was there when it was Young Motors, it was there when it was Patriot Motors, and it probably will be there for whoever comes next,” LeJeune said.
According to newspaper accounts, the steel pole is set in a 6- by 6-foot hole. Steel rails at the top of the poll were clamped to the car frame. The car was last taken down for refurbishing in 2002.
Not that someone could drive off with the car if somehow they managed to get it down. There is no engine in it.
“I didn’t want an engine up there,” Stelle explained.
The “Chevy on a stick” has become an offbeat landmark, especially for Route 66 enthusiasts who often make their way into Springfield via Clear Lake Avenue, but also for the thousands of motorists who drive the street daily.
Stelle said he’s had “plenty of offers,” but hasn’t decided what to do with the car. The property — and the car — are on the market for now. But Stelle points out the market for commercial real estate has been pretty slow of late.
“Maybe I’ll just take it down and scrub it up,” Stelle said.
~Tim Landis, State Journal-Register
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