Thirteen Chicago Dealer and Corporate Checker locations in Chicagoland were listed in an advertisement in the 1967 Chicago Auto Show program. Chicago was essentially Checker’s corporate backyard for 70 years.
Fifty years earlier Commonwealth Motors corporate base was Chicago, it too was the base for Morris Markin and the Markin Body Company of Jolliet, Illinois. When the two companies came together in 1922, Chicago would continue to serve as the corporate base. Between 1930’s and 1990’s Checker’s largest cab operation could be found in Chicago, both Checker and Yellow cab subsidiaries operating thousands of cabs in Chicago.
In 1960 when Checker started to develop its national consumer car network, Chicago’s presence in Chicago would be very large, one of Checker’s most important market. What do the Chicago dealer locations look like today, in 2017?
The header photo is of the building of what was once Checker Towne South. Located at 3967 South Archer Avenue in Chicago. Today it is now an automotive glass shop. The black paint hides a 30’s era art deco building, showroom windows have been covered, center doors still in use for customer service. This appears to have been quite and impressive building in its day. In theory, you could still pull your Checker into this building to have a windshield replaced.
Within the club Facebook page we have created a full album of the thirteen dealerships and corporate stores that sold Checkers. The stories on each building vary, some still stand and some are parks, some have been replaced by new grand structures.
If you would like to see the complete album of the former Chicagoland Checker stores all you have to do is join the free Internet Checker Taxicab Archive on Facebook. Just click on the link below and click on the join button.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/145497838799022/
Here are a couple samples:
Corbly Herschbarger 208 East University in Champaign, IL is now the home of Arrow Ambulance. This is probably the closet business operating in a program comparable to past Checker
Rich Checker 10220 Sout Kedzie Evergreen Park, IL. The structure still stands and appears to be well maintained. Also appears that the showroom has received a facelift with large pain glass being removed
