For a map and ratings visit the The Automobile Gallery page here.
I grew up in Southeastern Wisconsin with one grandmother who was Irish and the other Polish. I remember fondly when I would visit them…moments after walking in the door I was always welcomed in further. My Irish grandmother would always offer me a drink which was a blend of English Breakfast tea, plenty of creamer, and brown sugar. After this I would have enough energy to run around the house, up the walls, and across the ceilings. My polish grandmother would always offer food usually in the form of ham sandwiches or, if we had the time to wait, pierogis. At both places we had to mind our manners but it was very inviting and comfortable.
My recent visit to the The Automobile Gallery in Green Bay, Wisconsin in May 2017 somehow reminded me of visits to my grandmothers. Once inside the door, I was welcomed in further and the whole place felt comfortable and inviting. The staff were extremely gracious, informative, and generally very fun to be around.
In some ways, The Gallery is a potential contradiction. On the one hand, the Gallery seems to draw its inspiration from large European auto museums like the Alfa Romeo Museum (Museo Storico Alfa Romeo) with its ultra-modern architecture consisting of floor to ceiling glass windows at the front of the building, ultra-white interior walls, and red glass and silver metal accents. The beautifully renovated car dealership building has an equally beautiful collection of highly restored cars. It is in these modern museums that one can feel like a child in a china shop…look, but don’t touch, don’t make noise, don’t get anything dirty, don’t get close to the cars, etc.
Here lies the contradiction. You won’t feel like a child in a chine shop in this china shop. The staff are informative, very engaging, and have warm midwestern personalities that make you feel comfortable from the moment you walk in. Visitors can get up close to these cars to really appreciate their beauty and, in some cases, sit in some of them for unique photo ops. The only things missing are my grandmothers’ tea and ham sandwiches, but being in Wisconsin, they might be nice enough to make you some. If not, there are local establishments were visitors can grab a beer and a bratwurst for a true midwestern experience.
The Automobile Gallery is the brainchild of Red Lewis, founder of PDQ Touchless Carwash, who converted this old Cadillac dealership into a wonderful car museum with about 40 cars on display. A few of the real treasures include:
- 1919 Dort Speedster
- 1956 Ford F-100 ½ ton pickup
- 1929 Ford Model A Sport Coupe
- 1912 Maxwell Messenger
- 1957 Buick Caballero Wagon
- 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T
- 1965 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS
- 1950 Studebaker Champion
They also have a very nice selection of additional 1960’s American iron…all perfectly restored. The facility includes a banquet room, large meeting room, and lots of places to sit and just spend some time enjoying the car scenery. The cars are exchanged with Red’s personal collection on a regular basis so I expect that on a return visit I will be presented with several different beauties. Also, talk to the staff about the cars, Red, their favorite cars, etc…you will be rewarded.
My complaints? More cars please…not because this was a small museum or the selection was inadequate but, because the cars were so well restored and presented, I really wanted to see the rest of Mr. Lewis’ collection. But that gives me a reason to make a return visit. I will call in my order for tea and ham in advance.
