Raney Chevrolet was a landmark in downtown Wilmington. The Temple of Israel at Fourth and Market streets can be seen in the background. (Photo courtesy of the New Hanover County Public Library)
The venerable car dealership merged with Tom Reich Chevrolet in the late 1960s, said Wilmington lawyer William A. Raney Jr. (His father was president of the family owned company.)
The move was prompted largely by New Hanover County’s efforts to condemn Raney Chevrolet’s building and lot in the 400 block of Princess Street to build the old Law Enforcement Center (now the Harrelson Center at First Baptist Church). Raney Chevrolet’s last entry in the Wilmington city directory was in 1968.
Advertised as “Wilmington’s Oldest New-Car Dealer,” Raney Chevrolet was a downtown presence from its founding in 1928.
In January 2012, the local history room at the New Hanover County Public Library, 201 Chestnut St., Wilmington [Map this], mounted a photo exhibit on Raney Chevrolet and its history.
Date posted: January 5, 2012
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