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Felix Chevrolet
General information
Location3330 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California, United States

Felix Chevrolet is a car dealership in downtown Los Angeles, California, United States known for its landmark Felix the Cat sign.

History

Felix Chevrolet was founded by Tucson native Winslow B. Felix in 1921.[1][2][3] The Felixes were known as a pioneer Arizona family.[4] He went to school in Tucson and "worked for the Arizona Daily Star at one time, delivering papers to Tucson subscribers on a burro, oldtimers recalled."[4]

Felix had moved to Los Angeles around 1915.[2] He served in World War I.[5] He sold used cars before opening the Chevrolet dealership in 1921.[5] The original location of the dealership was 11th and Olive Streets.[5] Felix was friends with Felix creator Pat Sullivan; Sullivan let him use the cartoon in advertising in exchange for a free automobile.[5] Beginning in 1923, the dealership used Felix the Cat on its stationery and in newspaper advertisements.[6][7]

Winslow Felix c. 1931

Felix was a "colorful figure"; married with a child, his girlfriend was silent movie star Lois Wilson.[5] In 1931 the dealership relocated to 12th and Grand, where the chromed cars were staged and lit so they looked jewels in a box.[5] In 1931, Felix sponsored midget car races at Gilmore Stadium, and he was a member of the Uplifters Club in Rustic Canyon, where he played polo with the likes of Will Rogers.[5][8] He also served as president of the Southern California association of motor car dealers for several years.[4]

Felix died at age 43 (or 45)[4] in 1936, from a "basal skull fracture and hemorrhage of the brain" suffered in a polo-field horse collision with Snowy Baker during a match at the Riviera County Club.[9][2] Baker helped him off the field, despite his own injuries, but Felix died at a Santa Monica hospital following brain surgery.[4][2]

Felix's widow, Ruth Felix, maintained ownership until 1955 although Claude Craig, the company controller, was responsible for hands-on management.[5] She sold the dealership in 1955 to Nickolas N. Shammas, who eventually had a chain of seven dealerships.[5] Shammas moved Felix Chevrolet to the current Figueroa location in 1957.[5] The landmark sign, designed by painter Wayne E. Heath,[10][11] was installed in 1957[12][3] or 1958.[5][13][14] Each side of the three-sided sign is 50 ft (15 m) wide.[11] They reportedly used aerospace engineers to ensure that the huge sign would not turn into a sail and blow away in a strong wind.[11] The building was originally in a Spanish Colonial Revival style and later remodeled into Streamline Moderne, and has been "altered dozens of times" since.[14] Shammas died in 2003, and his son-in-law took over the dealership.[13][14]

The sign, located adjacent to the Harbor Freeway, University of Southern California (USC) campus, and the Shrine Auditorium, is considered an "iconic" landmark of the area.[15] The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission recommended landmark status for the sign in 2007 but the Los Angeles City Council refused to pass the designation into municipal law.[11] Originally lit in neon, LEDs bulbs were installed in 2012 to "reduce escalating maintenance costs."[10][11] Felix Chevrolet merchandise yields up to $10,000 a month to the dealership, which then sends 10 percent to current Felix trademark holder, DreamWorks Animation/Comcast NBCUniversal.[11] Felix Chevrolet iconography is popular in the lowrider customized car community.[11]

  • Felix sign, 2024
    Felix sign, 2024
  • Felix sign, 1977
    Felix sign, 1977
  • Felix Cars, 2011
    Felix Cars, 2011
  • Giant Felix Used Cars, 1977
    Giant Felix Used Cars, 1977

References

  1. ^ York, Catherine (September 1, 2023). "Felix Chevrolet: Oldest Dealership in LA and Its Famous Cat Mascot". National Auto Dealers Association (nada.org). Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  2. ^ a b c d "Services Planned for W. B. Felix in Beverly Hills". Evening Vanguard. June 2, 1936. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  3. ^ a b "Felix Chevrolet History". Felix Chevrolet Store. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Felix, Former Tusconan, Dies of Injuries After Polo Fracas". Arizona Daily Star. June 2, 1936. p. 9. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rasmussen, Cecilia (April 3, 2005). "Cartoon Feline Is Catalyst for Car Dealer's Success". The Los Angeles Times. p. 255. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  6. ^ Pictorama, Pam's. "Winslow B. Felix". Pam's Pictorama. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  7. ^ "In person Al Jarvis". Los Angeles Mirror. February 1, 1957. p. 2. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  8. ^ "Will Rogers Rides in Polo Skirmish Today". The Los Angeles Times. May 17, 1931. p. 69. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  9. ^ "Felix Rites to Be Today". The Los Angeles Times. June 3, 1936. p. 22. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  10. ^ a b "The Felix the Cat Sign in Los Angeles". www.laalmanac.com. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g White, Ronald D. (January 5, 2020). "Felix, Little Man and Other L.A. Logos". The Los Angeles Times. pp. C7. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  12. ^ Freeman, Keri (April 4, 2021). "Landmark Car Dealership Felix Chevrolet Celebrates 100 Years". DTLAweekly.com. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  13. ^ a b Pool, Bob (July 13, 2007). "Catapulted to New Heights". The Los Angeles Times (Part 1 of 2). p. 21. Retrieved 2026-03-26. & "Felix sign gets landmark status". The Los Angeles Times (Part 2 of 2). p. 68.
  14. ^ a b c Holter, Darryl (July 26, 2007). "It's your history, but it's our sign". The Los Angeles Times. p. 19. Retrieved 2026-03-26.
  15. ^ Sharp, Steven (May 1, 2023). "Felix Chevrolet getting mixed-use neighbor at 3100 S Figueroa Street". Urbanize LA. Retrieved 2024-07-27.


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