If you’ve ever driven by the King’s Material location on 12th Avenue in Cedar Rapids, you’ve surely noticed the car propped in the air. Maybe you’ve even been confused as to why a concrete, masonry and landscaping product supplier hoists a car in the air. The short answer to “why the car?” is that we aren’t exactly sure!
We have heard so many stories over the years about the history and legacy of the car. What we believe to be true is that the property was once a used car lot. We’ve heard the 1951 green Plymouth was once owned by Charlie Vavra and was traded in to Glenn Darrow Used Cars in 1958 because of a bad engine. Rather than fix it up, Glenn removed the interior, transmission and engine, lifted the car onto the pole and used the car to advertise “Glen’s Hi Value Used Cars!”
Several different parties operated the car lot until 1999 when we purchased the property. In 2000, we refurbished the car and painted it red to preserve what had become, and remains, a Cedar Rapids landmark.
In short, we believe in investing in our communities and love hearing stories from our customers about the car. Have any good ones to share?
