Picture Enfield - Then And Now

ENFIELD, CT — Today's installment of this weekly Enfield history series, courtesy of a fabulous book of renowned local photographer Ed Malley's pictures compiled by his son Jim entitled Enfield: 1950-1980, features a look at a building which has housed more than a half-dozen automotive businesses since its construction on Route 5 in 1957.

Pictured is a 1950s view of Louis Chevrolet, owned and operated by Louis Halbwachs at 809 Enfield Street, on the corner of Park Avenue. Advertisements in the old Thompsonville Press show Halbwachs had owned Enfield Garage at 41 North Main St. as far back as the 1920s. By the way, 41 North Main no longer exists; it is part of the parking area and driveway behind Town Hall, which was constructed in the early 1960s.

Of particular interest is the sign for Calso supreme gasoline, which was a product of the Chevron Corp.

Peter Scalia bought the business in 1962 and renamed it Peters Chevrolet, which remained until 1973, when Carl Pagella purchased it and changed the name to Carl Chevrolet. He became a very recognizable town personality due to appearing in numerous local television commercials for his dealership.

Brake King Automotive moved into the space in 1996, but was gone by 2004, when the property was purchased by a limited liability company headed by Robert Artioli, who also owned a dealership down the road at 525 Enfield Street. Gary Rome Kia set up shop in 2008, and remains to this day.

Here is a more contemporary look at the building, courtesy of the town assessor's office.

Last week's trivia answer:
Last week's trivia question was, "What future Enfield High School vice principal played on the undefeated 1948 Raider football team?" The answer: Ralph Cerrato, who became vice principal in 1966 following the untimely death of Principal Harry Tatoian just prior to the start of the 1966-67 acvademic year. In the team photo below from the 1949 yearbook, Cerrato is in the second row, fourth from the right. The first person to provide the correct answer was Jim Malley.

This week's trivia question:
John F. Kennedy made a campaign stop in Enfield during his run for the presidency in 1960, and former president Bill Clinton came to town in 2002 to support Congressional candidate Joe Courtney. Which sitting U.S. President of the 20th century made a brief stop at the Thompsonville train station, accompanied by his wife? Post the answer in the comments section below, or on the Enfield Patch Facebook page, or on the You're Probably From Enfield If Facebook page, or by emailing me directly at tim.jensen@patch.com. The first person to correctly answer the question without blatantly Googling, copying and pasting the answer, as well as gives their actual name, will be acknowledged the following week.

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