If you've driven down Glebe Road in Ballston over the past few years, you might have noticed the diamond-shaped design on the facade of a new office building at 800 N. Glebe Rd.
The diamond shape was chosen to commemorate Bob Peck Chevrolet, which stood at the same location from 1964 until 2008.
Peck Chevrolet, 1991
In 1939, Bob Peck, along with his business partner Lawrence Kenyon, opened Kenyon-Peck Chevrolet in Clarendon. But in 1942, with the onset of World War II, the federal government ordered automobile manufacturers to cease production and instead turn their attention to making military vehicles and other essential military items. Peck and Kenyon survived the declining new car business by selling used cars and servicing vehicles.
Peck and Kenyon ran the business together until the early 1950s when Kenyon left the business, at which point Peck changed the name to Peck Chevrolet.
Bob Peck Chevrolet Body Shop, Danville & Wilson Blvd., 1993
In 1964, Bob Peck opened a showroom in Ballston at the corner of North Glebe Road and Wilson Boulevard.
This location—designed by local architect Anthony Musolino—instantly became an iconic Arlington landmark. The dealership featured a transparent circular showroom made of glass with a butterfly roofline of the diamond-shaped, blue panels spelling “Chevrolet.”
Although Peck Chevrolet was demolished in 2008, a replica of the distinctive blue and diamond roofline, along with a Bob Peck historical marker, now welcome visitors to the office building that took its place.
To see more photos of Peck Chevrolet, or to learn more about Arlington's history, visit the Center for Local History on the first floor of the Central Library.
Do you have a question about this story, or a personal experience to share?
Use this form to send a message to the Center for Local History.
Dear Library Manager,
The article above has some incorrect information. You state people during WWII were not looking to buy new cars. That is completely wrong. The great Americans on the home front could not buy new cars because they did not make any new cars between 1942-1945. The auto plants built aircraft and tanks and jeep and trucks to save the world and America from Socialism. So to say few people were looking to buy new cars is complete wrong.
Helen,
You are absolutely correct; thank you for your comment. We have rewritten that paragraph to be more detailed and accurate.