Milner Motors - Monroe, Louisiana
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 32° 30.179 W 092° 07.131
15S E 582773 N 3596531
Historic former car dealership building in Monroe, Louisiana.
Waymark Code: WM38G3
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 02/25/2008
Views: 7
The Milner Motors Building is a brick structure located in the Ouachita
Parish seat of Monroe. It is located on a corner lot near much-used railroad
tracks within the northwest portion of the central business district. The
Ouachita River runs nearby but is blocked from view by buildings standing along
its shore. An "L"-shaped structure, the building was constructed in stages. Its
two-story portion dates to c. 1918, while its one story section dates to c.
1924. Although the facade features a few decorative elements, the building can
be said to reflect no specific style...
The Milner Motors Building is locally significant in the area of
transportation because it is one of very few structures left to represent the
historic automobile age in Monroe....
The company was founded by Louis Milner, Sr. between 1916 and 1920. A
graduate of Georgia Tech's School of Architecture, Milner accepted a job with
the Ford Motor Company when he could find no demand for his technical skills. He
traveled as one of the company's sales representatives until an opportunity
arose for him to open his own dealership. He chose Monroe because he believed
that natural gas fields discovered nearby in 1916 would make people more
prosperous and more inclined to buy cars. As an architect, Milner designed and
later expanded and remodeled his business, choosing the corner of Walnut and
Washington streets as it site. Milner appears to have taken a partner in the
1930s, because the business' name changed to Milner-Fuller, Inc. Although
Milner-Fuller had many competitors, the company continued to operate at its
downtown location until 1956
Today almost all of Monroe's historic automobile-related resources are not
just closed, but gone. Only two dealership buildings dating to the 1920s remain
(Milner and one competitor). A third dealership appearing to date to the 1940s
or 1950s is located on the outskirts of the central business district. However,
it has recently been modernized, having received a new metal awning and roof
inappropriate to its period. Three historic filling stations survive, but two of
these have been remodeled to the extent that their integrity is lost. This
leaves the Milner Motors Building, one structure which housed a competitor, and
one Streamline Moderne filling station (1940s) as the only historic
automobile-related buildings which still fully convey their original character.
As a rare resource depicting the historic automobile age in Monroe, the Milner
Motors Building is a fine candidate for National Register listing.
In 1956, Louis Milner, Jr. sold his interest in the dealership and sold
the building to the Biedenharn family, who owned the Coca Cola bottling plant
across the street. At first they used the building for storage, later leasing it
to a company selling used office furniture. The current owner, RTR, L.L.C. of
Monroe, purchased the building in October 2000 and plans to restore it for
office use. ~
Nomination Form for National Register
The building has been converted to offices housing an architectural firm and
the Monroe Chamber of Commerce.