From a Dealership, A Vantage on History

People have bought cars at Curtis Chevrolet since 1949, when it was called Hick's.

"There have been lots of highs and lows," said Dudley Dworken, the 57-year-old owner. Dworken bought the dealership from his father, Curtis Dworken, in 1990. His father bought it in 1966.

Dworken's office hearkens back to the 1960s with wood paneling and windows that overlook the sales floor. Model cars from Tonka Toys to a few the size of carry-on suitcases line his office. "I have 4,000 to 5,000," he said.

Two years after his father bought the dealership, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and riots burst out on Georgia Avenue.

"Three hundred people came up the street and torched the stores across the street," he said, looking out the window.

But the rioters did not touch Curtis Chevrolet, even though the Dworkens are white. "We're part of the community," he said.

A copy of Black Enterprise sat on his desk. He subscribes.

GM once asked the dealership to move to the suburbs, Dworken said. His family refused.

Now Abdo Development has bought him out, city officials say. Dworken said he could not discuss it.

"What will be developed here may be better for the community," he said. "We've got a good group of people who live here. Hard-working. Younger people. More affluent people.

"What's the best thing about Georgia Avenue?" he asked. "Opportunities for the future. Really."

-- Nikita Stewart