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Best-known today as the production body
builder of the short-lived 1919-1921 Skelton automobile, the Mueck
Automobile Body Co. later gained prominence as a specialist in the
resotration of antique automobiles.
The firm was founded by Frank J. Mueck, an
Austria immigrant
who was born in 1880. The St Louis Chamber of Commerce lists Frank J.
Mueck as
a member starting in 1913, although the firm wasn’t incorporated until
July 27,
1917, the recent incorporations column of the August 11, 1917 issue of
Automobile Topics reporting:
"The Mueck Automobile Body
Co., St.
Louis. To manufacture vehicle bodies of all kinds. Capital $3,000.
Incorporators: Frank J. Mueck, J. Hoeppel and William
Hoeppel."
The firm’s factory was located on the
western end of the
city of St Louis at 4325-4329 Papin St. which is located adjacent to US
40/I-64
near the Tower Grove Ave. overpass.
Frank J. Mueck served as
president; William Hoeppel
(aka Happel), vice-president and Charles W. Hoeppel (Happel)
secretary-treasurer.
Business was such that the firm increased
their capital to
$40,000 as reported in the October 6, 1919 issue of Lumber
(Manufacturer and
Dealer):
"St. Louis— Mueck Auto Body Co.
Increased
capital from $3,000 to $40,000."
The 'Body Builders' column of the December
1919 issue of The
Automotive Manufacturer reported on the details:
"Mueck Auto Body Co., St. Louis, for the
third time in
three years, has found it necessary to enlarge Its plant. A steadily
increasing
demand for special bodies for passenger cars has influenced the company
to
erect an addition to its plant, two stories high, on a plot 55 x 75 ft.
Among
the company s recent work has been the building of bodies for the new
passenger
car to be produced by the St. Louis Car Co. in that city."
The passenger car the article referred to
was the 1920-1921
Skelton, an mid-priced touring car produced by the St. Louis Car Co.
for
wealthy Okmulgee, Oklahoma millionaire, Dr. L. Sherman Skelton
(1865-1921).
Skelton had been a practicing Indiana
physician until he
moved to Oklahoma for his health in 1893 and started investing in the
emerging
oil and gas industry. The investment paid off, and he subsequently
expanded
into the glass, brick and cement business.
In the middle-teens Skelton became
interested in the
automobile business and made a number of investments in the retail
trade which
were managed by W.A. Chapman, a former Dort executive. A similar
arrangement
was made in San Francisco where J.W. Frawley fronted a Skelton-backed
dealer
group, the Leach-Frawley, and Frawley Motor Co. which were
headquartered
at 1417 Van Ness Ave.
Skelton provided the financing for the Los
Angeles-based
Leach Motor Car Co. a small producer of bespoke touring cars founded by
M.A.
Leach in 1916.
In 1917 the Leach Motor Car Co. bought out
the English Motor
Car Company, the Los Angeles King distributor, and soon afterwards
added the
Liberty and Premier automobiles to the Skelton stable. Skelton liked
the
Premier so much that in 1919 he purchased a controlling interest in the
Indianapolis manufacturer.
In late 1919 Skelton introduced his own
automobile, the
Skelton, which was designed by Reed & Glaser of Indianapolis and
built
under contract by the St. Louis Car Co. in the firm’s Baden St. (#5)
plant
using coachwork supplied by Mueck. Production ended soon after Skelton
passed
away in 1921 leaving the St. Louis Car Company $2 million in the hole.
In 1923 Frank J. Mueck received US Patent
number 1459740 for
a vehicle body which is pictured herein. (US Pat. 1459740 - Filed Sep
22, 1922
- Issued Jun 26, 1923)
In 1925 - Mueck Auto Body Co. received
a US trademark
for 'The Mueco System' and 'Mueco Auto Body Finish'. The system and
process
were likely modeled after the recently introduced DuPont system.
The following classified ad appeared in a
1935 St Louis
newpaper:
"WRECKED AUTOS REBUILT A COMPLETE SERVICE
FENDER
REPAIRING PAINTING & TRIMMING UPHOLSTERING SEAT COVERS GLASS
INSTALLED
(Safety & Plate) MUECK AUTO BODY CO. 4329 W. Papin (Cor.
Tower
Grove Ave.)"
The Friday May 10, 1940 issue of the St.
Charles Cosmos
Monitor included the following testimonial:
"MUECK AUTO BODY - Over 25 Years of
Efficient Service
in Body and Fender Repairing
"This well-known firm of skilled body
builders and
repairers is located at 4329 W. Papin in St. Louis, and long ago gained
the
patronage of our people by means of their superior work in body and
fender repairing, painting, top recovering,
upholstering, and wreck
rebuilding.
"We are pleased to recommend their Service
to all St.
Charles motorists. The large plant, which is owned by Mr. Mueck, is
well equipped in both
modern mechanical
appliances and skilled mechanics for the care and repair of all styles
and sizes of motor
cars.
"Mr. Mueck has had over 25 years of
experience in this
specialized field, starting when the automotive industry was in its
infancy by building
special bodies which
were shipped to all parts of the world. His long years of experience in
this field enable him to handle your job
at a reasonable cost whether it is large or small.
"In these days of real efficiency no one
wants an
apprentice or an unknown firm to experiment with their job, but are
seeking the advice of an
expert and
experienced specialists. This firm has long been known as the leading
repair specialist in
this locality and
the charges are no more than you would pay to a smaller firm who does
not have the
equipment and the
mechanics.
"There is no longer any excuse to drive'
around with
dented fenders or smashed-up bodies when we have the capable work of
Mueck Auto Body Co., at
our service. We
find pleasure in paying this compliment to this organization and we are
glad to
refer all readers to their outstanding services. They will appreciate
your
business and gladly give free estimates on any custom work or repair
jobs."
After the Second World War Fred J. Musck
retired and control
of the firm passed to George A. Buerke, the eldest son of Mueck’s step
daughter, Elizabeth M. Buerke. Fred J. Mueck was the second husband of
Mary Buerke
(b. 1871 in Germany) who had a daughter, Elizabeth, during her first
marriage.
The 1920 US Census lists 29-yo Elizabeth as a member of the Mueck
household.
Genealogy for the Buerke’s follows:
George A Buerke (b.1897-d.1969). Spouse:
Gertrude M. Buerke
(b.1898). (Daughter) Ruth E. Buerke (b. March 23, 1920-d.December 24,
2008)
Frank Charles Buerke (b. 1929-d.1988)
An article by M.J. Mitchell in a 1960 issue
of Autobody and
the Reconditioned Car highlighted the firm’s successful antique
automobile
restoration buisiness:
“Antique Car Field Don't Overlook
It, Says St.
Louis Body Shop.
“Body shop operators who are complaining
over intense
competition, minimal profits, and other troubles may find a welcome
solution in
setting up special services for antique car rebuilding and repairing,
according
to George A. Buerke of Mueck Auto Body Company, St. Louis,
Missouri.
One of the oldest and largest such shops in St. Louis, established in
1915,
the Mueck organization is in the unique position of having
handled
body repairs, upholstery, top work, and paint on such "classy cars"
when they were new everyday automobiles. In fact, some of the
scrapbooks in Mr.
Buerke's offices show the shop filled with automobiles of vintages
which
would gladden the eyes of the usual antique car collector today. Such
experience going back 50 years, carries a lot of weight with the
antique car
collector who is invariably 'afraid to let the machine get out of my
hands.' During the past two years, there has been a steady parade of
classics into the Mueck shops in midtown St. Louis, many of them for a
single
operation, but still more for multiple operations which include almost
every
service which the Mueck shop provides. Typically, in the past few
months the
shop has handled body and top repairs on a 1913 Cadillac limousine,
Buick
touring car, a 1911 Model T, Fardall and a St. Louis, an automobile
built in St.
Louis at the turn of the century.
“In numerous instances, classic car owners
have simply
transported the car direct to the Mueck shop after locating it in a
barn, a
junk dealer's yard or sale and commissioned the body shop to restore it
throughout. This includes scraping down of all metal, leading in badly
corroded
parts, putting on a new paint job, upholstering the interior,
installing new
tops, replacing glass, etc. Because of the completeness of the shop,
the Mueck concern
can ??? practically any operation, with the possible exception of
re-chroming
of original parts and a few ??? of dash board instrumentation, etc.
Because the
average classic car collector is more interest in producing a handsome,
eye-catching automobile than in the cost, profits in this field can be
high. On
an elderly Cadillac, for example, the bill ran to more than $900, with
the
owner paying…”
A 1971 industry listing shows
Frank Buerke, president,
Mueck Auto Body Co., 8131 Dale Ave., Richmond Heights, Missouri. The
firm’s new
location was located a block south of US 40/I-64 in the suburb of
Richmond
Heights, approximately 6 miles west of their old Papin St. facility.
Frank Buerke passed away in 1988 and control
of the firm was
transferred to his older sister Ruth. Listings for the firm disappear
at about
the same time, and Ruth E. Buerke passed away in 2008.
© 2012 Mark Theobald - Coachbuilt.com
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