Himel Auto Parts Building Demolished

 The large blue building on Boston Street, just as one enters from the east, has been demolished. For many years it housed the Himel Auto Parts store. Click on the images to make them larger. 

 

 

Many a Covington area resident visited this location over the years to get just the right part to fix up the old jalopy so it would keep on running a few more years. Oh, and ask advice on how to install it and not bust their knuckles while doing so. 

The CoffeeRani Facebook page had this video of a wall collapse

Over on Facebook, dozens of commenters are lamenting the demolition of the building, citing fond memories of going there as youngsters with their dads.  Many remembered working there as teenagers, saying it was a great place to work and learn about cars. The high school Distributive Education program would place students there to work.

It also had a machine shop that was well-used for a variety of jobs.

Thinking about Himel Auto Parts also got a lot of people remembering the first cars they used to own, and went to get parts for at Himel's.

In 2015 Bruce Alexius and others on Facebook said that back in the late 1960's, the people working there included  Audrey Crow Rosier (manager), Lionel Rosier (machinist), Jimmy Montgomery, Roland Crow, Johnny Cooper, Lynette Fitzmorris, James Sharp, John Payne, David Dirr and occasionally Richard Waldorf.  

Dianne Monier Montgomery said she worked half days at Himel's in her senior year at high school. "I would order a hamburger and fries from Riverside Inn and walk over to pick it up and bring it back to Himel's to eat," she wrote in 2010.

Because of its up front location, it was definitely a Covington landmark. It was the auto parts store to go to for what a car owner needed when they needed it.

Next door was Baldwin Motors and across the street was Holden's Texaco Station. 

 

 

In 1983 the building was caught in the Bogue Falaya River flood

 

The store opened in that location in January of 1975