What's Being Built Next to Elco Chevrolet on Manchester Road?

What's the new construction underway on Manchester Road in Ballwin next to ?

It's a new Cadillac showroom. And it appears to be part of a trend in new Cadillac showrooms popping up around the country.

A spokesman for Elco told Ballwin-Ellisville Patch the new showroom is expected to open at the end of October, featuring upscale amenities for the buyers of Cadillacs — including the indoor showroom, fancy chairs and marble tables.

It will include a service department for Cadillac customers, but overflow service calls will be handled by the Elco dealership at 15110 Manchester Road.

Just this month, stories have run around the country about similar Cadillac dealership renovations. In the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, for example, a dealership is constructing a $4 million, 22,000-square-foot showroom and service department that will feature a lounge, flat-screen TV, coffee bar and wireless access.

In Bend, OR, the dealership is building a new 10,000 facility, expected to cost $2 million. And in Charleston, WV, a dealership is building a similarly sized showroom with customer service lounges, wi-fi Internet access, flat-screen televisions and vehicle accessory displays.

"Hundreds if not thousands of dealerships are going through renovations like this," a spokesman there told the Charleston Daily Mail. "General Motors wants a consistent image across the country, so when you look you know immediately it is a GM dealership."

Workers on the Elco site appear to be staging the construction at the neighboring lot just west of the new building. That site notes the site of a new Fifth Third Bank. Ballwin alderman Kathy Kerlogon said there were no immediate plans for a new bank at that location.

"It's been like that for awhile," she said. "But it's working out for them while this Elco thing goes on." 

Patch is seeking more information about Elco's plans for the new showroom.