J. Ernest Bell and T. Webster Bell opened a Chevrolet car dealership in Pearson, Maryland in 1923. In 1939, they erected a modern, two-story, five-to-one common bond brick building in Leonardtown at the corner of Park Avenue and Washington Street for their expanding business. Distinctive characteristics of the building include the large picture windows and tan brick surrounds. While extensively modified, the building remains a key commercial site in Leonardtown. Bell Motors is the second oldest Chevrolet car dealership in the world, and is still owned and managed by the Bell family.