Chicago is about to lose one of its quirkiest cultural gems.
The Klairmont Kollections Automotive Museum, a two-story trove of nearly 300 vintage cars stashed in a half-mile-long warehouse in Belmont Cragin, will close next month, and hundreds of vehicles and thousands of memorabilia pieces headed to the auction block.
The late Larry Klairmont, founder of Imperial Realty and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in World War II, spent decades amassing the fleet, starting with a 1951 Rolls-Royce in the 1960s, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. His buying ramped up over the years to a point where he was “buying cars by the dozens,” his son Alfred Klairmont, CEO of Imperial Realty, told the outlet.
By the time Klairmont died in 2021, the collection had morphed into a private museum that opened to the public in 2019, showcasing everything from a gold-leaf Pierce Arrow to a crystal-encrusted Rolls-Royce, plus a replica Batmobile and even a Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine.
Mecum Auctions — known for selling the Porsche 917K Steve McQueen drove in the 1971 film Le Mans for $25 million and the Mustang McQueen drove in the 1968 film Bullitt for $3.74 million — is set to handle the sale Sept. 19 to 21. The no-reserve auction will feature 275 vehicles and more than 1,000 pieces of road art, with previews earlier that week. Dubbed “Larry’s Legacy Auction,” highlights include the Golden Sahara II, a 1956 futuristic prototype with glowing Goodyear tires, and a 1926 Rickenbacker Eight Super Sport believed to be the last of its kind.
For years, the museum was hidden in plain sight inside an unassuming brick industrial building at 3117 North Knox Avenue in Belmont Cragin. Visitors stepping inside were met with aisles of pristine Cadillacs, Corvettes, Lamborghinis and race cars, plus neon signs, full size replica model planes and a Ronald McDonald statue.
While bidders worldwide will now get a chance to take home a slice of Klairmont’s eccentric empire, the auction also marks the end of a real estate play that turned a forgotten warehouse into a Chicago oddity. Proceeds will go toward a foundation in Klairmont’s name, funding youth education programs.
— Eric Weilbacher
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