Title
Mel Martin Mile Ceremonial Street Name Signage - District 1
Description
Request City Council approval to install ceremonial signage to honor Mel Martin. The ceremonial street name signage will be installed at the intersections of 43rd Avenue at Thunderbird Road, Acoma Drive and Greenway Road.
Report
Summary
Mr. Martin has made substantial cultural, historical, and educational contributions to the City of Phoenix and the broader automotive community. Through his lifetime of commitment, his nonprofit museum, the Martin Auto Museum and Event Center, preserves significant automotive history, engages families and children, enriches community culture, supports major City events, and provides an important landmark dedicated to education and heritage. The museum was created to share historically significant vehicles with the public, filling a cultural and educational void in the Phoenix area. The museum operates as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) focused on automotive history, preservation, and public education.
Mr. Martin’s engagement with automobiles began at age 17 with his first Douglas truck. He went on to become a mechanic, garage owner, towing business operator, auctioneer, automobile collector, and museum founder, demonstrating decades of sustained dedication to vehicle history and education.
His museum now houses more than 170 vehicles spanning multiple eras, including rare and exotic models such as a 1948 Tucker, a Carroll Shelby, and a Duesenberg. The museum also contains one of the largest collections of auto memorabilia, antique gas pumps, signage, and a vintage carousel. This collection preserves key aspects of automotive and American history. The museum is designed to inspire children and families, featuring interactive racing games, displays that reveal internal car components, and a carousel. Its guides and volunteers are experts who provide education on vehicle history and mechanics.
For more than a decade, Mr. Martin has operated the museum as a nonprofit that makes automotive history accessible to the public. He has spent his entire adult life sharing knowledge, preserving artifacts, and creating experiences for the community. He partners with Mecum Auctions each year, contributing expert knowledge, promoting participation, and helping elevate the region’s reputation in the collector car community. His involvement draws visitors, enthusiasts, and economic activity to the Phoenix area.
Mr. Martin's early entrepreneurial work, opening garages, running a towing company, operating salvage car auctions, and later entering real estate development reflects his deep and longstanding connection to Phoenix. Mr. Martin has spent decades collecting, maintaining, and restoring historically significant vehicles, ensuring that rare pieces of American automotive heritage remain accessible to future generations. His participation in events such as The Great Race and numerous auctions underscores both national-level involvement and personal commitment to celebrating and preserving automotive culture.
The ceremonial street name signage will be installed at the intersections of 43rd Avenue at Thunderbird Road, Acoma Drive and Greenway Road (Attachment A).
Financial Impact
The fabrication, installation and future maintenance costs of the ceremonial signage will be funded by the District 1 Council Office.
Location
At the intersections of 43rd Avenue at Thunderbird Road, Acoma Drive and Greenway Road.
District: 1
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Frank McCune and the Street Transportation Department.