• About Us

  • John Sweeney, purchased our current building in 1946 which was in very poor condition. Attached to the rear of the building was a secondary wood frame barn that was demolished. In its’ place Sweeney constructed a concrete block building that currently houses our service bays. The front of the building was renovated and used a corner grocery store operated by Sweeney and his family for several years.

    The repair shop opened for business in 1948 and remains in business today. The grocery store has undergone several changes of use over the years. The store went from the Sweeney’s to a tenant who ran the store for a few years. It was then converted to a drop store for Cadet Cleaners, a local laundry company from the 1960’s through the early 1990’s. Finally it was used as a jewelry store until 1998.

  • Sweeney continued to operate the auto repair business well into his ‘80’s. He became a local icon, regaling customers with stories of his time serving as a SeaBee in the Pacific during WWII all while chewing on his signature cigar.

    Upon the death of John Sweeney in 1989, control of the business fell to the current owner, Sweeney’s youngest grandson Phil Basinski. After earning a degree in education in 1986, Phil found himself with an opportunity in the repair business.

  • In the late 1990’s the service area was expanded and the storefront converted to a customer waiting area. We now provide full time employment that helps support four families while maintaining a responsible position in the community.

    Sweeney’s supports many local charities including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, High School clubs and sports, WNY Independent Living, Child and Family Services, Youth Baseball and Ice Hockey, Tonawanda Police, Kenilworth Volunteer Fire.

  • A Bit of History Before Sweeney's

  • Sweeney’s Garage is located in the Southeast corner of the Town of Tonawanda, bordering to the South with Buffalo and to the East with Amherst. Sweeney’s is built in the area of the town known as the “Kenilworth” area.

    Beginning in 1902 Kenilworth was the site of a large horse racing track, shown in green on the map below, owned by The Buffalo Racing Association, staked by wealthy financiers, the notable August Belmont and Walther Luttgen.

    The race track operated for just a very short period, until 1908, when changes to New York’s gaming laws prohibited betting on horse racing. Interestingly, the Kenilworth track played host a very early automobile race hosted by the AAA in August, 1905.

  • News accounts from the day outline a carnival atmosphere with a parade of race cars beginning in downtown Buffalo to the Kenilworth track where 10,000 spectators were thrilled when the winner, Barney Oldfield driving his Peerless “Green Dragon” achieved the record pace of “a mile a minute” an unheard of speed in the earliest days of racing.

    After the demise of the race track, the land was sold to Buffalo retailer John G. Sattler who quickly subdivided the track into mostly residential parcels. The parcel on which Sweeney’s Garage sits appears to be an obscurity on the boundaries of the great track.

  • Evidence suggests the property was used for some sort of agricultural purpose, with animal remains found in the basement and the main floor supports being reused post and beam remnants from an earlier structure.

    Most recently an adjacent wood frame structure dating back to the early part of the 20th century was purchased, demolished and additional parking added. It is interesting to note the wood frame structure that was demolished sat atop an earlier foundation of an undocumented building.