The Knauz Family: Bringing the Entrepreneurial Spirit to Lake Forest and Lake Bluff

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The Knauz Family: Bringing the Entrepreneurial Spirit to Lake Forest and Lake Bluff

The Knauz family at 1725 Telegraph Road, c. 1968. From left: Karl Knauz, Emmy Knauz, Dick Mork, Pam Mork, Tom Mork, Inge Knauz Mork, Kim Knauz, Rick Mork, Bill Knauz, David Knauz, Ingeborg Knauz, and Karl Knauz Jr.

Wedding portrait of Karl and Emmy Knauz, October 27, 1927.

Wedding portrait of Karl and Emmy Knauz, October 27, 1927.

Lake Forest Garage and Filling Station, c. 1932. From left, Karl Knauz, Ed Wolf, Herb Peters, Siegfried Becker, and Bob Becker.

Lake Forest Garage and Filling Station, c. 1932. From left, Karl Knauz, Ed Wolf, Herb Peters, Siegfried Becker, and Bob Becker.

Lake Forest Garage and Service Station, c. 1935 - 778 N. Western Avenue.

Lake Forest Garage and Service Station, c. 1935 - 778 N. Western Avenue.

Ferdinand Schneider, Wallace ""Wallie"" Boutin, Karl Knauz, and Paul Becker, c. 1940.

Ferdinand Schneider, Wallace ""Wallie"" Boutin, Karl Knauz, and Paul Becker, c. 1940.

Aerial view of Knauz Autopark, looking south on Rte. 41.

Aerial view of Knauz Autopark, looking south on Rte. 41.

Billy Knauz at the Lake Forest Filling Station, c. 1933.

Billy Knauz at the Lake Forest Filling Station, c. 1933.

Bill Knauz on his gasoline engine powered ""buckboard,"" c. 1942.

Bill Knauz on his gasoline engine powered ""buckboard,"" c. 1942.

Knauz family, 1951, before Bill left for the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Knauz family, 1951, before Bill left for the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Bill Knauz in his 1953 Porsche 356 1500 Super.

Bill Knauz in his 1953 Porsche 356 1500 Super.

Though their families lived within six miles of each other in rural Germany, Karl Knauz and Emmy Becker first met in the large German-American community in Kenosha, Wisconsin. They had immigrated (independently) in 1923, and were married in 1927.
Like many European immigrants at the time, Emmy Becker found a position in Lake Forest in the service industry, working as a cook for a wealthy family. Karl Knauz gave up his factory job after their marriage to work with Emmy, first as chauffeur/butler for the Dennehys and then for the Carter Harrison Jr. family.
In 1930, the Knauz family pursued a new venture, despite the Depression-era economy. Karl put their life savings – nearly $3,000 – toward opening the Lake Forest Garage and Filling Station at Woodland Road and Western Avenue in Lake Forest. He had a mechanical background, loved working on cars and desired to be his own boss. The burgeoning American automotive industry provided a prime opportunity.
Four years later, he partnered with Wally Boutin to form what later became known as Boutin and Knauz Auto Sales – a garage and service station on Western Avenue that branched out into selling cars as well.
Nearly 90 years later, Knauz Autopark has expanded to a campus of 30 acres in Lake Bluff, employs over 300 people, and sells and services automobiles both foreign and domestic. It has remained a family affair, with Karl and Emmy’s son Bill, and grand-son-in-law, William Madden, spouse of their granddaughter Kim, taking the helm over the years.
Bill Knauz, interviewed below, worked at the dealership throughout his childhood, sweeping floors after school at Gorton, filling the stokers of the furnace and emptying out the ashes. He began working at the dealership full-time in 1947, with a short pause when he was drafted into the Army during the Korean War.
Bill and his father Karl well represented the classic dichotomy between first generation immigrants and their children, which manifested itself in the automobile business. German-born Karl’s preference was for solid American cars, while Bill’s eye turned more toward exotic, foreign, fast cars.