All Keys Lost on a 1917 Cadillac at the Grove Park Inn | Jack's Locksmith

Case Study: All Keys Lost — Making a Key for the Grove Park Inn’s 1917 Cadillac

Location: Asheville, NC (Grove Park Inn)
Timeline: ~15 years ago
Service: Classic vehicle key creation (all keys lost)

Some locksmith jobs are memorable because they’re difficult. This one is memorable because almost nobody does this kind of work anymore.

About fifteen years ago, Jack’s Locksmith was called to the historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville. At the time, the Inn owned a 1917 Cadillac that was periodically moved to the front entrance to showcase it. On this day, there was a problem that couldn’t wait:

All keys were lost.
Rain was approaching, and the Cadillac needed to be moved quickly to keep it protected.

This wasn’t a “cut a copy” situation. There was no key to duplicate, no code to reference, and no modern workaround. It was a true all-keys-lost job on a historic vehicle.

The Challenge: Finding the Right Key Blank

Before the key could even be made, we had to locate the correct blank.

Jack called distributors across the country trying to source keys that would work for a vehicle that old. Only one distributor — U.S. Lock — had any available, and even then, the supply was limited.

It took about a week to locate and secure the correct blanks. The Grove Park Inn ultimately purchased seven keys for the Cadillac.

As Jack put it:
“No one impressions anymore.”

And he’s right. The skill required to create a working key from scratch — without an original — has become rare.

The Solution: Hand Impressioning the Key

Once we had the correct key blank, the actual key-making work moved fast.

Jack:

• Modified a house key to get the process started

• Hand-impressioned the lock (a traditional locksmith method)

• Filed and refined the cuts until the key turned smoothly

The final key creation took about an hour of hands-on precision work.

No programming.
No shortcuts.
Just experience, craftsmanship, and patience.

The Result: The Cadillac Was Moved and Protected

With a working key in hand, the Grove Park Inn’s Cadillac could be moved as needed — including before the rain arrived. The vehicle was protected, and the job was completed without damage to a piece of living history.

From start to finish, the full process took about a week, with the final solution completed on-site in Asheville.

Why This Case Study Matters

This story is a reminder that locksmithing isn’t only about modern cars and quick lockouts. Some jobs require skills that are disappearing:

• All-keys-lost solutions

• Key impressioning

• Antique and specialty vehicle work

• Distributor relationships for rare blanks

When a job involves a historic vehicle, there’s no room for guesswork or damage. It has to be done right.

Need Help With an All-Keys-Lost Situation?

If you’ve lost keys to a classic or specialty vehicle — or you have a lock problem other shops can’t solve — Jack’s Locksmith can help.

Serving Western North Carolina
Call Jack’s Locksmith to discuss your situation and availability