Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Garden City Hotel Being Demolished in 1973
This weekend's Mystery Foto featured a very sad moment for a historic Long Island building courtesy of the Garden City Archives.
Mystery Foto questions:
- Identify the building and its location
The Garden City Hotel, 45 7th Street in Garden City. It was the third hotel built on this location.
- How was this building related to the Vanderbilt Cup Races?
The Garden City Hotel was the headquarters for the Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910. It was the largest hotel on Long Island during this period and was always sold out during the race weekends.
- What was the approximate date of the photo?
As recorded by The New York Times, the approximate date was January 16, 1973.
Congrats to Ron Ridolph, Frank, Mitch Paluszek, Mike Cain, Greg O., Walt Gosden, Frank Femenias, Steve Lucas, Walter McCarthy, Tim Ivers, Karen Cordaro, Robert Greenhaus, Ann Albertson and Sam Berliner III for identifying the Garden City Hotel.
Special kudos to Mitch Paluszek, Greg O. (see Greg's Gatherings), Steve Lucas, Karen Cordaro, Robert Greenhaus, Ann Albertson, Art Kleiner (see Kleiner's Korner) and Ariejan Bos for correctly identify the date of the photo and the hotel as the headquarters for the Vanderbilt Cup Races on Long Island.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Greg's Gatherings (Submitted by Greg Oriero)
New York Times, January 16, 1973
Kleiner's Korner (Submitted by Art Kleiner)
Ad in 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race program guide
1905-1906 Articles
New York Times, January 16, 1973
Newsday, January 24, 1973
Comments
Hi Howard:
Answer: Garden City Hotel….. Ron
This picture must be when the idiots in charge knocked down the original Garden City Hotel in Garden city. It was torn down in 1973 and replaced with garbage. The hotel was used as headquarters for the Vanderbilt Cup Races.
Demolition of the Garden City Hotel in 1973. The Hotel hosted many of the racers and attendees.
This is the Garden City Hotel. Not sure when it was demolished. Maybe early 1980’s? Perhaps the site of Vanderbilt awards ceremony and or lodging for race teams.
Identify the building and its location
The demolition of the 3rd incarnation of the Garden City Hotel in Garden CIty
How was this building related to the Vanderbilt Cup Races?
The Garden City Hotel served as the headquarters for the Vanderbilt Cup Race Commission from 1904 to 1910.
What was the approximate date of the photo?
Jan. 15, 1973
This is the original Garden City Hotel on the north side of 7th Street in Garden City. There were one or more dinners there during the Vanderbilt Cup race to celebrate the event.
It was the gathering place for old cars every Easter many decades ago, and I remember going to annual antique shows there and even at a young age marveling at the “grandness” of the place.
Garden City Hotel (most famous third version, 1901-1973), during demolition after filing for bankruptcy. Look Out Below!
7th street & Cathedral Ave., Garden City. The Vanderbilts were frequent visitors there. Meetings for construction of the Long Island Motor Parkway were attended there. Doing this from a phone, no fun.
That looks like the third incarnation of the Garden City Hotel (45 Seventh Street) in beautiful, downtown Garden City, NY. as it was being demolished in the summer of 1973. It was the headquarters for the Vanderbilt Cup Race Commission from 1904 to 1910.
The Garden City Hotel Shame!
It looks like the takedown of the Garden City Hotel in 1973.
The hotel was host to participants and spectators of the Vanderbilt Cup races.
My best guess is that may be the Garden City Hotel under the wrecking ball in the ‘70s. W. K. Vanderbilt used the hotel for board meetings of the Vanderbilt Cup Races.
Identify the building and its location:
• Garden City Hotel, 45 7th St, Garden City, NY
How was this building related to the Vanderbilt Cup Races?
• The Garden City Hotel served as the headquarters for the Vanderbilt Cup Race
Commission from 1904 to 1910.
What was the approximate date of the photo?
• 1973
The Garden City Hotel located at 45 Seventh St., Garden City was razed on January 16 1973. It was the headquarters for the Vanderbilt Cup Race 1904-1910 where winning Long Island driver 1908, George Robertson, stayed.
From Ann Albertson
I believe it is the Garden City Hotel, located at 45 Seventh Avenue in Garden City.
It was razed January 16, 1973. It had served as the headquarters for the Vanderbilt CupRaces 1904 - 1910. Long Island winning driver of 1908, George Robertson, stayed at the Garden City Hotel.
Sad day indeed, and fantastic photo. Garden City Hotel, Garden City, NY. Headquarters of the organizing committee for the LIMP corporation. On or just after 16 Jan 1973.
Garden City Hotel, in downtown Garden City. Circa 1972 during demolition. Hotel was the sight of lodging during 1906-1908 VMP races.
Identify the building and its location: Garden City Hotel, Garden City
How was this building related to the Vanderbilt Cup Races? Served as Headquarters for the races from 1904-1910 as well as a place to stay for race participants and fans.
What was the approximate date of the photo? January, 1973.
This is the falling tower of the old Garden City Hotel during its demolition in January 1973 (the NY Times reported about the demolition on January 16th). It was located in Garden City village in the town of Hempstead and was the headquarters of the Vanderbilt Race Commission during the Long Island years of the Vanderbilt Cup race (1904-1910).
I’m surprised that the prominent top of the tower wasn’t rescued: although the photo is of an almost surrealistic beauty, the falling tower makes a very ornamental and sound impression on me!?
Looks like the 2nd Garden City Hotel. Believe it was demolished in the early 70s.
Willie K and associates adjourned to there after the 1906 race to determine how to make the races safer—and they came up with the idea for the Long Island Motor Parkway. I was and still am a member of the Sunrise Trail division of the National Model Railroad Association. We held the Northeast Region convention in those walls in 1967.
I always thought the cupola was saved and placed onto the new building, but based on the dramatic picture i now know different. Good Pic !
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From Howard Kroplick
Really surprising that they made little or no effort to save it!
I’m curious as to what occupies the location now?
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From Howard Kroplick:
The new Garden City Hotel built in 1983.
http://www.gardencityhotel.com/our-hotel/history
This hotel was also the site where Charles Lindberg tried to sleep the night before his historic flight from Roosevelt Field in Garden City. The opening of the Jimmy Stewart movie, ” The Spirit of St. Louis”, zoomed in on the hotel oak sign, which was saved from the wrecking ball and is in good hands. My father obtained Lindberg’s autograph in a French St. Paul’s H.S. textbook as he rode the L.I.R.R. to the hotel the day prior to the flight.
I still remember a color image of the demolition on the cover of Long Island Magazine (which came with Sunday Newsday), but I swear it only included the cupola tilted over. If I recall, the magazine was published in 1975. I never even knew about the place until I saw that article.
I was a student at the junior high school across the street from the hotel and witnessed the destruction. I had some appreciation for history even at that young age. Many Garden City residents obtained bricks from the hotel. I still have the one my family obtained. It is wrapped with a needlepoint image of the hotel. The fate of another Garden City historic treasure, St. Paul’s School, is currently in the hands of the residents of Garden City.