Vanderbilt Cup Races

Awesome! What’s better than an aerial of a LIGC estate linked to the LIMP?! Zach from OldLongIsland.com has some great info on this estate.

-Identify the owner of this estate and the relationship to William K. Vanderbilt Jr.

The Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt estate. She built this house following her separation from William K. Vanderbilt Jr. and kept the estate until moving to ‘Fairmont’

-Link the architect of the estate’s residence to the Long Island Motor Parkway
The great John Russel Pope, architect for some of LIMP lodges, Petit Trianon and other LIMP buildings.

-Identify the location and orientation of the aerial.
The estate was located just East of Rout 107 in Brookville. This aerial is looking Easterly over the formal gardens

-What is the approximate date of the aerial?
Built in 1911, she stayed until 1927, so this could have been at any time within that range, but I’d guess closer to 1927 since that’s when many other Fairchild aerials are from.

That’s the Brookville estate of Virginia Graham Fair (Birdie) Vanderbilt, first wife of Wiilie K. Jr. It was built around 1911 not long after their separation and designed by John Russell Pope who also designed the first six toll lodges on the LIMP (Meadow Brook, Massapequa, Bethpage, Garden City, Great Neck, and Roslyn). I believe Birdie stayed there until shortly after her divorce from Willie K. was final (1927) then moved to Manhasset while her new home on East 93rd. Street in Manhattan was being built. So I’ll guess the photo is from around that time: 1927-1928. Also a guess but I think we’re looking north or northeast.

This photo is looking east from the Shelter Rock Rd, toward the Vanderbilt Strathmore property, in Manhasset.  There were many prominent owners, and part of the property was meant to resemble the original Petite Trianon in France.  The vast estate once included what is now the old Jock Whitney estate.  The original building still exists today, but the lawn and gardens are now suburbs.

This is the Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt Estate in Brookville designed by John Russell Pope, built in 1911 which is now between Hemlock Drive and Quaker Ridge Drive. The estate was demolished. A portion of the formal garden wall still remains. I know this because I’m crazy. Somebody’s pool basically sits exactly where the estate stood.

Prior to her separation from LIMP Willie K’s dad, she lived in Deepdale in Great Neck. After splitting up, she had this nice little cottage built in Brookville. This was ok for about 15 years when she then purchased Fairmont in Manhasset and lived there until she died in 1935. Not a bad trio of residences!

I used to teach sailing at the old Jacobsen’s Shipyard, Oyster Bay, NY.  Along the southern portion of Shore Rd is a similar house with high pitched roofs. The home is only visible from the bay. I would scare and tease my students by telling them the house was haunted. Whenever we got close the wind would suddenly gust up. Of course the wind was only a result of the shape of the hills in the harbor but it sure scared the heck out of those that heard the “Sailors yarn”!

Virginia Fair Graham Vanderbilt estate in Brookville.
She was the ex of William K (Jr.)
It was off Cedaar Swamp Rd (107)
Photo about 1927

Identify the owner of this estate and the relationship to William K. Vanderbilt Jr.
Estate was the residence of Virginia Graham Fair (Birdie), wife of Willie K. who lived there during their separation between 1910 and 1927, when they were officially divorced.  After 1927 Birdie moved elsewhere and the estate changed hands a couple of times before finally being sold to developers in the early 1950s for housing starting at around $50,000.

Link the architect of the estate’s residence to the Long Island Motor Parkway
John Russell Pope was the architect who also built many of the Motor Parkway Lodges.

Identify the location and orientation of the aerial.  Brookville, area near today’s Cedar Swamp Road and Hemlock Drive.  North, northeast.  According to oldlongisland.com, part of a wall of the estate remains on the property of 7 Hemlock Drive (see photos being sent to Howard separately). 

What is the approximate date of the aerial?  early - mid 1920s. 

Mystery Friday Foto #47… Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt, first wife of William K Vanderbilt Jr., was the owner of this estate. The architect was John Russell Pope who designed six of the LIMP Toll Lodges. The estate was located in Jericho or possibly in Brookville.

The estate pictured in the mystery photo is that of Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt.  She was the wife of Willie K.  She stayed at the estate from 1911 until 1927 when she was separated from Willie K.  In 1927 she moved to Fairmont in Manhasset.

The architect of the estate was John Russell Pope.  Pope was the architect for the many LIMP Toll Lodges and building.  He also designed many of the Vanderbilt’s homes and estates.
The location of the estate would be in present Day Brookville between Hemlock Dr (#161) and Quaker Ridge Dr.  The photo is taken facing generally north.

Based on the photos from Mynassauproperty.com (1926 and 1950) and a photo from Old Long Island .com (sometime before 1926), I would speculate that photo was taken from around 1934 to 1935.

Nice house on spacious property. Incredible art work on the garden lawns!

Howard,  Great mystery photo, have some questions though. Yes, all the books said Pope designed the house ca. 1911. However,  the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in an extensive article in the Dec. 7, 1913 issue states the structure was only completed that year, 1913. They also quote Mrs. Vanderbilt that she did not hire an architect but pretty much designed it herself. This building was completely destroyed by fire the next year, 1914.  Also, the article states her immediate neighbors were Ellis, Park and Burrell. all located on the west side of Rte. 107,  In a related article John R. Hill is mentioned as the builder. Remember him? He built one on the Motor Parkway lodges. Let me play the devil’s advocate here, maybe thats not her estate. Al.
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Howard Kroplick

Birdie also owned property on the west side of Route 107. The remains of an abandoned mansion are still there.

Steve Beck
I’m not sure if you know of this resource, but Nassau County has a nice mapping tool online.  Here’s a link to a present day lot on the former Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt Estate:
https://lrv.nassaucountyny.gov/map/?s=16&b=C&l=161
You can clearly see the wall that remains and the pool where the main building used to be to which Dave refers.

Zoom out one click on the partially obscured “-“ in the upper left, then click on Layers in the upper right, and turn on “Nassau County 1926”

Note the “+” magnification button may be obscured on the site, but double clicking gets you the same zoom-in

If you Zoom out, you can clearly trace the LIMP throughout the county. Easy to see where it matches up to the present roadways.
                                                                                                                           
Keep up the good work on the site!

- Steve

Howard, Let me revise and clarify some statements I made yesterday.  It has been established that Pope designed a country home for Mrs. Wlliam K. Vanderbilt Jr. in 1911. At the time she owned 125 acres of land on the west side of Cedar Swamp Rd.
A 60 plus room “cottage” is completed for her in 1913. In 1914 it is destroyed by fire and burns down the the ground. Articles in both the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and the New York Times clearly state her neighbors at the time were Ellis , Park and Burrill. Two weeks before the fire she purchased a tract of land on the east side of Cedar Swamp Rd.  directly across the way from the property on the west side. Its not clear if this included the property with frontage of Rte 106. In 1915 William K Vanderbilt Sr. is now the owner of the 125 acres on the west side of Cedar Swamp Rd. and builds a country home called Stepping Stones. So, I’m inclined to think Pope designed the the building on the west side of Cedar Swamp Rd. in 1911 and her mansion on the east side of that road is of a later date than 1911 and possibly by some one else other than Pope. Al.
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Howard Kroplick

The mansion on the east side of Cedar Swamp Road is described with a photo in the book “John Russell Pope: Architect of Empire “(see above).

Howard, Spent the afternoon at the Nassau County Real Estate office looking at deeds. What I found was that Virginia Vanderbilt Jr. purchased the tract of land on the east side of Cedar Swamp Rd. inscribed Mimno on the 1906 Atlas, in May 1913. In September that year she acquired the piece inscribed Mrs. Willett Titus in the same Atlas from a Alfred Ackers in September of 1913. He had purchased the parcel from the Titus family in late 1906. IN Feb of 1914, she purchased the McGunnigle property, abutting the Mimno piece.  I could find no property associated with Willie’s wife on the east side of Cedar Swamp Rd. prior to 1913. As an aside. I came across an article in the May 8, 1914 issue of the Suffolk County News stating that Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt Jr. has leased for the year the home of Mrs. James B. Taylor, at Jericho. The rental is $18,000   Al.

Much of this is new to me; thanks, all.  Oh, my, how access there from the Jericho Pike has changed!  I well remember when they redid that interchange, leaving the Maine Maid Inn stranded.  A small, hand-lettered, wood sign with an arrow pointed the way through the construction.  Badly done, it read, “TOMAINE MAID”!  Wish I’d thought to snap a pic.  Sam, III

Hello Howard. This comment pertains to our exploration & your 12/9/2017 blog about the findings, etc. You’ll understand why I’m posting here.

I’m curious about the location of the former Vanderbilt Swimming Pool. The pool is mentioned in the New York Times articles that Art posted here ( 5/20/1941 & 9/30/1951 ). I know the former location of ” The Reflecting Pool “. But where was ” The Large Swimming Pool “? It’s noted in the 1951 article that the swimming pool would be utilized by the then new development. I couldn’t locate this pool on the aerials. No doubt it’s been filled in ( no pool could last from then until now ).

It’s me again, Howard. This is in regards to the small fire hydrant we first came across during our exploration ( good photo of it on your 12/9/2017 blog ). And you’ll see why I’m posting my comments here.

Greg O. and I made out the name “Middleton” inscribed on this hydrant. Thinking this may be a manufacturers name, I searched the net. No luck, yet. This may mean nothing, but the 1906.14,23, and 27 property maps that Art submitted here show a “Middleton S Burrell/ M. S. Burrill” owning quite large propertys W/O Cedar Swamp Rd, north & south of Jericho Tpke. I found that his estate was named “Jericho Farm”. The property was sold in 1953 to The Meadow Brook Country Club.

On the 1914 property map, Birdie’s estate is shown W/O and E/O Cedar Swamp Rd. Her estate that burnt down was just north of Burrell’s property.

Maybe there’s nothing to figure out here, but the fact that the hydrant is inscribed Middleton, and Middleton S Burrell resided on the other side of Rte 107 makes me ponder.

Another investigation, Brian! The hydrant is similar to one I found a year and a half ago at the Longfields estate in Old Westbury (campus of Old Westbury college).  That one has “W&B Doo . . .” on it but not much more I can make out.  I’m sure I did some research on what I had at the time but wasn’t able to find anything.  But since you raised the issue of Vanderbilt’s hydrant, probably will so some more!  Thanks.

Art, Brian-
I too tried looking up info on the hydrant without any luck. While it fairly clearly does say ‘middleton’ on the one side, I’m beginning to think that was not a manufacturer at all. I did find a website listing all fire hydrants and valves made for each state, none of them from any state was named Middleton.

I used the location ‘Middleton’ in Massachusettes, but to no avail. This is a mystery on its own. The answer’s out there somewhere.

1. The Tucker looks great the way it is. Paint the pealed areas only and keep everyone happy by keeping it on the road.

2. Middleton hydrant sounds British. Could it possibly be a British manufacturer?
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Howard Kroplick

Thanks for the comment. We will be bringing it back to its original color and also keeping it on the road.

There is a middleton in manchester uk and there are hydrant manufacturing companies there.
Here is one:  http://www.avkuk.co.uk/en-gb/products/productfinder/details?STVId=27/94-001

Here is another possibility: a community named middleton somewhere in the world had a surplus of hydrants and they were sold to the builder of the estate.. I can almost bet that somewhere in Dubai there are manholes that say Brooklyn on them.

In anyone is interested in viewing the small fire hydrant in it’s former glory, here is the site:

http://www.firehydrant.org/pictures/douglas.html

You’ll see “Middletown” & W & B Douglas”

It’s always fun coming across the old & interesting!

Wow, nice work Brian. They look exact except the missing chain and added “W” to Middletown. Coming from nearby Connecticut, and opened for business as early as the 1800s, that must be it!

Well done, Brian!  “Fun”?  This thread is priceless!  And I thought MY website was esoteric.  Sam, III

The exploration, findings, and enthusiasm these posts about this estate have produced has been great. I’ve been trying to nudge Howard to start another web site, I know he has nothing better to do lol, focusing specifically on Gold Coast mansions, remnants, history, ruins, etc. There is a lot of really great stuff still out there, a lot more then just fire hydrants, although I have found many of them in the woods. This is the perfect group for this. Come on Howard! Whaddaya say???

Great going, Brian.  I wasn’t too far off with the Douglas hydrant found at Longfields! But I’m not going to mention this investigation to my wife who already thinks I’m nuts (e.g, posts, wire, etc. in our shed).  But hey, maybe there’s room in there for a fire hydrant - lol!

Have to pile on and say great find Brian!

Just want to say that without Art Kleiner’s description of the yard/field hydrant ( W&B Douglas ) he came across in the past, the manufacturer would still be a ? It ends up being that the one we came across on Exploration Day is the same type Art found. And these hydrants are older ( late 1800"s ) than everything found! Dave Russo also has seen quite a few of these as mentioned during estate exploring. Dave… I’m going to find out the purpose of the contraption you and Sammy found on the LIMP e/o Roslyn Rd. Glad you still had it on hand. Don’t get rid of it, yet!

The post has been updated with the correct aerial date and a new 1938 aerial showing the estate’s swimming pool.

Hold your horses.  Monica Randall, author of “The Mansions of Long Island’s Gold Coast” and a whole book on Winfield alone, already has a website on same: <http://www.monicarandall.com>.  Also, not being on LI any longer, I won’t be able to bail you out for trespassing!  :↓·)  Sam, III

http://www.oldlongisland.com is a great site, but he hasn’t made a post since July and there is no back and forth discussions on anything really on the site. We have more back and forth on this post then they have all year! Monica’s book is great but the site isn’t really on the same level. We can have posts, discuss it, explore it, trespass, and have Sam III come bail us out of prison! This is a great group that would produce alot of discussion and education.

I have a couple of Lighting fixtures that come from an abandoned Vanderbilt home on LI. I think this could be the one.