Vanderbilt Cup Races

I’ve been MIA. Happy Holidays everyone.

This series, these pictures are awesome. Love it. How could this couple be unidentified? Where did you get these pics? Are they just choosing to be anonymous or do you really not know who these people are?

Cool pic looking west on Clinton Bridge. I can’t believe the current houses weren’t built yet. Current pic of same view attached, along with whats left of the wall.

I’m sure some of you have been to the GC Lodge now? They have some memoribilia there? How is it? Anything cool there?

Howard,  The photos with the 1910 Buick, they show the Parkway surfaces in exceptionally clean condition, no overgrowth, debris etc. especially the one at the Garden City Lodge, not even a leaf in sight. Did a cleanup take place at the time ?    How did the Buick get up on the Parkway?

More spectacular photos Howard! Amazing collection of photos obtained. The Buick drove up to the embankment drop without a wall protector. This embankment today remains unguarded. These unidentified photographers did a terrific job documenting the Motor Parkway at the time.

Think the last 2 photos are the same location. As Frank pointed out, the Buick is backed up to the embankment. They must of have been able to access the LIMP on the north side.

Happy New Year!

Frank, Brian, I’m guessing that the Buick got on the parkway from underneath the portico, thats after removing some of the bushes from the north side of the portico that are blocking access to the Parkway.

Dave, Regarding memorabilia at the Garden City Lodge, they do have some. first thing that comes to mind is the collection of six Motor Parkway plates. Believe they were a gift to the Chamber from Henry Austin Clark. Last time I was there, not on display.

As far as I know there were two white model 10 Buick touring cars on long island both in Nassau County. Austin Clark had one and Martin Haughey of Albertson had the other one. I believe Al is correct that the 6 LIMP plaques were a gift from Austin Clark.

Mr. Ernest, allowed him to drive through the portico to take the picture of the car up there
And the 6 Motor Parkway plates we donated to the Garden city Chamber of Commerce by Austin Clark
He felt it would be better there for everyone to view and enjoy

He said he made a few visits to The Garden City Toll Lodge

Regarding the picture “view looking west…”: This is not the location described. From the shadows on the ground, it appears to be looking east. The scene in the distance is not that of Garden City at any time, east or west. There appears to be a new sump on the far side of the roadway that the parkway once passed over. So the challenge is to locate the proper scene location.

A word on the Stewart Field parking area that the GC Village overlaid on the parkway to our dismay: no more work has been done there. As Village Historian, I have not been able to get a response from them so far on any future clearing to be done. I have also not yet received a response to my inquiry about where visitors to see the LIMP are supposed to park when the parking area gate is closed. The turnaround at the head of Raymond Court is presumably still to be a no-parking area, as it was put there originally for the benefit of school buses, garbage trucks, and such.

Bill, Was at Raymond Court last week, the parking field street lights have been put up.

Walt, Didn’t Henry Austin Clark acquire the plates at a car show in Port Washington many years ago,....and cheaply ?

Hi Al, yes Austin got at least some of the Motor Parkway plates at a car show/flea market in Port Washington in the Manorhaven area decades ago. Not sure what he paid but it wasn’t much. This was when Joe Gaeta of Manorhaven was still alive and would show up at the same show in his Isotta Fraschini type 8 boat tail roadster that was ordered by Rudolph Valentino when new but Valentino never took delivery because he died . Joe G. worked for the New York IF agency and paid off the car and owned it . Joe was a great guy easy to converse with and I was about 17 years old but he loved to talk to me because I knew what an Isotta Fraschini was when most kids my age only knew what a GTO or Stingray was. Someone once commented to me that “you were born old” - heck I can agree.

Howard,
Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos. I grew up a few blocks from there on Avalon Road. We used to ride our bikes up, and down fast, on the Clinton Road bridge embankment, never knowing what it was, on our way to and back from Stewart School. Nice memories.

I see what your saying Bill about the view looking west of Clinton Rd. Even though homes may have not been built yet just across Clinton Rd, the scenery looks more like the Melville area. A transmission tower should also be in view if this is Garden City, I see none. Images may have been miss marked, looking forward to the rest.

I agree with Bill Bellmer that the photo saying…. looking west at Clinton Rd./ bridge embankment is not correct. Its tempting to say Clinton Rd. because of the lack of a barrier at that point. The piece of the concrete extension puts the photo west of the Bethpage Lodge. How about the possibility that the photo was taken from the west side of Lakeville Rd ?  That would account for the Parkway ROW on the east side of Lakeville Rd. being at street level, and, .... could that be the Great Neck Lodge in the distance on the right side-center ?

Re. The photo of the Buick on an unknown location of the Motor Parkway…. I say east of the Bethpage Lodge because of the lack of concrete extensions. The road in the background appears to a limited access highway which leads me to say the photo was taken from the Motor Parkway west of Commack Rd. in the vicinity of the Northern State Parkway exit on the Motor Parkway. (Or ...vicinity of the Northern State/Sagtikos/Sunken Meadow interchange.

For what it’s worth, I marked the image above deemed ‘view looking west’. We can all agree that a LIMP Bridge did exist here. But I just noticed a curved road to the upper left where I marked HERE. Think I see a car on the right of the curved road. This road could intersect with the road easily seen.

I agree with Al about the last image. LIMP is in good condition. Zoomed in, I can see a wood pkwy lamp post that existed along the Northern State & Sunken Meadow.

Part 2:  Correction, I marked as ROAD at the upper left, not HERE.

Another fact to further narrow the above location is that the concrete extensions were poured in west of Meadowbrook Lodge to the Nassau & Queens border.

Great catch Bill - the trees in the foreground have white light reflecting from their right side, indicating the photo is looking east or north.

Al = Lakeville Rd bridge looking east is a great guess. I was also thinking Westbury Av bridge looking north. There’s a black chain link fence there today with one westbound lane and two eastbound. Could those be trolley tracks on the right eastbound lane?

Forgot to mention, the curvy road on the left could be Bruce Terrace

Regarding the unknown location photo, if the Buick is facing a bridge it could be Ruland Rd in the back, photo facing east on a winter afternoon. Have no clue who would be maintaining the abandoned roadway.

Enhanced photo below of the protection wall in Garden City.

3 marked images below - First 2 coincide with the possibility of the view west over Clinton Rd could be looking north over Westbury Ave. The buildings in the background don’t jive with that area. 3rd image, maybe they were viewing east over Old Searingtown Rd.

Might this be the 1910 Buick with the top down?  Found among the Helck Family Collection.

Could be, Art. With Walt Gosden recalling Martin Haughey owning the same type car, I did a genealogical search for him on Ancestry.com. Martin and Jeanette Haughey did reside in Albertson. A military record describes Martin as a tall, slim redhead. Tough to tell the hair color of the gentleman above, his wife ( I presume ) is a darker brunette. If Walt remembers Martins hair color, etc, the identity of this couple could be known.

Marty when I knew him was older so had light gray hair, his wife Jean did have dark hair. Marty was tall and slim, worked for Sperry aviation/aeronautical located opposite what is now the entrance to Long Island Jewish Hospital on the east side of Lakeville Road. Photo to small for me to identify. If it is him and his car he and I took the transmission in and out of it by hand on our backs under the car! I was much younger when I did that by about 40 years!

The caption notes that Henry A. Clark, Jr. of Flushing and Southampton is at the wheel.

Austin Clark moved to Glen Cove in about 1953 so that would possibly date the photo . His residence in Southampton was on the east side of South Main Street and prior to 1900 was a hotel.

This is officially not a picture of Clinton Road bridge.

As per several web sites I investigated, the house directly in front of the bridge looking West was built in 1957 and the one directly to the south of that was built in 1950 so clearly one of them would be visible in this picture if the pic was taken any time between 1958 and 1967.