Vanderbilt Cup Races

What was the historic event depicted in the mural?

• The mural depicts the historic arrival of the British dirigible R34 at Roosevelt Flying Field, Mineola, NY, on July 6, 1919; completing the first east/west non-stop transatlantic air crossing (and carrying the first transatlantic air mail).

Where is this mural currently located?

• The US Post Office at Hempstead NY

Who was the artist?

• Peppino Mangravite (1896-1978).  Mangravite was active in New Deal art programs, and executed murals for the Department of Labor, D.C., and post offices in Hempstead, NY, and Atlantic City, NJ.

How was the Long Island Motor Parkway linked to this event?

• The Long Island Motor Parkway ran adjacent to Roosevelt Flying Field and the R34’s landing site, which was not far from the Roosevelt Field Highway Bridge.  The LIMP Roosevelt Field Highway Bridge provided a position to view and photograph the R34’s arrival, as evidenced by surviving photos of the event taken from the bridge.
• Mangravite began painting the mural in 1936 and it was installed in 1937; the same years that the Vanderbilt Cup races were revived at Roosevelt Raceway, adjacent to the Roosevelt Field landing site.

-What was the historic event depicted in the mural?
I had remembered this event from the #33 LIMP Bridge series entry from May 28th 2013. In July 1919, the British Army’s 643-foot dirigible R-34, was the first airship to cross the Atlantic Ocean coming from Scotland to Roosevelt Field in Hempstead in four and a half days.(also becoming the first airmail delivery)
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/long_island_motor_parkway_bridge_series_33_the_roosevelt_field_motor_parkwa

-Where is this mural currently located?
Hempstead Post Office

-Who was the artist?
Peppino Mangravite. Painted in March of 1937. Some interesting reading about the artist, mural and history of the event can be found on this link below.
http://wasahockey.github.io/Mangravite/pages/hempstead.html

-How was the Long Island Motor Parkway linked to this event?
As I’m sure we’ll see the photos posted again here, the Roosevelt Field LIMP bridge was used for access to the field and there are many photos taken from the bridge viewpoint of the R-34 landing.

it was the east to west mail-carrying flight of HMS r-34.  First e-w transatlantic flight of an airship.  It was the first time a Brit had parachuted onto US soil from an airship.  Our ground crews weren’t sure how to handle the airship and needed help, so an officer parachuted from the ship to help. 
The mural depicted was painted by Peppino Mangravite, requested by the U.S. Government.  It resides in the Hempstead Post office.  The Long Island Motor Parkway traveled right past this Mineola airfield.

Commemorative mural of the first air mail, 1919, Paris to Roosevelt Field.
Featured in the Hempstead village post office since 1937.
Painted by Peppino Mangravite.
The R-34 Zeppelin was seen in photographs taken in 1919 showing its proximity upon landing to one of the LIMP bridges.

The event depicted is the landing of the British dirigible R-34 at Roosevelt Field on July 6, 1919. It was the first airship to make an east-to-west crossing of the Atlantic Ocean and made the first delivery of airmail from Europe. A few days later it became the first airship to make a roundtrip crossing. The artist is Peppino Mangravite and the mural can be seen at the Hempstead Post Office. The LIMP link is that the parkway was very close to the landing site and there are several photographs showing both the R-34 and the bridge over the LIMP connecting Stewart Avenue to Roosevelt Field.

The WPA mural is in the Hempstead Post Office on Fulton Ave, across the street from the Verizon Building. The picture was of Mitchell Field?  The mural on the other side of the post office shows early settlers, Indians and corn.. The post office should keep better care of these treasures.

Great image! It sent me researching… What a great story!

Seems to be a WPA era mural by peppino mangravite in 1936/1937 that was placed in the Hempstead post office in 1937, commemorating the first east to west transatlantic flight. The flight landed in Mineola in july 1919, and according to a comment in 2012 on the venerable vanderbiltraces.com lol the r34 was visible from one of the limp overpasses.

The r34 carried special mail both ways.

An article in the july 2 1919 brooklyn daily eagle compared the expected crowds for the r34. and excitement with what they would see with crowds at vanderbilt cup races.

Other reports i’ve found indicate there were several festive dinners at the garden city hotel after the r34 british airship landed in mineola, with lots of important people there honoring the event and the crew.  Would love it if willy k was there, but haven’t found any indication of that yet. Will keep looking…

Airship flew over times square before it headed home a few days later.

Very interesting mystery photo this time.  Enjoyed researching it and finding out much more about Long Island’s history.

-What was the historic event depicted in the mural?
Great Britain’s Dirigible R34 on Roosevelt Field, Long Island in early July of 1919.  The dirigible took off from Scotland and landed on the island on or around July 4.  It is known as the first transport of airmail. 

-Where is this mural currently located?
Hempstead, NY Post Office.  I took a field trip there yesterday and saw the majestic mural in the lobby, unfortunately I believe almost no one there would know the significance of what the mural represents, or even that its Roosevelt Field. Then again, most people probably wouldn’t think of Roosevelt Field as being anything but a place to shop!  Perhaps a historical plaque would be most appropriate.

-Who was the artist?
Peppino Mangravite, who was commissioned by the Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts (created in 1934) to create murals in conjunction with the section’s goal of selecting art of high quality to decorate public buildings if the funding was available.  In this way art would be made accessible to the general public.

-How was the Long Island Motor Parkway linked to this event?
The section of land between the Motor Parkway and Stewart Avenue was designated by officials for use by the general public for viewing the dirigible. 

More to be submitted to Howard for Kleiner’s Korner.

From Wayne Marr:

The WPA mural is in the Hempstead Post Office on Fulton Ave, across the street from the Verizon Building. The picture was of Mitchell Field?  The mural on the other side of the post office shows early settlers, Indians and corn.. The post office should keep better care of these treasures.
Thanks

Hadn’t a clue. This is 1 of 2 murals painted by Peppino Mangravite in 1937 located at the Hempstead post office at 200 Fulton Ave, depicting the British Army’s 643ft dirigible R-34 in a WWI scene with soldiers and ammo, including postal truck indicating aircraft’s airmail capabilities, is a rendering of the airship’s historic arrival at Roosevelt Field, Mineola from Scotland on July 1919 after a 4.5 day journey, the first airship to cross the Atlantic and first airmail delivery. It was one of nearby Motor Pkwy’s busiest days yet. Sending pics Howard.

http://livingnewdeal.org/projects/post-office-murals-hempstead-ny/

http://wasahockey.github.io/Mangravite/pages/hempstead.html

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/sunday_january_31_2010_views_of_roosevelt_field_and_the_motor_parkway

Out of context, a link to a superb 4-part video of another great historic event at the field, Lindbergh’s take-off and Paris arrival.

http://www.airportappraisals.com/contact/

British dirigible R34 landed at the Mineola flying field (near the LIMP) on 06 July 1919 after first west-east Atlantic crossing and left on the 10th to return to England for first two-way crossing.  George Dade built a gigantic model of R34 in his Glem Head basement which should be at the Cradle of Aviation Museum (also near the LIMP RoW).  First I knew of the mural.  Sam, III

This was the 1919 landing of the British R34 rigid airship after its cross-Atlantic voyage from England.  It was a copy of a German design, the L33 class.
Landing was at Roosevelt Field, adjacent to the Motor Parkway.

Another photo of the R-34 “hovering” above Roosevelt Field, Mineola.  Photo is from The Wireless Age, August, 1919 which was a radio/telephony industry publication.  Different modes of transportation (including automobiles and dirigibles) incorporated radio/telephony in their early work.