Vanderbilt Cup Races

1921 Pre-Cut Bungalow

Rather than build a lodge from scratch with a design from the now famous John Russell Pope, the Motor Parkway chose to purchase a pre-cut four room bungalow. According to my favorite co-author Al Velocci in his book "The Toll Lodges of the Motor Parkway, and Their Gatekeepers' Lives", the bungalow was ordered from Aladdin Redi-Cut Houses of Bay City, Michigan. Unlike the Russell lodges, the bungalow offered a single floor with a kitchen, dining alcove, living room, two bedrooms and space for a bathroom. When completed in 1921, the new lodge had no electricity, no indoor toilet facilities and no central heating.

1923 Belcher-Hyde Map

Since the lodge did not have a dedicated office, the ticket kiosk located just off Jericho Turnpike continued in its old capacity. It was at this time the name of the entrance was changed from Jericho Turnpike Lodge to the Mineola Lodge

1929 Photo

With the widening of Jericho Turnpike in 1927, the Mineola Lodge was moved 100 feet south of its original location.

View looking north toward the Jericho Turnpike Motor Parkway Bridge. At the time of the move, an office and porte-cochere were added to the building.

1945 Photo

With the closing of the Motor Parkway in 1938, the toll lodge was purchased by lodge keepers Barbara and James Scheuer as their home. The port-cochere survived until the 1960s Photo from the Gene Hauman Collection.

1980s Photos

Photos of the former Mineola Lodge taken by Ron Ridolph in the early 1980s.

Current Views

The frame of the original lodge can still be easily identifed.

This view looking north matches the 1929 photo.

A remnant of the concrete posts that surrounded the entrance ramp from Jericho Turnpike.