Mystery Foto #26 Solved: A Unique View of the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race Grandstand
This weekend's Mystery Friday Foto was an image of a Vanderbilt Cup Race grandstand.
Mystery Foto questions:
- Identify the Vanderbilt Cup Race and the date of the photo
1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race held on Saturday, October 8, 1904
- Identify the location and the orientation of the photo
Looking west on Jericho Turnpike at the Start/Finish Line, between Powells Lane and Hitchcock Lane in Westbury.
- Identify at least three structures in the photo
On the south side of Jericho Turnpike (left):
- Grandstands
- Brooklyn Daily Eagle Press Box
On the north side of Jericho Turnpike (right):
- Officials' Stand/Press Box
- Fence around the Thomas Hitchcock Race Track
Kudos to Joseph Oesterle, Tim Ivers (see below Tim's Treasures), Steve Lucas, Greg O., and Art Kleiner for identifying the 1904 grandstand and at least three structures in the Mystery Foto.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Close-Ups
The 1904 grandstand.
George Heath driving the #7 Panhard to victory.
The structure on the left after the grandstands was the press box for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
The officials box/press box was on the right, at the Start/Finish Line.
A movie camera on top of the press box documented a good portion of this 1904 two-minute film, one of the first sports films ever made.
The fence on the right bordered on the Hitchcock race track.
Tim's Treasures (Submitted by Tim Ivers)
The Mystery Foto is looking west down Jericho Turnpike between Powells Lane and Hitchcock Lane.
Comments
1904. Jericho Tkpe looking west from the south side of the road, just east of the start finish line, at what is today Powells Ln. I can see the grandstand, the press box, and the horse racing track in the estate behind the fence.
Wild guessing this week, 1- looking west, 2-could be belmont race track on right, 3- 1904 VCR Race looking west on Hemp Tpke. Belmont park opened 1905.
October 6, 1904
Looking west on the Jericho Tpke. Between Powell’s Lane and Hitchcock Drive
1. Grandstand on left (south side of roadway)
2. Press box on right
3. Fence on right is the location of Tommy Hitchcock’s horse track.
This looks like the start / finish area of the first Vanderbilt Cup Race taken on October 8, 1904. It looks like the photographer was looking west on Jericho Turnpike in Westbury between Powells Lane and Hitchcock Lane. In addition to the grandstand on the south side of Jericho and the press box / officials’ stand on the north side, there is also Thomas H. Hitchcock’s one mile horse race track on the right beyond the fence. Also, I believe the building in the center past the grandstand could be the barn on the Baltazzi property.
Looking West down Jericho Tpke at the grandstands, press box, start/stop line during the VCR of Oct 8th, 1904.
Identify the Vanderbilt Cup Race and the date of the photo:
1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race, October 8, 1904
Identify the location and the orientation of the photo:
Jericho Turnpike, Westbury (west of the Powells Lane intersection); view looking west
Identify three structures in the photo:
Grandstand on south side, Press/officials box on the north side, Hitchcock horse track on the north side. Is John Allen’s house in the photo on the southside, too?