Vanderbilt Cup Races

Fantastic view of Garden City looking north at the Clinton Rd/Stewart Ave/Osborne Rd intersection. Admiring all the open spaces. Sharpest aerial view yet of the Garden City Lodge and Supt’s house. It appears his car hood was open. I can almost make out the writing on the Clinton Rd bridge. Is that a second Motor Parkway sign by the bridge? The white roadway just left of the bridge is former Hospital Rd, and the roadway intersecting just after the bend is former South Street, both of Camp Mills Base hospital (1918-1919). Also seen just north of Osborne are the two dirt roads converging at Clinton Rd, once used as a shortcut to the hospital. Included are Commercial Ave, Central RR, and Motor Parkway. The brick smokestack by Central RR still exists today, but now braced with reinforcement and an array of cellular antennas. The Mott Section here is still undeveloped, so dating this aerial in the mid ‘20s. The buildings on top are offices of Roosevelt Airfield, and buildings on bottom unknown. Keep ‘em comin’!

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: Curtiss Engineering Corporation Garden City Complex Circa 1925

The Curtis Engineering looking north at Stewart Avenue and Clinton Road Garden City.
Top center is the 3 opening Clinton Road bridge carrying the LIMP over Clinton Road; to its right is the toll lodge and further right was the Parkway general manager’s residence.
Directly north of those structures was Hazelhurst Field.
Horizontally across the bottom below the Curtis plant are the railroad and Commercial Avenue.

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: Curtiss Engineering Corporation Garden City Complex Circa 1925

This is a truly amazing assemblage of historic materials about the storied Marmon Wasp #32. Thanks to all contributors to this blog. Automotive history/archaeology at its best !!

From The Dramatic Story of the Marmon Wasp During the 2011 Indy 500 Parade Lap

Wonderful to read this and see all of you made the connection! Super.
thanks for posting this.

From Frank Lee's Great-Grandson Visits the Alco Black Beast

-Identify the location and orientation of the photgrapher
Over Garden City, looking North

-Identify the Motor Parkway structures and major roads
Clinton Rd Bridge, Managers house, Garden City Lodge. LIMP, Clinton Road, Stewart Ave.

-What are the buildings located in the top of the aerial?
Roosevelt Field

-What are the buildings located in the bottom of the aerial?
Curtiss Engineering Corporation

-What is the date of the Mystery Foto? Provide a rationale.
1932-This looks to be taken at the same time as Mystery photo #2 from Feb. 18 2013.

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: Curtiss Engineering Corporation Garden City Complex Circa 1925

Curtis Aeroplane complex, bottom of photo, on Clinton Ave, GC.  Stewart Ave west to east.  VMP concrete double underpass on Clinton Ave.  Buildings in the north part of photo include VHB toll house.  Long Island RR tracks which is part of Central Extension.
Photo taking circa 1915 - 1920.

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: Curtiss Engineering Corporation Garden City Complex Circa 1925

Nicely presented article.  And as the Motometer man I love the pictures with the gauge prominently featured on its radiator filler tube perch.  FYI - The motometer brand and type appears to be a Boyce Moto-Meter De Luxe Type and would indicate that the photos with it attached to the vehicle were taken after 1919 as that is when this model Type was initially commercially introduced to the public.
Thanks for the photojournalism.

http://www.motometercentral.com

From Jerry Helck and the Old 16 Locomobile Racer

Garden City, NY

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: Curtiss Engineering Corporation Garden City Complex Circa 1925

This is cool, Howard. Thanks for sharing.

From Frank Lee's Great-Grandson Visits the Alco Black Beast

Thank you so much for the history on the Black Beast and opening up the garage for us on such short notice and giving us the opportunity to experience a once in a lifetime experience. And the history you have is so very much appreciated with the vehicles you have, Thanks again.
_______________________________________________

Howard Kroplick

It was a pleasure hosting Rich, Amber and you at the Waterfront at Roslyn garage last night. Lots of fun!

From Frank Lee's Great-Grandson Visits the Alco Black Beast

Sam - thanks for bringing up the mystery electronics installation at OBVR once again - I clicked into your page about it and saw you used my material about it from years ago.  I’m sure I knew you had used me as the source but thanks again.  I’ve been back there every few years and my latest a few years back saw that all the equipment had been removed, taken, swallowed up by some govt. agency, etc. 
I actually found my notes about what was there originally - if anybody cares, there was a Radio Transmitter Model 15XLA (make unknown), an Aer-0-Com Automatic something Model ACB, antenna tuner Model ATU-100R, Power modulator Model XLA, a control voltage and a time sharing unit TSC.  I believe most of the equipment was made by Aeronautical Communications Equipment Inc. of Miami Fl.
My sole relic taken as a souvenir is a metal plate stamped with “Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp.  61298”.  I haven’t done any research about it in a while but thanks to you, I’ll be doing some real soon.

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

Thanks, Les!  NCC it was, not Hofstra.  Morgue?  Oh, yeah; now it clicks.  Google WHPC and WBAU for more on these interesting stations.  O.K., all you experts; on to the Old Bethpage facility (please) [new thread?].  Sam, III

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

I like the photo of I.U. Willets Road & Lakeville Road the best.  Also Tracy & Poole in the Locomobile.  Sharp detail!

From Mystery Foto #30 Solved: The Lakeville Hotel on the 1905 and 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race Courses

Amazing photos of Old 16. Glad they’re still preserved after all this time. Old 16 and Old 8 are tops in the horseless carriage category. Both souped up to outperform their international rivals. And they both succeeded. Amazing both vehicles still exist today after 110+ years!

From Jerry Helck and the Old 16 Locomobile Racer

The modern day educational radio station referred to is most likely WHPC-FM at NCC which since its founding in 1972 has been in the basement (actually the morgue) of the Base Hospital on (where else) Hospital Road at Mitchel Field where I got my start in broadcasting 42 years ago! 

The antenna was originally co-located with Channel 21 WLIW-TV’s tower at the end of West Ellington Ave.  In exchange, Nassau donated space for studios and offices on campus for the educational TV station. 

When 21 moved out further on the Island, WHPC-FM erected it’s new tower on top of the administration building on Nassau’s new campus, which as President of the school from 1965 - 1979, my father oversaw the construction of the entire facility. 

The tower seen in the photos above was long gone by the ‘60’s and was definitely Military, not commercial in nature.

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

The 50 Merc does not have a Carson top. It has a custom , chopped , operable top , designed and crafted by Rob.

From FuelCurve.com: Ida Automotive Inc- Where Excellence Takes Shape

Howard, could the Mayan Ruins be the start of a railroad-type trestle bridge? I note the abutment walls, the width of the cross-section, and the alignment of the right-of-way fence posts, all suggestive of that bridge type to me, but others might know better.  A trestle bridge in an area where no roads or paths had previously existed in USGS maps as far back as the 1890s would be consistent to an Army/Camp Mills link.

From Femenias Findings: Exploring the Link Between Camp Mills and the "Mayan Ruins" Motor Parkway Bridge

This images speak volumes, past to present.

From Jerry Helck and the Old 16 Locomobile Racer

Hmm, this reminds me that there was (may still be) a radio station in the basement of a Mitchel Field building (over by the rifle range?).  Last I knew (I was in there ca. 1980-90), it was in use by Hofstra.  Might the tower have been for their transmitter?  Also, The B-25 bomber was a Mitchell (with two “l"s) named for Gen. Billy Mitchell and many were stationed at Mitchel Field named for NYC Mayor John Purroy Mitchel (with one “l”)!  Just in case this post catches the right attention, don’t forget to explain the mystery electronics installation just south of the LIMP near Old Bethpage Village restoration <http://sbiii.com/limpenas.html#mystery>.  Sam, III

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

Driving my bicycle last week near Mayan Ruins noticed two new houses on corner of Transverse and Russell Rd, Garden City.  The house where the Mayan Ruins stood has been knocked down.  In its place there are two new houses.  The contractors must have knocked down the west side the old concrete embankment of the Mayan Ruins.

I took photos but can’t upload to this website.  Andy

From Femenias Findings: Exploring the Link Between Camp Mills and the "Mayan Ruins" Motor Parkway Bridge