About
The six Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910 were the greatest sporting events of their day, and the first international automobile road races held in the United States. The races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways. This site provides comprehensive information on the races, the Long Island Motor Parkway and current Long Island automotive events, car shows and news.
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Co-Founder and Writer: Howard Kroplick
Co-Founder: Dana Kroplick
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Recent Comments
Rare color shot of a lodge! Guessing, Bethpage Lodge looking NE, the black/brown stripes under the porte-cochere match this other rare view. http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article//rare_view_of_the_bethpage_lodge
If correct, photo taken after 1961 when gatekeepers Louis Damiano and wife Ida vacated the premises, possibly taken just before demolition based on deterioration and overgrown brush. The Damiano’s were toll collectors from 1922-1938, and continued to live in until 1961. Thomas Grafenstein was the original collector. Don’t know how long the structure lasted while vacant. Located just west of Round Swamp Road, the lodge was one of six designed by John Russell Pope but one of the first three erected. The other two were Meadowbrook Lodge (1908-1938, destroyed 1950s), and the Massapequa Lodge (1908-1938, destroyed 1960s).
From Mystery Foto #51 Solved: A Rare Vintage Color Photo of the Bethpage Lodge Circa 1962/1963
I lived on Old Country Rd. and Bert Ave . I knew James and William ” Willy” Pratt. They owned the construction Co. Pratt Bros. where Burger King and Shiro of Japan is today. James lived on Carle Rd. South of Old Country Rd. and Willy lived off of Glen Cove Rd. James’ house was torn down years ago. Their office was where Burger King sits today and they stored and fixed their equipment in an old barn were Shiro is today. I don’t know who owned the farmhouse and barn but it may have been the Hoeffners..
Great post I didn’t know their previous background on that they owned a farm.
From Hammond's History: A 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race Parking Space Ticket at Pratt's Farm in Westbury
Garden City Lodge off Glen Cove Road?
That was later moved 7th Ave off Franklin Avenue - Used as a Chamber of Commerce.
From Mystery Foto #51 Solved: A Rare Vintage Color Photo of the Bethpage Lodge Circa 1962/1963
Identify the lodge and its exact location. Provide a rationale.
The Bethpage Lodge was located just west of Round Swamp Road and south of Manetto Hill Road (now Old Bethpage Road).
Who was the last family to live in the lodge?
The Damiano family- last toll keeper of the LIMP.
What is your best guess of the date of the photo?
The toll keeper’s family moved out in the late 50’s, sold to a developer and demolished in the early 60’s. -1961 ish
From Mystery Foto #51 Solved: A Rare Vintage Color Photo of the Bethpage Lodge Circa 1962/1963
The Motor Parkway did not run through or adjacent to the Queens County Farm Museum. It ran just north of Elkmont Avenue, along what is now the southern border of the Green Meadows Farm Petting Zoo parking lot.
From Remnants of Long Island Motor Parkway Discovered in Queens
Great post. I love your work. And completely enjoy your website.
Thank you.
From Hammond's History: A 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race Parking Space Ticket at Pratt's Farm in Westbury
No problem Mike. Hope all is well.
From The Second 2016 Kleiner Tour of the Long Island Motor Parkway
Great job guys. Keep it up. That pic of the maxess road bridge shows there has been more damage to it. The concrete was smooth up beyond the date stamp last year. But recently it seems to have chipped down. Not good.
I love how you guys meet in the office before the journey! Keep exploring!
From The Second 2016 Kleiner Tour of the Long Island Motor Parkway
Looks like it was an interesting day. Sorry that due to a family emergency I was unable to be there but I’m hoping to do it the next time. Thanks for the invite Art. You have my cell number!
From The Second 2016 Kleiner Tour of the Long Island Motor Parkway
Great vid guys. This is first educational and entertaining as well. THANK YOU. It gives a more realistic view of what is really inside. Cant wait to explore it myself. Keep it up!
From Sam & Dave's Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure II: Wheeler Farmway Bridge in Queens
What seems certain is that the racer is a Fiat S74 with Barney Oldfield at the wheel. The location wouId be Santa Monica, but I found two dates, 1911 and 1914. 1912 seems to make more sense, because Oldfield started in that race on a Fiat S74 and I have a picture of him wearing a Select Kid Maier overall during the race, but the text on the car seems to be absent. So I’m not sure.
The Fiat S74 was first used during the American Grand Prize of 1911, but was officially designed for the French Grand Prix of 1911, which never took place.
From Mystery Foto#50 Solved:The 1911 FIAT S74 Driven by Barney Oldfield in the May 1912 Santa Monica Race
Sam III - I remember Eddie Murray, he was a heck of a first baseman!
Yes, we went through the south side, you are correct. Three is a small opening on the north side that Sammy could struggle through, but why bother? The south opening is not exactly big by any stretch, but you can get on your back and wiggle through.
But certainly once you get in there and get down a little bit you can surely walk around under there, as you can see from the video. I’m 6’1” and was walking around no problem.
From Sam & Dave's Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure II: Wheeler Farmway Bridge in Queens
This is a 1911 S-74 FIAT that was owned by Ed Maier of the Maier Brewery in Los Angeles. He owned many of the cars that Barney Oldfield raced. Maier Select is the name of a Beer be brewed. It’s significance is obvious as being an overhead cam monster.
From Mystery Foto#50 Solved:The 1911 FIAT S74 Driven by Barney Oldfield in the May 1912 Santa Monica Race
I keep worrying that Roosevelt Field shopping Center Development will mess with this portion of the Parkway.
From Sam & Dave’s Excellent “Lost” Motor Parkway Adventure III:General Manager's Office
What an adventure….I really enjoy the series . Thanks for taking the time…
From Sam & Dave’s Excellent “Lost” Motor Parkway Adventure III:General Manager's Office
Funny, I think back now and the late Stuart Klonis director of the league for more than fifty years once offered me his black with white interior 1960 thunderbird convertible that he kept in a barn at the Woodstock campus. I did not have the space to store it, my 1970 Mustang Fastback and a company car. It was a beauty but it was not the performance type vehicles that I enjoyed at that stage of my life.
From The Peter Helck Scholarship in Realism Established at the The Arts Students League of New York
Students at the League have been very diverse. From abstractionist Jackson Pollick to realist Norman Rockwell have attended the ASL. Many pulp fiction cover designers came from the School in the forties and fifties. Probabably the most famous being Everett Raymond Kinstler who also painted portraits of presidents, astronauts and other well known personalities. I myself was a student there. The school prides itself on painting the human form from life. Most classes have a live model. George Bridgeman a past League instructor of anatomy wrote a famous instructional book titled the Human Machine what I would consider the perfect link between the Art Students League and Peter Helck’s illustrative work. The illustrations in Bridgeman’s book interpret physical anatomy as metal parts of a machine.
In the mid 1970s is was on the Board of Control (Board of Directors) and served as Men’s Vice-President for one year.
From The Peter Helck Scholarship in Realism Established at the The Arts Students League of New York
Sure looks like a 1908 FIAT S79, a baby brother to the 1908 FIAT SB4 “Mephistoles” land speed record car. The S79 set a record of 290 km/h (181¼ mph) on LI in 1912 (I find this rather hard to believe). Beyond that, without doing some homework, deponent sayeth not. Sam, III
From Mystery Foto#50 Solved:The 1911 FIAT S74 Driven by Barney Oldfield in the May 1912 Santa Monica Race
Are you sure Sammy went in on the north side? When I was there back on 03 May 2008 with Ed Murray, <http://sbiii.com/limp-qn3.html#wheeler>, there wasn’t room on the north side for anyone, not even Sammy, to crawl through, nor could one stand up inside after crawling in on the south side. Love your posts. The “other” Sam, III
From Sam & Dave's Excellent Lost Motor Parkway Adventure II: Wheeler Farmway Bridge in Queens
My feeble, incomplete guesses!
-Identify the make and year of the racer
1911 FIAT S74
-Why was this racer historically significant?
Raced in Santa Monica. “Select Kid” on the hood was the first time something other than an auto maker name billboarded a Southern California race car
-Who was the owner of the racer when the photo was taken?
Unsure.
-What was Maier Select?
LA-based Maier Brewery whose Maier Select was its featured brew
-Identify at least one person in the photo
Barney Oldfield driving. You can see his cigar coming through his mask!
-Link this racer to the Vanderbilt Cup Races
I think this raced in the 1914 Santa Monica Vanderbilt Cup Race
From Mystery Foto#50 Solved:The 1911 FIAT S74 Driven by Barney Oldfield in the May 1912 Santa Monica Race
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