Vanderbilt Cup Races

-Identify the location and approximate date of the photo.

Looking across Roosevelt Field at Roosevelt Raceway, Westbury- July 5, 1937.

-What is the large structure in the background?

The 1936/1937 Vanderbilt Cup/Roosevelt Raceway Grandstands

-Identify the three automobiles and three airplanes in the foreground.

I’m unclear on the cars and the biplanes, but Interesting to note; Former WW-I hero, Eddie Rickenbacker- (Ace of Aces and Vanderbilt Cup Participant/mechanician-1906 American Elimination Trial, 1915 & 1916),  created the “new” Eastern Air Lines in the early 30’s. All Eastern’s panes had “The Great Silver Fleet.” on their sides. Douglas DC-3’s were delivered to The Great Silver Fleet in May of 1937. Identifying the larger passenger plane on the left.- Maybe this was a ‘corporate flight’ awaiting its’ CEO who would have been watching the races?

From Mystery Foto 2015 #1: Roosevelt Field and Roosevelt Raceway in July 1937 (Updated with a Then & Now)

Mitchel Field in the mid 1930’s. In the background, it is probably Roosevelt Raceway.

From Mystery Foto 2015 #1: Roosevelt Field and Roosevelt Raceway in July 1937 (Updated with a Then & Now)

What are you doing? If it was never published, how’d you get it? knowing you, you can get anything. All I can say right now is, by looking at the cars it’s the late 30s early 40s. I had a 47 Plymouth and my uncle had a 44 or45 and these cars are older than that. Can’t even make out the state on the license plate. The large structure is some kind of stadium. It’s just a lot of guessing right now

From Mystery Foto 2015 #1: Roosevelt Field and Roosevelt Raceway in July 1937 (Updated with a Then & Now)

Hope you all had a good New Years Eve, I did, at home, nice and warm watching the Times Square New Years Eve Celebration on TV and having our own celebration. safe and sound. This is one night I avoid going out if I can.

From The Top Twenty 2014 Posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com

Oh Sh__! (Shoot!) I think eagle-eyed Brians got something here. This could be the culvert investigated in a mystery before. It’s extremely close to location and definitely open for discussion.  http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/mystery_friday_foto_68_can_you_identify_this_motor_parkway_structure. Howard, I’m sending a pic.

From Mystery Foto #100 Solved:The Jerusalem Avenue Bridge in Hempstead Plains Under Construction in 1908

I wish you all a safe and healthy HAPPY NEW YEAR

From The Top Twenty 2014 Posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com

From Paul E:
      Have a Healthy and Happy New Year, so You can continue to provide people with interesting, educational events. You are educating people and they are enjoying it!  Does it get much better then that?
      Stay Well.  Hope to See You soon. 

From The Top Twenty 2014 Posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com

Thanks Frank.  Glad you enjoyed it.

From Mystery Foto #100 Solved:The Jerusalem Avenue Bridge in Hempstead Plains Under Construction in 1908

Your probably right about the drainage work, Frank. Pretty sure I can see the"top” of a culvert on the right of the road surface.

From Mystery Foto #100 Solved:The Jerusalem Avenue Bridge in Hempstead Plains Under Construction in 1908

That was great!  Old American cars everywhere and mostly rust-free!

From Two Videos: Mission to Cuba and The Classic Cars of Cuba

Trying to understand why the workers have dug a trench along the roadside. Were they also installing a culvert for drainage? The present day drainage sump is in close proximity to where the photographer snapped the mystery.

From Mystery Foto #100 Solved:The Jerusalem Avenue Bridge in Hempstead Plains Under Construction in 1908

That’s a match!! Nice going guys.

From Mystery Foto #100 Solved:The Jerusalem Avenue Bridge in Hempstead Plains Under Construction in 1908

i too someday hope to hear the black beast purr, my great grand father frank lee was the mechanician with harry grant,,, go figure, grant and lee…. how ironically iconic.
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From Howard Kroplick

Anytime you are on Long Island, send me an email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) .

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive:The 1908 Race Album of William Luttgen & William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.

I knew this one was going to be a tough one and I still can’t figure it out, too many bridges near to each other, was trying to find something I could associate with, but no luck, something to go by. All I can say that I think it’s one of these three bridges. The Plainview Road Bridge, Nibble and the Powell Ave Bridge is the best I can do. This one is for the experts.

From Mystery Foto #100 Solved:The Jerusalem Avenue Bridge in Hempstead Plains Under Construction in 1908

I have wanted to make archive quality digital photos of this album for some time.  The passing of my father in October made me realize that I had waited long enough.  The problem is I know little to nothing about the correct way to preserve this sort of historic material.

I guessed that if anyone knew about preserving historical documents of this type, it would be Howard.  So I made the best copies that I could and sent it all off in an email.  To my surprise Howard told me that the album contained photos that he had not seen before.  Below each photo is captioning that has proven to be rather useful as well.

Howard picked me up at the train station in Rosyln, and took me to see a professional with experience in the digital preservation of historical photographs.  I was impressed enough to leave the album with them for digital reproduction in a “lossless” TIFF format. 

While I want to make sure that all the descendants of William Luttgen get copies of the album, I also want to make these photos available to anyone who might be interested in downloading them.  I can’t think of anyone better to help me achieve this than Howard, and I appreciate that he has chosen to tell the album’s story on his website.

I was also fortunate that Howard had the time to give me the royal Vanderbilt Cup tour.  While much of the course has been lost to development, an amazing amount is still preserved.  Of course the highlight of my tour was a stop at Sam’s Garage where the Black Beast is being worked on.  Sam is one of those rare geniuses with the skills necessary to keep an antique car like this running.  To my astonishment, Howard told Sam to fire the Black Beast up.  What a treat - I can’t thank Howard enough.

Like you, I am looking forward to learning what Howard has discovered about the photo album.  Hope everyone enjoys it.

Robert Luttgen
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From Howard Kroplick

Bob, it was a real fun day! I wish you and the entire Luttgen family a happy and healthy 2015!

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive:The 1908 Race Album of William Luttgen & William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.

Sorry but that album cover was NOT for the contents, the race; it was for the 1908 AAA Tour, a VERY different and far more extensive event (presumably the “Glidden” Tour of July 1908.  Your cover may be of great value in its own right!  Regardless, what a find!  Sam, III
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From Howard Kroplick

Sam III, excellent observation. All the photos in the album relate to the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race. My assumption is that Spooner & Wells had a spare blank leather 1908 AAA Tour album and used it for these photos.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive:The 1908 Race Album of William Luttgen & William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.

Ed, I will offer a theory about the 1927, based on the picture. the front end does match the Chrysler autos of that year. However, There is no apparent pump on the rig. Looks like it is being used as a hose wagon, when not used as a racing team truck. I think that a civilian Chrysler was converted to a racing team vehicle. I am a Life Member of Kings Park and reside in Pa. In our history, we had a Lincoln touring car that was cut down and modified for tournament racing, around 1931. It also served as a truck to carry brooms etc. for brush fire fighting. The modification looked nice and had nice pipe handrails running along the back. Most departments, back in those Depression days did not have too much money to buy fancy rigs for Tournament competition. With ingenuity, the volunteer firemen worked with what they had. Just my guess on its employ.  Bob

From Saturday Search Findings: Walter Chrysler's Chrysler Fire Truck (Updated: 12/25/14)

Heshy!

You never fail to please.  I had a silver split window coupe in ‘63 (Sonny bought it for me in college), but my favorite was the ‘62 before that, bought at cost from Sam Luby for $3,680. in exchange for Granddad’s getting him a box at Hialeah.  What grand old days.

Stay well,
H. Robert Greenbaum

From Video of the Week "Willie K. in an Auto Boat Race on the Hudson"

Thank you for all the weekly updates, very sad to learn about those stolen gates, i hope they are found. Could you send me a mailing address, I have some 1920’s photos from Oyster Bay that i’d like to send you copies of. Best wishes for 2015. Bob

From Summary of Saturday Searches

I had to take a break from the mystery photo this week, I was on it for about 2 hours, I think I narrowed it down to 3 bridges, but they’re so near one another. I can’t tell which one it is, very easy to make a mistake, I’ll get back to it tomorrow, I had enough of it today. That film of the Vanderbilt Race was great, that hairpin turn is the best, it shows more of what a struggle it was to make that turn, how they bounce and slide around it

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive:The 1908 Race Album of William Luttgen & William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.