Vanderbilt Cup Races

Brookholt Mansion ......................
Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, who at one point had nine homes, and her new husband, Oliver Belmont, built Brookholt in 1897, a year after their marriage. In 1915, she sold Brookholt to Alexander Smith Cochran, heir to a carpet fortune. He sold the estate in 1923 to the newly formed Coldstream Golf Club. The house burned down in 1934. Much of the land was sold during the Second World War for an extension of Mitchel Field known as Santini which is how I knew the area as a child when I sometimes played along the banks of the Meadow Brook.

From Mystery Foto #89 Solved: The Brookholt Mansion Built by Alva Vanderbilt Belmont and O.H.P. Belmont

That mansion was called “Brockholt” and was the residence of Alva Erskine Smith Vanderbilt Belmont (Willie K. Jr.‘s mother) and Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont whose father was August Belmont, a director of the LIMP, Inc. It was built in 1897 by the newlyweds who had married in 1896 after Alva had divorced Willie K. Jr’s father, William Kissam Vanderbilt I in 1895. It burned down in 1934. Willie K. Jr. was scheduled to speak at the dedication ceremony on June 6, 1908 for his Long Island Motor Parkway at Central Park (Bethpage) but his step-father was seriously ill with appendicitis at “Brockholt” at the same time and A. R Pardington filled in for him at the ceremony. Sadly, O. H. P. Belmont died four days later after developing septicemia during surgery at “Brockholt”.

From Mystery Foto #89 Solved: The Brookholt Mansion Built by Alva Vanderbilt Belmont and O.H.P. Belmont

Found this. Some pretty cool history. I had some fun experiences in the area known as Santini’s as well the Mitchel Field remnants in the late 60s.
http://longislandcatalog.blogspot.com/2012/07/a-mansion-in-east-meadow.html

From Mystery Foto #89 Solved: The Brookholt Mansion Built by Alva Vanderbilt Belmont and O.H.P. Belmont

Clueless on this one, but at first i thought it might have been the Meadowbrook Club Clubhouse. Eager to see the answer on Monday, good one.

From Mystery Foto #89 Solved: The Brookholt Mansion Built by Alva Vanderbilt Belmont and O.H.P. Belmont

Who lived in this mansion which was located off Front Street in East Meadow?

Oliver Belmont, built Brookholt in 1897, a year after marrying Alva Vanderbilt. Brookholt was designed by Richard Howland Hunt .

-How were the mansion’s owners associated with the Vanderbilt Cup Races?

Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont and Alva Vanderbilt were William K Vanderbilt Jr’s stepfather and mother.

-What event occurred in this mansion that had an impact on the ground-breaking ceremony for the Long Island Motor Parkway?

OHP Belmont was ill on June 6, 1908 for the ground breaking and WKV was at Brookholt instead of the ceremony. Belmont died 4 days later.

From Mystery Foto #89 Solved: The Brookholt Mansion Built by Alva Vanderbilt Belmont and O.H.P. Belmont

The year of the race must have been 1901, when Keene started on Mors with no. 36 in the Newport races of August 30. He participated in the the first heat for cars developing more than 12hp, which he won, but in the final heat he was beaten by William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. who drove an identical Mors. There were several Mors racers in the country by then, probably all identical to the Paris-Berlin winning car. Fournier, the winner of that race, also participated in several races in the US at that time (like those at Narragansett Park and Coney Island), probably as demonstrator and also instructor of the famous Mors racer.

From Nassau County Historical Society Journal: Foxhall P. Keene and His "Life of Pure Delight"

Howard- I’m really looking forward to seeing you and finally the magnificent Chryslers Chrysler on this Sunday.

From Upcoming Howard Kroplick & Chrysler's Chrysler Events

From Bruce Adams:
Before Lindbergh even came into the picture in 1927:

Numerous textbooks still hail Charles Lindbergh an American Hero, errantly citing him as the first person to fly across the Atlantic!
• The very first transatlantic flight took place in 1919 (Lindbergh had absolutely nothing to do with it), when Lieutenant Commander Albert C. Read flew the Lame Duck, a Navy Curtiss NC-4 single-pilot flying boat for this purpose. After several engine breakdowns and floating at sea, he made it from New York, USA, to Lisbon, Portugal.
• The very first nonstop transatlantic flight (1,890 miles) in a fixed-wing aircraft, was accomplished only 3 weeks later, in 1919, by Cpt. John Alcock and Lt. Arthur Brown, who flew from Newfoundland to England in a Vickers Night Bomber. (Lindbergh still had absolutely nothing to do with it.)[5-6]
• In 1924, Lt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. Erik H. Nelson took off on a journey of 26,100 mile s on a round-the-world trip beginning and ending in Seattle, Washington.
• In 1926, Ramon Franco flew across the South Atlantic in a twin-engine flying boat from Spain to Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was hailed as the “Columbus of the Air” in Latin America but received little notice in North America.
• From 1919 to 1927, an additional 78 people successfully flew across the Atlantic before Lindbergh’s attempt—a total of 81 people successfully flew across the Atlantic before Lindbergh.
• Finally, on June 27, 1927—8 years after the first transatlantic flights, and after 81 other people had already flown across the Atlantic, some of them solo—Lindbergh made his famed Atlantic crossing. Flying the Spirit of St. Louis for 3,600 miles in 33 hours, he went from Long Island, New York, to Le Bourget, close to Paris, France.

From Mystery Foto #88 Solved: The Homecoming of Charles Lindbergh to Roosevelt Field on June 16, 1927

What church is in the background ?
____________________________________

From Howard Kroplick
St. Brigid’s Catholic Church, 81 Post Avenue, Westbury
https://www.google.com/maps/place/St+Brigids+Catholic+Church/@40.7509382,-73.5877433,3a,90y,90h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sE3TyPogx6_7lB0Nb84XpHg!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x97cf0f9b03d00587!6m1!1e1

From Mystery Foto #88 Solved: The Homecoming of Charles Lindbergh to Roosevelt Field on June 16, 1927

The mystery photo:  Lindberg’s return from his flight to Paris, France in 1927.

The bridge over LIMP to get to the ceremony.  The cars to view the event make up the circle seen.

From Mystery Foto #88 Solved: The Homecoming of Charles Lindbergh to Roosevelt Field on June 16, 1927

Phil and Howard, I knew that it has a 3 speed manual with overdrive, but didn’t know about the other gear shift to put it into overdrive until now, not even when I saw it before it was restored. Not that I’m doubting it, did it originally have 2 shifts? and I think you or John told me that you have to double cluch

From Supercars.net: Gallery of the Chrysler's Chrysler at the Pebble Beach Tour and Concours d'Elegance

Howard, see the “Kleiner’s Korner” articles I’m forwarding to you concerning the event.
What was the historic event captured in this aerial?
Return of Charles Lindbergh to Roosevelt Field 27 days after his solo flight to Paris.

-What was the date of the aerial?
June 16, 1927
-How was the Motor Parkway related to this photo?
Cars on the bottom part of photo on the southern border of the Motor Parkway.

-Which golf course can be seen in the aerial?
Intercollegiate Golf Course, later known as the Old Westbury Golf Club.

From Mystery Foto #88 Solved: The Homecoming of Charles Lindbergh to Roosevelt Field on June 16, 1927

Charles Lindbergh’s return to Roosevelt Field after crossing the Atlantic

June 16, 1927

The highest ? traffic day ever for the Motor Parkway, which ran to the south of Roosevelt Field.

Salisbury Club (now Eisenhower Park)?

From Mystery Foto #88 Solved: The Homecoming of Charles Lindbergh to Roosevelt Field on June 16, 1927

The picture of the interior above brought to my attention for the first time the presence of “two” gear shifts. Can you please tell me about the transmission?
Thank you. The car Is just a fantastic piece of art.
___________________________________________
From Howard Kroplick

Phil, it has a 3-speed manual transmission with an automatic overdrive.

From Supercars.net: Gallery of the Chrysler's Chrysler at the Pebble Beach Tour and Concours d'Elegance

Lindbergh’s return to Roosevelt Field (or is that Mitchel?).  June 12{?}, 1927.  LIMP in upper left corner{?}.  Not a golf course expert.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #88 Solved: The Homecoming of Charles Lindbergh to Roosevelt Field on June 16, 1927

At the western end of the municipal building’s driveway, to the left (south) of the tree line, there used to be an embankment showing the actual grade of the LIMP there.  I have old photos of this somewhere; I’ll have to hunt them up.  Sam, III

From The Motor Parkway Toll Collection Structures: #12 Bethpage Lodge Updated 3/13/2017

In that IMS film, something goes very wrong at 1:28; the car seems to buck.  At 2:00, the mechanic at the front drops the radiator cap in the dirt, then bends over, picks it up, and screws it back on!  Next, look very carefully at the scene where the mechanic falls off; at 2:31, the tie rod (or some such) breaks and the front wheels point outwards!  That’s as the hapless mechanic falls overboard; he was probably trying to see what was going wrong just as it happened.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #87 Solved: A.R. Pardington at the 1905 Long Island Automobile Club Economy Run

I’m going to go with Lindburgh’s departure for his famous non-stop trans-Atlantic flight. Or maybe it was his return.  With that many cars… it was probably his return.  It was Quentin Roosevelt field and the LIMP ran right past.

From Mystery Foto #88 Solved: The Homecoming of Charles Lindbergh to Roosevelt Field on June 16, 1927

I think this is Roosevelt Raceway Track which is also part of the Long Island Vanderbilt Motor Parkway and Possible the Golf Courser at Eisenhower Park /Salisbury Park not sure just guessing.

From Mystery Foto #88 Solved: The Homecoming of Charles Lindbergh to Roosevelt Field on June 16, 1927

Howard, I can’t take it anymore, Now I just have to see the car, the pictures are just out of this world, unbelievable, outstanding and whatever else I can say. I still don’t know if I’ll be able to see it before the end of the year. I should know by Wednesday which day I can see it. You’re showing it two more times right? at the Americana and the Cradle Of Aviation

From Supercars.net: Gallery of the Chrysler's Chrysler at the Pebble Beach Tour and Concours d'Elegance