Vanderbilt Cup Races

Art, Kienzle was very hands on managing the Parkway’s affairs. Prior to the creation of the Motorcycle Police Force, he personally visited every toll lodge on Monday mornings to collect the previous weeks toll revenues and discuss relevant issues. (Each lodge was equipped with a safe.) This also gave him the opportunity to personally check out conditions of the ROW. He was also able to keep on top of things because every lodge had a telephone installed when service was available in a given area. Plus, thought Vanderbilt rarely visited Kienzle at the office, Vanderbilt would by phone and correspondence, point out situations on the Parkway he was unhappy with. A misplaced sign, missing directional arrows, toll collector not properly dressed, lanterns not in place, road surface conditions etc., etc.

From Kleiner's Korner: A Newspaperman's Memorable Adventure On and Above the Motor Parkway in the 1920s

Al, I wasn’t there so I can’t say for sure!  Possibly just an account of a chance meeting between a plane and an auto.  And I’m sure Kienzle didn’t know half of what was happening on the Parkway day to day.

From Kleiner's Korner: A Newspaperman's Memorable Adventure On and Above the Motor Parkway in the 1920s

Old country Rd. east to west with Roosevelt race track in the distance going west you see Arma Defense Plant, 3 hangers one was Murry D-Kays across from hangers WAS
Joe Cranes Parachute Co. Going over bridge [ Meadow-brook parkway ] you’ll find Mason Mint candy plant on the right still going east on O.C.Rd..Next would be Roosevelt Field on the left .There was a Mobil gas station at entrance to the field.
  At the next intersection you have the end of Glen Cove Rd.[north to south] South side became Clinton Ave. if I remember correctly? At this intersection you had
Garden City Shell on your left going west and across O.C.R. you had a Sinclair station and The Old Country Dinner . I believe 3 towns came together there. CARL PLACE,GARDEN CITY AND MINEOLA.
Following Meadowbrook the next exit would be East gate blvd and the rear way into the field. Stewart Ave would be at that end of the field .

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: A 1956 aerial of the new opened Roosevelt Field and almost completed Meadowbrook Parkway

Art, I don’t think Fisher participated in a automobile/airplane involving the Motor Parkway. According to the article he leaves the plane and a short while later gets into an automobile and races down the Motor Parkway.  Did he call Kienzle first and ask him to shut down the Parkway ? , or did Ray Howard beep his way around others on the Parkway shouting “move over, coming thru, thank you, ta ta.” Also, around the time frame you described, I don’t think cars were still using hand pumps to increased oil pressure.  Last also, did they buy a toll ticket ?

From Kleiner's Korner: A Newspaperman's Memorable Adventure On and Above the Motor Parkway in the 1920s

GRUMANN LOOKING NORTH WEST 1950 S?

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: A 1956 aerial of the new opened Roosevelt Field and almost completed Meadowbrook Parkway

View looking Southeast towards East Meadow. 

Roosevelt Field Shopping Center is visible.  Photo is pre-1962 as Gimbels has not yet been built.

Meadowbrook Parkway interchanges at Old Country Road, Zeckendorf Blvd. and Stewart Ave. / Merchants Concourse are in place.  Lack of cars on the parkway suggests it may not have opened yet in 1956.

Remaining standing hangers are seen along Old Country Road.

New grandstands at Roosevelt Raceway are not yet in place, post 1955.  Original car racetrack used by the VC and reviewing stands are still in place.  Pre-1956.  Housing at Mitchel Gardens is adjacent to the track and borders the LIMP.  Salisbury Park is east of Merrick Ave.

Remains of the LIMP can faintly be made out south of the Mall, running parallel to Stewart Ave. and the LIRR’s Central Line. 

Runways at the still active pre-1961 Mitchel Field are in sight. 

LIRR mainline through Westbury is in the immediate foreground.

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: A 1956 aerial of the new opened Roosevelt Field and almost completed Meadowbrook Parkway

Looking Southeast toward the New Roosevelt Field Mall.
Seen in the picture Old Country Road (East -West)
LIRR (East-West)
Meadowbrook Parkway (Looking South)
Vanderbilt Parkway crossing over Old Country Road and the LIRR Tracks (Bridge Seen)
Avis World HQ - Old Country Road (Now 2 story Shopping Center)
Original Race Tracks - Old Country Road (Now where Fortunoff Mall (1964) is located)
Hangers still seen on Old Country Road (Corner of Meadowbrook Pkway)
Approx. date of picture 1956 (Macy’s opened) (as seen in the mall overhead)

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: A 1956 aerial of the new opened Roosevelt Field and almost completed Meadowbrook Parkway

Regarding the unknown location photo, if the Buick is facing a bridge it could be Ruland Rd in the back, photo facing east on a winter afternoon. Have no clue who would be maintaining the abandoned roadway.

Enhanced photo below of the protection wall in Garden City.

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

Forgot to mention, the curvy road on the left could be Bruce Terrace

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

Great catch Bill - the trees in the foreground have white light reflecting from their right side, indicating the photo is looking east or north.

Al = Lakeville Rd bridge looking east is a great guess. I was also thinking Westbury Av bridge looking north. There’s a black chain link fence there today with one westbound lane and two eastbound. Could those be trolley tracks on the right eastbound lane?

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

Location: Northwest of the Roosevelt Field shopping center. The photographer is looking southeast. Major roads: Meadowbrook Parkway, Old Country Road, Clinton Road, Stewart Avenue. The LIRR Main Line and the old Central Rail Road can be seen. Buildings and complexes: The shopping center, Roosevelt Raceway, hangars on Old Country Road east of the parkway, and Mitchel Field.

I place the date between 1957 and 1959 because the parkway is complete, the shopping center is open (cars in parking lot), and there doesn’t appear to be any sign of Nassau Community College.

The LIMP ran between Roosevelt Field and Mitchel Field and crossed Clinton Road nearby (just out of range of Foto). Connection to VCRs: The LIMP and Roosevelt Raceway both hosted races.

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: A 1956 aerial of the new opened Roosevelt Field and almost completed Meadowbrook Parkway

Since nobody asked…. regarding the POW camp at Mitchel Field,  Opened May 17, 1945. It was located on the old Camp Mills site with access from Oak St. at Westbury Rd. Held a total of 335 POW. That summer 45 POWs were selected to pick potatoes at local farms. Paid 80 cents per hour, money went to the Federal Govt. In March of 1946, in two separate batches,  they were all removed to other sites before being shipped back to Europe. They thought they were going back to Germany, nope, they were turned over to the Russians.  The barracks they occupied were offered to local officials for temporary housing for returning veterans but they had to be moved of the Airfield. Not accepted because they were barely suitable, not up to codes, flimsy construction , etc. Any one with aerials of the area, that time frame ?

From Mystery Foto #1 Solved: Jim Rathmann and Carroll Shelby at the 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Orientation South /East

Motor Parkway bottom of foto from left diagonally to the right crossing over the LIRR between Mineola( west ) to Carle Place( east) crossing over Old Country Road into the Mott section of Garden City
Continuing along OCR east crossing over the Meadowbrook Pkwy ,3 Hangers from Roosevelt field.
Further along on the south side going east is Roosevelt Raceway two oval tracks . Vanderbilt race were held here.
In the middle of foto is Roosevelt Field Mall maybe mid 50’s?
The top of the foto is Mitchel Field
To left in the distance is Salisbury Park. That’s all I got☺️

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: A 1956 aerial of the new opened Roosevelt Field and almost completed Meadowbrook Parkway

We see Roosevelt Field, late 1950s, from NW looking SE.  LIMP bridge over LIRR in Mineola visible in lower right corner.

From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: A 1956 aerial of the new opened Roosevelt Field and almost completed Meadowbrook Parkway

Another fact to further narrow the above location is that the concrete extensions were poured in west of Meadowbrook Lodge to the Nassau & Queens border.

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

Hi Walt,
came across these pictures from The Aircraft Year Book for 1930 in case you haven’t seen them before:
https://tinyurl.com/y6q42hsh
Cheers,
Mike

From Then & Now: The Long Island Aviation Country Club on the Motor Parkway

Part 2:  Correction, I marked as ROAD at the upper left, not HERE.

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

For what it’s worth, I marked the image above deemed ‘view looking west’. We can all agree that a LIMP Bridge did exist here. But I just noticed a curved road to the upper left where I marked HERE. Think I see a car on the right of the curved road. This road could intersect with the road easily seen.

I agree with Al about the last image. LIMP is in good condition. Zoomed in, I can see a wood pkwy lamp post that existed along the Northern State & Sunken Meadow.

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

Re. The photo of the Buick on an unknown location of the Motor Parkway…. I say east of the Bethpage Lodge because of the lack of concrete extensions. The road in the background appears to a limited access highway which leads me to say the photo was taken from the Motor Parkway west of Commack Rd. in the vicinity of the Northern State Parkway exit on the Motor Parkway. (Or ...vicinity of the Northern State/Sagtikos/Sunken Meadow interchange.

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City

I agree with Bill Bellmer that the photo saying…. looking west at Clinton Rd./ bridge embankment is not correct. Its tempting to say Clinton Rd. because of the lack of a barrier at that point. The piece of the concrete extension puts the photo west of the Bethpage Lodge. How about the possibility that the photo was taken from the west side of Lakeville Rd ?  That would account for the Parkway ROW on the east side of Lakeville Rd. being at street level, and, .... could that be the Great Neck Lodge in the distance on the right side-center ?

From 1958-1967 tours of the Long Island Motor Parkway #4: Garden City