Vanderbilt Cup Races

Great view! First time observing this one. At Carle Place looking South over the south end of Northern State Parkway Objector’s Bend at the bottom of photo. Winding Meadow Brook Parkway under construction. Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall under construction (former Roosevelt Air Field). Mitchel Air Field on top with gas tank by Stewart Ave. Major roads from top to bottom; Hempstead Tpke south of Mitchel Field, Stewart Av and CRR north of Mitchel Field, Old Country Road north of Roosevelt Field Mall, LIRR diagonal at the center, Northern Parkway curving at the bottom, Glen Cove Rd/Clinton Rd in the center of photo heading south, Tree-lined Motor Parkway curving southbound on the right side of photo. 1955-6 when Roosevelt Field Mall first opened and NSP completed in this section.

From Mystery Foto #46 Solved: A 1956 Aerial of the Meadowbrook Parkway and Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall Under Construction

Nice find, Brian!

From Cradle of Aviation Archives: The 1918 Curtiss Engineering Corporation Flying Map of Long Island

A 1926 view of the area where Field 3 is shown below.

From Cradle of Aviation Archives: The 1918 Curtiss Engineering Corporation Flying Map of Long Island

A total of three cars were in the new parking lot for a Sunday afternoon kids lacrosse game.  The path going from the west side of the Residence Inn would be an ideal walking path to get to the Motor Parkway area, especially if Howard and Al’s proposal is accepted.  The lobby of the inn has historical pictures of the area including Willie K., - might be a way to connect the past with the present.

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

Most recent pics of the Motor Parkway area showing the 3 foot edge and existing posts to the west of the parking lot - taken November 15, 2020.

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

Henry Austin Clark was an original. A full on car guy, he was fully American, had a big home on Long Island with the most complete automotive library I’ve ever seen, and among other interests, was a founding board member of the Bridgehampton Road Racing Corporation, builder and owner of Bridgehampton Race Circuit. He was our most interesting landlord when we ran it 1971-84

From Film of the Week: Henry Austin Clark, Jr Being Interviewed on Automotive Technology in 1968

Looking south from Mineola/Carle Place into Garden City
Northern State Parkway, Glen Cove Road, Meadowbrook Parkway under construction
Mitchel Field
Roosevelt Field under construction
Late 1955, early 1956 - Construction of Meadowbrook Parkway extension and Roosevelt Field Shopping Center
Motor Parkway from from the lower right to the upper right

Picture is from Newsday, of November 17, 1954

From Mystery Foto #46 Solved: A 1956 Aerial of the Meadowbrook Parkway and Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall Under Construction

I have some period photographs of cars at the Sheepshead Bay race track in my collection someplace. If I can find the time I will look for them. There was also an excellent article on that track in a car magazine back in the 1960s that was edited by Herbert Lozier who lived in Brooklyn and was also a master model car builder ( scratch built) and wrote a book on Mercedes as well. That magazine only had three issues before it “failed to proceed” any further. Sheepshead Bay I believe was a board track with banked curves all supported on poured concrete forms.

From Cradle of Aviation Archives: The 1918 Curtiss Engineering Corporation Flying Map of Long Island

Vintage race car enthusiasts should note “Sheepshead Bay Track Landing Field” in Brooklyn.  According to Wikipedia it was an active race track until 1919

From Cradle of Aviation Archives: The 1918 Curtiss Engineering Corporation Flying Map of Long Island

Even though this is recognizable, it’s neat that’s it’s viewed south. Seems like a good part of the old aerials are NW or NE.

This is a south view of Carle Place, Uniondale. Guessing this was captured in 1954 since this section of the Meadowbrook was started in late 1953, and finished in 1956. My markings on the maps below should answer the other foto questions.

From Mystery Foto #46 Solved: A 1956 Aerial of the Meadowbrook Parkway and Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall Under Construction

Field #3 is a real mystery.
All the other designations make sense and, as you note, correspond to actual airports.
But a third in the area?  Never heard of it.

From Cradle of Aviation Archives: The 1918 Curtiss Engineering Corporation Flying Map of Long Island

The location of the photographer would be in a flying machine over the furthest south west corner of Old Westbury. The view of the picture is south. The Northern State Parkway is running east / west at the bottom of the picture with Glen Cove Road crossing under it heading south. The Meadowbrook Parkway interchange/extension is under construction as well as Roosevelt Field shopping mall. The picture was probably taken around 1955 considering that the mall opened in 1956 as well as the Meadowbrook Parkway extension. LIMP can be seen on the left side of the photo winding through Mineola and Carle Place then turning east through Garden City.

From Mystery Foto #46 Solved: A 1956 Aerial of the Meadowbrook Parkway and Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall Under Construction

Such an exciting quest for Tucker treasure! Please consider producing repros…at least a base. My gold example is lacking its ashtray…sigh.

From Tucker’s Promotional Desk Set Origin Discovered!

An additional map indicating the rerouting.  From the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of August 12, 1928.

From The Expansion of Union Turnpike and the Relocation of the Motor Parkway East of Winchester Boulevard

Ahhh! It just occurred to me that the small illuminating keychain cast metal Tucker ornament that was not a completely accurate reproduction of the Tucker Automobile came from that same Budd Casting Company. At one of your gatherings I showed it to either Sean or Mike. The absence of the third headlight quickly eliminated it as being a Tucker but the rest of the body was close to design spec. We did originally purchase it at the Bruce Museum gift shop in Greenwich Ct. The museum is only a few miles from New Canon Ct. The item was labeled as a Tucker so I suspect the Budd group had other molds that including the one of the keychain item that were modified after the collapse of the Tucker organization to keep them productive and sellable without crossing any patent or copyright restrictions. Factory owners with dies and molds are very protective of their ownership of their designs.

From Tucker’s Promotional Desk Set Origin Discovered!

Great adventure story about the Tucker Desk Sets highlighted by a possible bear trophy to put on the wall of the shop in Roslyn! I hope that Budd Casting is not near Wavney Park where the car shows used to be before the pandemic.

From Tucker’s Promotional Desk Set Origin Discovered!

Hazelhurst Field #1 would become Roosevelt Field amd Hazelhurst Field #2 adjacent to Camp Mills would become Mitchel Field. 

What area today would Field #3 be in?  Looks like it was in the vicinity of Uniondale (aka, East Hempstead’).

From Cradle of Aviation Archives: The 1918 Curtiss Engineering Corporation Flying Map of Long Island

Photo is oriented towards the South.  In the foreground is the Northern State Parkway, running East to West. left to right.  Nearby is Glen Cove Road heading South towards Garden City.

Construction area is the soon to be interchange of Meadowbrook (one word) Parkway with the Northern State.  Adjacent to the Meadowbrook is where the Mall occupies the former Roosevelt Field flying field. 

In the distance in the top left corner of the photo are runways at Mitchel Field.  The LILCO ‘Gas Heats Best’ tower can be seen nearby right behind Stewart Avenue and immediately North of the Base. 

Construction on the Meadowbrook commenced in December, 1954 and was opened in mid 1956.  Photo is likely from 1955 or thereabouts. 

The remnant of the LIMP is immediately South of the Mall along the Ring Road and immediately North of Stewart Avenue.

From Mystery Foto #46 Solved: A 1956 Aerial of the Meadowbrook Parkway and Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall Under Construction

Think WPIX was Channel 11. Interesting to hear his voice,seemed to have an accent somewhat.

From Film of the Week: Henry Austin Clark, Jr Being Interviewed on Automotive Technology in 1968

The photographer is looking south over Carle Place and Mineola towards Garden City. Major roads are Northern State Parkway, Glen Cove Road, Westbury Avenue, Old Country Road and Stewart Avenue (near the striped tank). Construction sites are the Meadowbrook Parkway extension and Roosevelt Field Shopping Center. Aviation areas are Roosevelt / Hazelhurst Field, Mitchel Field and the Curtiss Factory. In addition to Roosevelt Field, the other shopping area is E. J. Korvette’s on Westbury Avenue. Since Korvette’s appears to have a full parking field and it opened in 1954 and the ground breaking for the Meadowbrook Parkway was in December, 1953 and its construction is still in its early stages, I believe the date is 1954. The link to the L.I.M.P is you can still see the right-of-way on the right side of the photo heading south under Old Country Road to where it crossed over Clinton Road before heading east behind Roosevelt Field Mall.

From Mystery Foto #46 Solved: A 1956 Aerial of the Meadowbrook Parkway and Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall Under Construction