Vanderbilt Cup Races

Thank you Bill, very well stated indeed.
Those of us that own antique cars and always support the annual Garden City Easter parade run by the Chamber of Commerce should note what is or isn’t happening. Perhaps this is our opportunity to “protest” ( the new popular word for everything) as we see nothing being accomplished .

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

You don’t preserve something by burying it. You only bury the dead! No one would preserve their car by burying it. You bring it back to it’s former glory. I think their idea of preservation is a cop out to not spend money to do what is necessary. It seems to me in this time of election and re election the opportunity to get some local politician behind the proper preservation is timely.

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

I totally support this effort. Based upon the generous contribution you and Al are offering Howard, I think the Village of Garden City should accept your proposal. I also enthusiastically support Al’s suggestions for preserving the historical sections still available for use as a reminder of this historic part of Long Island history. I hope the village cooperates!

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

We are looking east-south-east above East Garden City / Westbury with the LIMP in the upper right quadrant of the photo along with the Meadowbrook Lodge and the bridge over Merrick Avenue. This section of the LIMP was part of the course for the 1908, 1909 and 1910 V. C. Races. The plane is a Curtiss B-2 “Condor” and the Curtiss Company had a plant just out of view off the lower right of the photo. The golf course is the Old Westbury Club (Intercollegiate Golf Club). Since the “Condor” was operational for the US Army only from 1929-1932, the photo should be from about then. The special road going from lower left and connecting with the LIMP was built as an extension of Ellison Avenue to allow access from Jericho Tpke. for the 1908 race and again in 1909 and 1910 from Old Country Road.

From Mystery Foto #42 Solved: A 1929 Curtiss B-2 Condor Bomber Flyover Over Roosevelt Field, Merrick Avenue and the Motor Parkway

Yeah, riiight, Sheri!  Kroplick and Velocci Concretes?  At least, I saved my post from a scrap heap (out by the Commack Spur, with permission).  If the personage who now has it in his/her possession would give it up, it might be added to the display (with ribbon wire).  Keep pressing on, regardless!  Sam, III

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

The 1951 NYC aerial makes the relationships easier to see, even though the trees in the upper right of the mystery photo no longer exists. By 1951, the demapped Peck Ave is being erased and the Central RR ROW from Kingsbury SE is being filled in to form Steward Road. Although a bit grainy in the photo posted, there is clearly a tree on the curve overhanging the parkway.

Also note the location of the continuation of the Central RR ROW. I conclude that the original bridge was partly “over” the future Bell Blvd., not slightly west as drawn in an illustration above. (Topographic Bureau maps circa 1950 support my conclusion.)

As a child I always imagined that what Brian shows in his picture was the Central RR roadbed because it crossed the LIMP and continued on the other side. If you measure distances to the new bridge and various angles you will discover that one is mostly looking at the remains of the demapped Peck Ave. on both sides of the LIMP.

In the 1951 aerial, you can see how Peck and the original LIMP path merged and what I know realize is the LIMP path I though years ago was a trail blazed for convenience. So somewhere on Brian’s fork one could see the original LIMP path weakly, but on my last visit over one year ago, foliage obscured that.

Finally, for those not familiar with this area I wanted to show how Peck Ave abruptly ends in the area. That’s an easy way into the LIMP, if you don’t mind walking through underbrush. Amazingly, I discovered a tree that is the right age and species to one of the trees in the 1938 photo! I sspect this tree is the tree above the S in the label CIRCLED TREES, which forms part of the upper right tree line in the original mystery photo.

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

I would like to confirm Howard’s assertion and offer some more details using digital editing techniques.
By inverting the photo and enhancing contrast, the “mystery word” is CAUTION (part of C and the N is not visible), which makes sense as bikers are about to cross a bridge.
Paying attention to the tree and tree line in the mystery photo enables one to match trees to various aerials and look for a narrowing of parkway just before a curve (traveling west).
Elsewhere, Howard has a June 1938 aerial, a close date to the August 1938 date of photo. I have both warped and inverted that aerial and labeled the “circled trees,” the only stand of trees that match the upper left tree line in the mystery photo. (The top picture has EAST on the top, the bottom has WEST on the top.) Note that Peck Ave is being constructed, although part will be demapped by 1951. The Xs are the photographer position and the horizontal slash over which Peck Ave crosses is Bell Blvd.

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

It’s a tough call here. When Lord Elgin ‘stole’ sections of the Parthenon frieze, the so called Elgin marbles, it was looked at as a desecration and as ruining the integrity of the Parthenon. Yet, when Kroplick & Velocci saved these LIMP posts they helped to preserve and to now be reunited with their original location and purpose. This donation of the posts provides a much needed context to appreciate this crucial period of transportation history.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Howard Kroplick, for the record, Al Velocci legally purchased these 10 posts in 1995 from a builder who had already removed them for a residential development.

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

I got a kick out of the 1907 description of “the old Vanderbilt Cup course”!  Old?  TWO whole years - wow!  Yes, I realize they were differentiating between the 1905 and 1906 courses but still it seems funny, now, 113 years later.  Sam, III

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 5 - A Proposed 2 Day 1907 Vanderbilt Cup Race on LI

The fellow standing next to Gill in the second DPL pic looks so familiar, even though facing away.  Mought’nt he be Jefferson De Mont Thompson, Chairman of the Vanderbilt Cup Commission?  Sam, III

From Kleiner's Korner: The Little Known (until now) 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Driver: Howard Gill

So much of Long Island’s history has been buried, bulldozed of just forgotten. Its a shame the towns and villages don’t support this history. We support any effort to preserve and educate the next generation of Long Islanders.

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

As one on many “friends” of the western terminus LIMP bike/hiking path who value that path as a community resource and appreciate its historical significance, I very much urge the Village of Garden City to accept your and Al’s generous proposal.

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

WOW!  My e-mail has been deluged with notices of all these responses!  I hope everyone writes to LETTERS TO THE EDITOR at The Garden City News as Rikki M. suggests, directed to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).  I have.  Sam, III

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

Well, I instantly thought Barling Bomber but no, it’s a Keystone (prev. Huff-Daland) LB-5A (Liberty engines, twin tail), based out of Mitchel Field.  Twin .303 Lewis guns in scarf mount in nose.  Incidentally, H-D/Keystone’s chief designer was James McDonnell and the firm ended up in Curtiss-Wright and some of the staff quit and became Grumman in Baldwin.  Ca. 1930 (LB-5A service).  Lotsa av. info. but where?  I am SO lost!  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #42 Solved: A 1929 Curtiss B-2 Condor Bomber Flyover Over Roosevelt Field, Merrick Avenue and the Motor Parkway

Al V., Simon ain’t likely to do any such thing but they MIGHT let US do so 9and, if we’re lucky, even pay for it).  Sam, III

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

Frank   Regarding your comments about Roosevelt Field/ Motor Parkway desecration… want to point out the east/west portion of Ring Rd. on the south side of Roosevelt Field is in the bed of the Parkway ROW. Would be nice the Simon Company would put up some signs acknowledging the Long Island Motor Parkway.

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

AL ,THANK YOU my friend. You have come up with a perfectly viable solution that GC couldn’t think of or perhaps thought was to much trouble to do so. The minds of historians and preservationists do not ( and have not?) go down the same path or better yet the same roadway ( parkway) ......
Walt G.

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

Howard, Regarding your comments to J. F….. West of the new parking field there is a large cleared area where it appears new underground utilities were installed in connection with the Residence Inn. This would be a perfect spot to locate an outdoor center commemorating all the history of the area. What I have in mind is something similar to the Sand miners pavilion near the Harbor Links Golf Course on West Shore Rd. in Port Washington.

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

Howard,
I very much support and appreciate your efforts to have this historic roadway restored.  I hope that Garden City Village will hear your request and act in an appropriate way to acknowledge the history of this site that has otherwise been subject to neglect, abuse and abandonment.  Please let us know the Village’s receptivity and response to your proposition.  Again, thanks for doing this and keeping the dream alive.

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

This appears to be the right time to propose what I have been thinking about to bring more awareness to the Motor Parkway in the Raymond Court area and save what is left. When I visited the Residence Inn I noticed several walkers and joggers exercising around the parking fields. Why not a circular jogging/walking path connecting the Motor Parkway and the Inn ?  A little west of the Motor Parkway ROW/ parking field there already exists a roadway from the Parkway north to the Residence Inn. The Parkway ROW exists east of Raymond Court to Ring Road/ Roosevelt Field. All that is lacking is the short section from the east end of the Parkway ROW north to the Inn. Between the Inn and Garden City Village that should be easy to accomplish.

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