Vanderbilt Cup Races

With their contacts in the automobile industry, Fred J. Wagner and Russell A. Field joined together in 1908 to form the Wagner-Field Automobile Advertising Agency.  Little doubt one of their first customers would be the Vanderbilt Cup Race, run the same month; the firm was tasked with promoting the grandstand and parking areas.  Wagner later returned in 1917 to be Advertising Manager to “The Horseless Age”, of which he left in 1911.  Articles courtesy of The Motor World, The Automobile and The Horseless Age.

From The Residence of the Starter of Five Vanderbilt Cup Races -Fred Wagner- Rediscovered in Smithtown

Frank, It’s not a pedestrian underpass under the Parkway on the south side of the LIRR at Central Park. It is a farmway underpass for William Stymus and I believe it is the only one. Stymus provided the property for the Parkway ROW on both the north and south side of the railroad and Central Avenue. On the south side of the tracks his property had it’s frontage on Central Avenue. The Parkway ROW cut off access to his property east of the Parkway. Thus the need for the underpass. The Parkway couldn’t build an overpass further south because the Stymus frontage didn’t reach far south enough. The Parkway was very fortunate that Stymus was willing to work with them, his cooperation meant the Parkway had to build only one bridge to cross both the LIRR and Central Avenue.

From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series #45: Central Avenue/LIRR Railroad Bridge in Bethpage

David, Always appreciated the article in the Lincoln Mercury Times, especially the sketches. Did you know if they still exist?

From Then & Now: The Bethpage Bikeway Section of the Motor Parkway in Old Bethpage

I added my film of the tour of the 1908 course. It may be Manetto Road.

From A Keystone View of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

As per the course description in Automobile topics, the only tree lined portion of the course as along Jericho Tpke and that certainly looks like it could be.

From A Keystone View of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Art’s picture almost looks like a tombstone!

From Sammy & Dave's "Excellent 2020 Vanderbilt Day": Scouting the South Side of Westbury Avenue in Mineola/Carle Place

Thanks for the additional information, Gary.
With a name like Schulchtner he should have changed it to a better screen name, perhaps Shatner? lol

From Kleiner's Korner: From the Helck Family Collection: Al Poole Wins at Brighton Beach in 1910 with a Little Known Mechanic

Appears Ulbert wasn’t cut out to be a mechanic after all : )

From Kleiner's Korner: From the Helck Family Collection: Al Poole Wins at Brighton Beach in 1910 with a Little Known Mechanic

Wow!  I can name an awful lot of LI airports within view of the LIMP but not a single one with equilateral runways!  With that huge plant, you’d think it had to be Grumman or Republic.  Verrrry interesting.  Ya got me, Umberto, baby!  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The Republic Airport in East Farmingdale in 1951

Al, I beg to differ.  The same argument was used for the LIPA BSP curve destruction - move the segment to a museum.  NO!  Don’t give an inch on this; there is absolutely no justification for this plan to cover over the LIMP RoW, which will destroy it.  Surely there must be some sane way to move GC away from this folly.  I pity the folks on Raymond Court; I well remember how upset they were when I parked there so many years ago (and that entailed only my one, small car).  Imagine what they will face now!  Put your thinking caps on, folks.  Find a way (please)!  Sam, III

From Update: Garden City Board of Trustees Met and Agreed Not to Destroy the Long Island Motor Parkway Pavement & Concrete

Additional attachments!!!

From Kleiner's Korner: From the Helck Family Collection: Al Poole Wins at Brighton Beach in 1910 with a Little Known Mechanic

Art, Since you stated that little is known about Schluchtner, I had to check out Ancestry, and I came up with a few things (see attached).  Ubert Carl Schluchtner was born June 6, 1886 in N.Y.  He was one of 5 children born to Charles William and Jennie A. Schluchtner.  He would get married on Oct. 20, 1927.  The earliest mention I could find was the 1892 NYS Census where 5 yr old Ubert & family lived at 257 Hooper St, Brooklyn.  His Dad’s occupation was in Iron.  In the 1900 U.S. Census 14 year old Ubert was living with his family at 55 Bedford St., Brooklyn.  The 1913 Brooklyn Directory listed him as: “Schluchtner Ubert auto supplies 1455 Bedford av H 551 Bedford av”.  The 1917 Draft Reg. lists him as still living at 551 Bedford av, but his occupation is now Vaudeville artist!  In 1920 he’s an Actor, and 5 years later listed as a Professional Actor, living at 2574 Bedford Ave.

From Kleiner's Korner: From the Helck Family Collection: Al Poole Wins at Brighton Beach in 1910 with a Little Known Mechanic

Sam. As you pointed out, we seem to keep losing what little is left of the Parkway. I wonder if we can partner with the Smithsonian Institute In this matter. In 2001 they acquired 12 sections of the original concrete Route 66 in Oklahoma These were installed in the National Museum of American History building It was quite an undertaking as each section weighed around 9300 pounds. If my recollection is right, the were made part of the floor of the permanent America on the Move exhibit which opened in 2003. I wonder if they would have an interest in acquiring a section of the Motor Parkway, it certainly has more of a history when it comes to automobiles and roadways. They already have the Vanderbilt Cup Race trophy, not on display though.

From Update: Garden City Board of Trustees Met and Agreed Not to Destroy the Long Island Motor Parkway Pavement & Concrete

Loved flying on the goose with Antilles Airboats in the 70’s.  I would ride in the co-pilot seat and hand crank the gear up before takeoff.  Those big radial engines sounded great taxiing up the ramp!

From Flying Boat/Seaplane of the Week: Grumman G-21 Goose "Duckling" (NC-1692) Owned by E. Roland Harriman

Brian, The Raymond Court residents are rightly furious as they were not even notified or made aware of the creation of the parking spaces on the Parkway ROW. Want to know how crazy the whole idea is ? It is going to cost almost $500,000 to build 45 parking spaces… And, those are going to be only on the south side of the ROW in a north/south alignment. If they put those spaces on the north side of the Parkway it,  wouldn’t be necessary to cover the concrete extensions Good point about the foul balls.

From Update: Garden City Board of Trustees Met and Agreed Not to Destroy the Long Island Motor Parkway Pavement & Concrete

*Location, Orientation, Airport:  East Farmingdale, Suffolk County NY. Viewing north & east, Republic Airport; previously Fairchild Airfield.

*Location of the LIMP:  Along the upper part of the image.

*Date:  Around 1950. Appears younger than 1947, but older than 1954.

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The Republic Airport in East Farmingdale in 1951

So very interesting details…Even the cashed check etc…

From Kleiner's Korner: From the Helck Family Collection: Al Poole Wins at Brighton Beach in 1910 with a Little Known Mechanic

1. I’m pretty sure it’s Republic Field, now a general aviaton airport. I took my son to flying lessons there starting when he was 11 years old. He is now a pilot for one of the majors. The view is looking NE. The runways were extended, realigned and redone through the years after the War.
2.  To the East is New Highway, north/south, with the Pinelawn Cemetery a little east and to the north, which is visible in the photo.
3.  Had to have been taken during WWII. The plant abuts to the north; cars can be seen in employees parking lot.
4.  The LIMP was way to the north on Rte. 110.
5.  A movie theatre, big box and other stores now exist where the plant and employee parking lot. I haven’t been back to Republic for 16 years, so I don’t know if the stores have changed.

From Mystery Foto #19 Solved: The Republic Airport in East Farmingdale in 1951

I was born in Brooklyn in 1948, but grew up in Fresh Meadows. When my friends and I rode our bikes on the “Vanderbilt Parkway” from the Peck Avenue entrance all the way to Creedmor, we kind of knew that it was an old road that was no longer in use. It would have been wonderful had we known its history and significance.

I’m now almost 72 years old and living in Phoenix. What I’ve come to learn through the years is that the aphorism “history informs the present” is true. Indeed, when I drove as a hack in the City during my law school years, I drove through the Central Park “transverses” frequently and appreciated that the design of the overpasses, which held the interior roadway around Central Park for horses and carriages during the 19th Century, and then motor vehicles during the 20th and 21st, until recently banned, foretold the future of limited access highways in NY.

In a word, it’s “disgraceful” that alternatives can’t be found for a parking lot so that the significance of the small extant portion of the pavement and extensions of the LIMP as it curves around Rossevelt Field can be preserved as part of a living historical museum, instead of hiding it and posting a plaque about it. To my mind, the entire Roosevelt Field area should be made a living history museum. As any trial lawyer knows, real evidence in three dimensions is more readily appreciated than two dimensional plane images (photographs or videos). Nassau County and the Village of Garden City, where I once had my office, must accept responsiblity to preserve what has been left of its past so that it can be appreciated today and for the generations to follow.

From Update: Garden City Board of Trustees Met and Agreed Not to Destroy the Long Island Motor Parkway Pavement & Concrete

Howard,
  I contacted the Garden City office Thursday but no one ever responded. I am glad it looks like we will at least preserve the ROW, unlike the loss in Levittown back back 2013

From Update: Garden City Board of Trustees Met and Agreed Not to Destroy the Long Island Motor Parkway Pavement & Concrete