Vanderbilt Cup Races

Grew up with Seabees (Repubic, that is) on LI’s South Shore and in the Adirondacks and Canada but had forgotten all about the S-L!  Thanks muchly.  That float-cum-gear is wild!  Looks like I’m a’gonna love this new deviation (flight?) from the LIMP/VCR.  Off to North Beach (Marine Air Terminal) after Port?  I’m “into” flying boats (along with so much else!).  Sam, III

From Flying Boat/Seaplane of the Week: Spencer-Larsen SL-12C Amphibian NX-20621

Well, it has to be the 1937 VCR because of the track configuration, running across the’37 course.  We’re over Westbury, looking south over Old Country Road with Whaleneck Riad-cum-Merrick Avenue along the left side and with the LIMP and Stewart Avenue across the top and Carle Road and West Owen Street “V"ing off at the lower right.  Merrick Avenue bridge, lodge, and access at upper left.  Temp. access to track to the right of lodge.  Grandstand and all facilities of ‘36-‘37 VCRs.  Large white building is last hangar on OCR left from eastern Roosevelt Field; later Fairchild, now Buy-Buy Baby, next to Meadowbrook Parkway cloverleaf.  Fairchild Aerial Survey?  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

We are looking south over Westbury with Old Country Road, The LIMP, and Stewart Avenue the main east-west roads. On the left is Merrick Road. The LIMP and VCR structures visible are: Meadowbrook Lodge; bridge over Merrick Road; course layouts for both the 1936 & 1937 Vanderbilt Races; bridge over the LIMP from Stewart Avenue to Roosevelt Field. Not sure but I think I can see the other bridge over the LIMP to the polo fields and possibly a very faint outline of the temporary road connecting Ellison Road to the LIMP. The large white building was originally built as a hangar for the eastern section of Roosevelt Field and later re-purposed into the Administration Building & Bar for Roosevelt Raceway. Braman Butters Survey Team took the photo. The date is probably late 1937 or early 1938 since you can still see the courses for the 1936-37 races, yet there is no evidence of the midget race car track or early attempts at horse racing.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

Reference was made to an extant seaplane base there but it’s some 300 yards to the northwest in Sands Point, as shown at upper left on the attached Google Maps pic.  Also, it may be hard to realize just how gigantic the Boeing 314 Clipper really was; it used the wings and engines of the huge Boeing B-15 (NOT the “tiny” B-17) and I’ve attached an outline of the 314 with a Douglas Dolphin for comparison.  Sam, III

From Update: Beutenmuller Family Collection #1: Searching for the Port Washington Seaplane Terminals

Ah - the N. Y. Mus. of Sci. & Ind.!  I spent my every free moment there as a pre-teen, even getting locked in twice and leaving a sickbed to attend the final auction in Manhattan (the wall of gears and levers is up here at Boston’s Mus. of Sci.).  The top two factory photos sure look like that’s the Dodge Chicago WWII aero engine-cum-Tucker plant in the background, the seldom photographed side or back wall.  Sam, III

From The First New York Public Showing of Tucker '48 in August 1947

White building is a hanger, on Old Country rd. running east to west. The 9 rd’s running north to south and then from east to west are
Ellison,Manhattan,Albany,Evelyn,Rockaway,Gordon,Bert,Owen Ave’s and Carle rd.
The rd running east to west in the center of these 9 ave’s is Broadmore. On the right side corner of Ellison and Old C.Rd. is the WAGON WHEEL Restaurant.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

They also relied on a 1941 Oldsmobile that served as a sort of body buck for the prototype, Tucker Tin Goose.
As each part of the new Tucker body was finished the original part from the Olds was junked, so when they got through about the only parts that remained from the original body were the roof, which had been completely reshaped, and door handles, window mechanisms, locks and hardware - parts that were the same whether they came from another automobile or from the manufacturer’s bins.

From The First New York Public Showing of Tucker '48 in August 1947

The Tin Goose original pictures and newspaper stories are wonderful to look at and read. Great find and addition to your collection.
The Tin Goose is in the Swigart Museum in Huntingdon PA. I have it on my list of places to visit.

From The First New York Public Showing of Tucker '48 in August 1947

Photographer was facing south. Major roads running horizontal and from the bottom to the top are Old Country rd, Long Island Motor pkwy and Stewart ave. Running vertical on left side is Whaleneck ave (now Merrick Ave), and in the foreground are Ellison ave and Carle rd.
The Meadowbrook Lodge was a toll station for the LIMP. I circled the location in the attached photo. Unfortunately it would only be used for one more year before the LIMP went out of business. Other structure are the administration building in white and numerous grandstands surrounding the track.
The white building served as the administration building for the Vanderbilt Raceway and previously was an airplane hanger located in Roosevelt airfield #2.
The photographer I believe is John Drennan of Mineola.
Year of photo is 1937. Rationale is because many of the racers from the 1936 race did not like the flat and windy course so they changed it where there was less turns and longer straightaways which this course has. This course also had banked turns which the 1936 race did not have.  1938 and ‘39 had midget car racing but no midget car track in this photo.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

Aerial facing to the South. 

Automotive racetrack at the eastern end of Roosevelt Field after the curves were eliminated in 1937 and replaced by long straightaways for high speed runs by the grandstand for spectator delight.

Adjacent to the track is one of the auxiliary Polo fields. 

LIMP is seen running East-West above the racetrack.  Above that, Stewart Avenue running parallel to it.  Above that, LIRR Central line running parallel to both.

Houses along North Road, Ellington Avenue East, Ellington Avenue West, Bane Road and main entrance at Selfridge Avenue at Mitchel Field seen above all three. 

Merrick Ave, running top to bottom on the left.  Key shaped road leading to the Meadow Brook Lodge entrance to the LIMP is visible.  Meadow Brook Club Road leading to the golf course seen at top left.  Not easy to make out but the railroad bridge where it intersects with the MBC Road is there (and still is to this day!). 

Noticeably absent are the homes at Mitchel Gardens near Stewart Ave.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

Loved the ‘flying ship’ videos.  I would have liked a ride at that time.  And if I were a young man, I would have become a pilot.

Re: Port Washington Marine Air Terminal
At the Nassau Photo Archives where I volunteer, until our Covid-19 layover, we have photos in our Aviation Archives.  I’d be glad to look at what we have, once we get back to ‘working’.
JF Purcell
Volunteer, Nassau County Photo Archives

From Update: Beutenmuller Family Collection #1: Searching for the Port Washington Seaplane Terminals

Mr. Howard Kroplick , Once again I have the opportunity to compliment you on the quality of your historic scholarship. The new series respecting the history of the Port Washington Seaplane Terminals is breath taking. Thanks to the generosity of the heirs of William Beutenmuller the huge collection of photo images can now be shared with the public. Thank you for providing and continuing to expand this remarkable look into the history of seaplane aviation. The images are amazing.
Please stay well. Sincerely , Jonathan B. Richards II at Chesterfield, Missouri.

From Update: Beutenmuller Family Collection #1: Searching for the Port Washington Seaplane Terminals

Picture is looking south over Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury
Major roads, horizontal from south to north: Stewart Avenue, LIMP, Old Country Rd
On left vertical, Merrick Avenue

LIMP is seen running left to right, past the Meadowbrook Polo grounds
Can also see Meadowbrook lodge at intersection of Merrick Ave and LIMP.

The large white building was a hangar for Roosevelt Field. It was converted into the Administration building for the new Roosevelt Raceway in 1936.
It had a restaurant/bar in the back, with a great mural behind the bar- see pictures

Date of picture is between 1936 ( when Raceway openend) and 1940. The Merrick avenue bridge is still there ( that went away in the 1940s. Also, no Roosevelt Harness Horse racing loop, which started in the 1940s.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

Hi Howard,
I live on Manhasset Isle, a short walk away from the seaplane site.  When it’s low tide, the remnants of the loading ramp are completely visible.  There’s also the remnant nearby of a concrete marker with “fuel” engraved on it.

From Update: Beutenmuller Family Collection #1: Searching for the Port Washington Seaplane Terminals

R. Troy - apparently not but a reproduction from the original plans does: <https://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z15142/packard-model-k-s-gray-wolf.aspx>.  As to the looks, the famous Packard grille was dispensed with to streamline the one-off racer.  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: The Packard Gray Wolf Takes a Turn During the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Identify the location and the orientation of the photographer and the major roads seen in the Mystery Foto
-Roosevelt Raceway along Old Country Rd horizontally lower center, Merrick Ave/Whaleneck Ave along left edge, Ellison rd lower left, -looking Southward
Identify the structures associated with the Long Island Motor Parkway and the Vanderbilt Cup Races
-1936/37 VCR grandstands, Meadow Brook Lodge, Merrick Ave bridge, Roosevelt Field Bridge
What was the history of the large white building in the middle of the aerial?
-Roosevelt Field hangar used for storage during raceway times.
Which aerial survey team took this photo?
-Survey Team: Braman-Butters
What year was the aerial taken? Provide a rationale.
1937 -1937 VCR course looks fairly recent and there is no midget car racing track yet

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

A comprehensive profile of Percival Spencer has been added to the post.

From Flying Boat/Seaplane of the Week: Spencer-Larsen SL-12C Amphibian NX-20621

Does the car still exist?  Only Packard I’ve ever seen, photo or in person, that doesn’t look like a Packard.

From Mystery Foto #14 Solved: The Packard Gray Wolf Takes a Turn During the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race

It’s the Roosevelt Raceway auto track, where the 1936 and 1937 Vanderbilt Cup Races were held. The photographer is looking south.

To the left (east) is Merrick Avenue (aka Post, Whaleneck, Barnum Ave.) Traveling south on Merrick, you cross the Motor Parkway, then Stewart Avenue. The road branching to the southwest at the extreme top left of the Foto is what I believe to be Westbury Avenue, part of which still exists in Hempstead Village.

To the north of the track are the “stadium” stands on either side of the white building. North of the stands is Old Country Road, and north of that is a grid of streets in Westbury Village (the crooked one at lower right is Carle Road).

To the south of the track are the grandstands, and south of the grandstands (the big rectangle) is the Meadow Brook Polo Club.

I have no clue about the white building. The aerial survey team has probably been mentioned in posts past, but I don’t know who they are. My guess is the picture was taken around 1938, after the second VCR and before the track was re-configured for Midget racing in 1939. Also, no houses on the Westbury streets says probably pre-WWII.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939

Roosevelt Raceway.  Home of the VCR in the 1930’s.  I can see the LIMP Roosevelt Field bridge.  And its twin sitting right next to it.  I can see the Meadowbrook lodge.  I can see the LIMP bridge over Merrick Rd.  I am looking south.  I do not know the building on Old Country Rd, but I do remember it still being there.

From Mystery Foto #15 Solved: An Aerial of Roosevelt Raceway and Westbury Circa 1937-1939