Vanderbilt Cup Races

Congratulations for wining at the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance.
Great pictures and Video of Tucker # 1044.
If you live in New York, February is the best time of year to attend a Florida Concours show.

From Tucker 1044 Honored with Best in Class and Billy Gardell Trophies at Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance

Anyone have any pictures of any fire trucks or know what kind of fire trucks were there? And where they might be now?

From What was the Long Island Automotive Museum?

Correction - Old concrete is in front of new concrete in picture.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documentation of the First 15 Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges in Nassau County

Three more docs.

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved:The Intersection of Old Country Road & Post Avenue in Westbury (1908 & 2020)

Intersection of Old Country Road and Barnum (Whaleneck, Merrick) Avenues in Westbury.  Looking west down OCR on the right side, south looking down Barnum Ave. on the left. 

Identify the building in the Mystery Foto? Name one or more restaurants that were located in this corner over the last 112 years?

Schmidt’s Meadow Brook Hotel (Henry and then Carl prop.); Baci.  There was another Meadowbrook Hotel in Hempstead near the Belmont estate (Front Street) in the 20s.

The course was changed so that racers would not have to use Whaleneck Avenue to get to the Motor Parkway part of the course.  It was moved a little west to Ellison Avenue.  Is that a Motor Parkway bridge further to the south behind the hotel?

From Mystery Foto #7 Solved:The Intersection of Old Country Road & Post Avenue in Westbury (1908 & 2020)

I just walked the LIMP at great neck South campus. I believe that my theory that the grade was lowered is correct. It is clear that starting approximately 75 feet east of the lodge that the concrete extensions west bound are different than what continues east of that point. The concrete is of a different age. As well different materials were used in the aggregate. The newer concrete has crushed bluestone mixed in the aggregate which I doubt was available when the original extensions were added on the LIMP. There is currently a 6 to 7 foot elevation difference between the road and the foundation of the lodge/current house. It’s more likely that the elevation of the original LIMP was close to even with the lodge. The original LIMP most likely continued to rise as it curved south towards the Lakeville Road bridge.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documentation of the First 15 Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges in Nassau County

Brian - re #19 and Old Homestead road, I amended that after reading #20 but it never made it to the blog.  As to Dave’s puzzlement re the 3’ extensions on the Lakeville-to-NSP stretch above, add me to the list of the puzzled.  Could it be that this was the entry ramp, *NOT* the RoW?  Consider how far south it is from the old lodge-cum-kitchen.  Someone get out the old plats/maps and the GPS, please.  Sam, III

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documentation of the First 15 Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges in Nassau County

Brian, After the 1927 Belcher Hyde Atlas of Nassau County we see various versions of development in and around the southern part of the Hempstead Spur. In 1926 the Parkway sold that portion of the spur below the 50 foot wide section to a Jacob Breen. He later sold it to developers who laid out a sub-division called Marvin Terrace which had California Ave. extended north of Hempstead Tpke. to the top of the sub-division. There already was a road of sorts there which on early maps was referred to as “Highway” leading from Scott’s to Wright Fowler’s, most likely just a dirt lane with no official dedication. As we know there was no development in this area as the government acquired all the property up to the Oliver W. Bird estate for the extension of Mitchel Field.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Part 2- Mapping the Motor Parkway, Mitchel Field & Mitchel Gardens

I still remember a color image of the demolition on the cover of Long Island Magazine (which came with Sunday Newsday), but I swear it only included the cupola tilted over. If I recall, the magazine was published in 1975. I never even knew about the place until I saw that article.

From Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Garden City Hotel Being Demolished in 1973

I know why the LIMP is interesting to me, but can’t figure why a road that only existed in minds and maps? A crystal clear 1940 aerial came upon me here. Interesting because it shows the old and new at the same time. I added information from a couple of older maps below. Fairview Blvd isn’t carved out yet on the aerial, but presently is just E/O and parallel with Surrey La. I didn’t line in the proposed Hempstead Spur, but I agree with the below 1923 and 1939 atlases.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Part 2- Mapping the Motor Parkway, Mitchel Field & Mitchel Gardens

Graham: Look up Richland ave and Hollis Hills Terrace in Queens. Turn around and you will see the bridge.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documentation of the 12 Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges in Queens

Matt, thanks for feedback, and can anyone confirm what Matt is suggesting? I always thought this stretch from Lakeville Rd east past the fields was original LIMP. Am I wrong?? The school rebuilt a road that close to the original LIMP with concrete extensions on each side? Really??

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documentation of the First 15 Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges in Nassau County

Photo #33 that’s the R34 coming in!  Important photo.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documentation of the Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges in Nassau County (#28-#42)

Very interesting collection and comments. I enjoyed looking it over very much. Thanks, Art!

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Part 2- Mapping the Motor Parkway, Mitchel Field & Mitchel Gardens

I never really watched ‘Mike and Molly’, but do remember Billy Gardell on the past ‘Yes Dear’ sitcom. Growing a stache looks right on him : ). Any chance Sharon is related to Howie Mandel ? Like the “power skateboard” that was captured in the video!
________________________________
Howard Kroplick

Sharon was married to my wonderful brother-in-law Jack Mandel.
The power skateboard following Tucker 1044 was really cool!

From Tucker 1044 Honored with Best in Class and Billy Gardell Trophies at Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance

Al - Just a guess but I noticed on some of the old maps the proposed Hempstead Spur is depicted somewhere between Clinton Rd and Merrick Ave, and always starting with a curve on the north end. I’ve also noticed the spur’s location slightly different for each map. I based my findings of its location from a survey (below) that shows a north exit/entrance plaza instead, accessible from either direction, and located at the end of the Clinton Rd curve just east of Raymond Ct. The survey at the curve shows a bearing of N 73*36’50” E, equivalent to the actual curve’s coordinate N 40*43’59.53”,  W 73*36’50.00”. Another sketch shows Meadow Brook St. (Rd.) at the southern end of the spur, and Fairview Av. (Blvd.) running parallel just to the west of the spur. There’s also the Hempstead/Garden City boundary line defining the wider southern exit/entrance plaza, north of Fulton Ave. I’m not entirely confident the proposed spur was correctly drawn on the maps

Map link:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1396j0_672hYkvbcNFJInbc1mXNJspD9f&ll=40.7234069836966,-73.60931890643269&z=15

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Part 2- Mapping the Motor Parkway, Mitchel Field & Mitchel Gardens

As long as we’re at today’s 106 and Jericho Pike, the common area just north of the Pike, where 106 and 107 are coincident, hosted the Maine Maid Inn (now reborn as Scotto’s One North, 4 Old Jericho Tpke.), Valentine Hicks’ 1789 home, famed as a stop on the Underground Railroad.  When the roads were widened ca. 1980{?}, the area was totally chaotic and the Inn was all-but -inaccessible so they put up a hand-painted wooden sign in the form of an arrow pointing to the east along Old Cedar Swamp Road, mis-labled “TOMAINE MAID”.  This was before cell phone cameras and how I wish I’d remembered to go back with a film camera (or to have “acquired” the sign when the roads were finished)!  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #6 Solved: The Jericho Turn in Jericho on a Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

I have seen, and sat in this Tucker many times, the car is amazing, and very roomy inside.  The Tucker was very advanced for a car built in the 40’s.

From Tucker 1044 Featured in Newsday's "In The Garage"

Re. The Hempstead Spur. Never been able to discover why the spur starts with a curve from the Parkway .  If built, motorists heading east would have had a awkward turn onto the spur. For those coming from the east were the to cross the westbound lane or did the Parkway plan to go under/over the west bound lane. Anyone?

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Part 2- Mapping the Motor Parkway, Mitchel Field & Mitchel Gardens

Sam III - There are a few blogs here on the site that explains how Old Homestead Lane came to be. If you search - Old Homestead - it’ll lead you to the blog. This area was developed in the mid 1990’s, and I never thought to explore this location prior. The images here show what a hidden treasure it was.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documentation of the First 15 Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges in Nassau County