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The six Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910 were the greatest sporting events of their day, and the first international automobile road races held in the United States. The races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways. This site provides comprehensive information on the races, the Long Island Motor Parkway and current Long Island automotive events, car shows and news.
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Recent Comments
Can you see any of these in Google street view? I tried to look up “The Hollis Hills Terrace Bridge in Queens,” but it’s obviously not the right place (*image att).
From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documentation of the 12 Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges in Queens
These photos are amazing. Glad they have been shared. Bob
From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documentation of the 12 Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges in Queens
The tree-filled oasis of the Ladenburg property with windmill in Salisbury, once home to young Eleanor Roosevelt gave this mystery away. Ladenburg Drive, winding through the oasis still exists today. Motor Parkway road crew had just begun clearing the way for construction of the Meadow Brook lodge (1908-1954) in East Garden City/Salisbury. Merrick Av (Whaleneck Rd/Post Rd) with electric poles can be seen passing across the center of photo. A bridge will soon be built for the parkway to pass over it. The open field on opposite side of Merrick Av is location of today’s Eisenhower Park’s (Salisbury Links) golf course. This location was also the starting point of the wider 22 ft LIMP that stretched to the Bethpage lodge (8.7 mi). The remaining parkway was built 16 ft wide, and later expanded as well. Photographer was looking east sometime in 1908. VCR races that started/passed through here were 1908-10. This 112 year old photo is in excellent condition of superb quality. Thank you GC Archives for sharing these gems.
Map link below
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1396j0_672hYkvbcNFJInbc1mXNJspD9f&ll=40.7388159479613,-73.57961075938374&z=16
From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: The Motor Parkway West of Merrick Avenue Under Construction in 1908
I have so many pix of some of these posted (and so many missing - sorry) that I wouldn’t know where to start but <http://sbiii.com/limp-qn1.html>, et seq., would be good. Wheeler #1 is at <http://sbiii.com/limp-qn3.html#wheeler> in May 2008 in great detail. Note in Art’s posted aerial above that the Wheeler #1 underpass was active up to the end but #2 seems to have no trace of use by 1924. Another fab. post, Art; thanks.
From Kleiner's Kolumn: Documentation of the 12 Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges in Queens
Thanks Al, I went back on Thursday and found what u and Sam and Robert are referring to.
See attached. Very accessible. In fact this morning I found some pics on the blog I had put up in 2015 showing it. Don’t remember having found it before but I had.
From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: The New Hyde Park Road Motor Parkway Bridge Abutment
The house and mill tower in the distance are dead give-aways to the “van Somebody”‘s farm-cum-estate in Roslyn - further deponent sayeth not (not without cheating), although a wild guess would put it at Guinea Woods Road looking west. This should prove verrrrry interesting. Sam, III
From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: The Motor Parkway West of Merrick Avenue Under Construction in 1908
If we move my red line westerly, then, and overlay the LIMP in white, the item in question makes sense as a wing wall or abutment for the Moses NSP/LIMP bridge. Funny, though, how if you even sneeze limply, it now is far more significant than it might have been 20-30 years ago. Explorers; forward march! Sam, III
From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: The New Hyde Park Road Motor Parkway Bridge Abutment
I have no clue. Is that the cupola of the Garden City Hotel in the center left?
From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: The Motor Parkway West of Merrick Avenue Under Construction in 1908
Art, I ‘m familiar to what Sam is referring to. I came across the same about 20 years ago. I was told at the time that it was part of the embankment of the Motor Parkway bridge that Moses built over the Northern State. Even then we had to remove about 2 feet of brush to uncover it. Never gave it much thought since it wasn’t part of the original.
From Mystery Foto #2 Solved: The New Hyde Park Road Motor Parkway Bridge Abutment
The aerial of the “new” Francis Lewis Blvd. can’t be from 1941. Although the extension of the Blvd (I remember the original 3-lane in each direction concrete road) had been built, it wasn’t opened until one year after the War when lampposts for lighting were installed.
The shot looking west is beautiful. The main road towards the left is Union Tpke., which had been extended from Homelawn Street/Utopia Pkwy, as part of a WPA project. In this regard, a portion of the Hillcrest Country Club Golf course can be seen at the southwest corner of the intersection. land was eventually sold to St. John’s, which built its University there during the 50s and 60s, except for big gray building on a rise in the middle of the tract. In the early 50s my mother and I would change buses from the Q17 to the Q17a at the intersection; the Q17 cut west on Horace Harding, while the Q17a cut east, which then took us to Francis Lewis Blvd, four blocks from our house.
From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #2 73rd Avenue Bridge in Fresh Meadows, Queens
Looking East from the west side of Merrick Avenue (formerly Whaleneck Road) in eastern Garden City and towards present day Eisenhower Park. In the distance is Mrs. Ladenburg’s windmill and tree lined estate. The 1908, 09 and 10 races ran through here.
From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: The Motor Parkway West of Merrick Avenue Under Construction in 1908
It’s now nine years later that I’m reading what I wrote in 2011. Of course, the LIE didn’t exist when we moved to Fresh Meadows; construction started in 1957-58. It was Horace Harding Blvd., which was dangerous to cross. The only way to do it safely was to cross the “service road” first to a “median” between the main road and the service road, similar to Ocean Pkwy in Bklyn, stop, wait for the light to change, and then cross over to the next “service road.” My house is just out of view (199th St. and 51st Ave) looking north from the Francis Lewis, Horace Harding, Hollis Court Blvd. intersection (what a mess with all of the lights). Thank you, again, for the memories.
From The Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #1 North Hempstead Turnpike Bridge in Fresh Meadows
Watched the show Winning Amelia, and recorded it on my DVR. Great show, have watched it twice so far. Thank’s for taking your Tucker to Florida last year so that so many people could enjoy seeing it along with the other cars. Amelia Island Concours is the Best of the best.
From Video: "Winning Amelia" with Tucker 1044
Just ran across this old blog and new comment. Dunno ‘bout Clye Latta but note the Maxwell name on Eddie’s shirt (as opposed to the cap): “Max Well”! Also note the windscreen - it’s quite literally a screen! Sam, III
From Eddie Rickenbacker and the Vanderbilt Cup Races
Judging by what appears to be the Ladenburg windmill in the distance, I think we’re looking east with Merrick Avenue (Whale Neck Avenue) in the foreground. Could the workers be preparing the site for the Meadowbrook Lodge? The 1908, 1909, and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Races ran through this section.
From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: The Motor Parkway West of Merrick Avenue Under Construction in 1908
Another article mentioning Willie K. and the Links Golf Club. From The New York Times of August 20, 1989.
From Mystery Foto #3 Solved: The Links Golf Course's Private Opening on the Motor Parkway in Searingtown
Looking east towards the Salisbury section of Westbury/East Meadow. The Ladenburg estate is in the distance, with its windmill.
Road would be Merrick Ave., named Whaleneck Ave. at the time.
Vanderbilt Cup Races of 1908-1910.
From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: The Motor Parkway West of Merrick Avenue Under Construction in 1908
Good one here - they’re waiting for Micro Center to open for the big computer sale !! Looks like we are facing east from the west side of Merrick Avenue (Whaleneck Ave) and they are getting ready to build the bridge and toll lodge from that side of Merrick Avenue. The Ladenburg property windmill in the distance gives it away but its fantastic to see the actual ground breaking before anything really gets done. The races were 1908 and 1910 there.
From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: The Motor Parkway West of Merrick Avenue Under Construction in 1908
Identify the location of the Mystery Foto and orientation of the photographer. Provide a rationale.
-Seeing the Ladenburg windmill and tree line is like recognizing a city skyline far off in the distance. We’re looking East at the estate, standing almost about where the Meadow Brook lodge will be. This is a great photo!
Identify the road in the Mystery Foto including its original name.
Merrick Ave (Whaleneck Ave)
What years were the Vanderbilt Cup Races run on this section of the course?
-1908, 1909, 1910
From Mystery Foto #5 Solved: The Motor Parkway West of Merrick Avenue Under Construction in 1908
I have several photos that my Dad had shot while he worked the race circuit as a ride along mechanic from 1911-15. He was one of the Santa Barbara Naval Reserve Volunteers joined in 1915 and entered WW1 as QM2 later advanced to ACMM. I have one the may have your uncle with Eddie Rickenbacker.
From Eddie Rickenbacker and the Vanderbilt Cup Races
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