Vanderbilt Cup Races

Thanks Howard for the link and kind words - much appreciated.

From Favorite Website: Art's Long Island Motor Parkway Site

I didn’t know these videos existed of the Vanderbilt Cup Races. What a treasure to have for our family. I am the youngest of 5 children of Jacob & Lillie Wagner. William Luttgen was my grandfather. Both my parents are deceased but they would have been so impressed with these videos. Thank you for the incredible research you have done and the wonderful memories you have created for generations to come.

From Driver Profile: William Luttgen Part IV -The 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Hi George:
8:00 PM

http://www.southoldhistoricalsociety.org/new_page_6.htm

Enjoy,

Howard

From The Public Roads of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

Howard,

What time is the presentation on Dec. 8 at the Southold Hist. Soc.?

From The Public Roads of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Course

Howard
Your continuing accurate documentation of one of the most important events and roads on long island and in American history is sincerely appreciated. It is wonderful to see the people and places that are part of this story getting their long over due recognition they so rightly deserve. Thank you for all of your efforts, please know it is sincerely appreciated.
Walter Gosden
former Vice President, Director, Editor -
The Society of Automotive Historians.
Historian for the Inc. Village of Floral Park.

From A Central Park/Bethpage Postcard from a Motor Parkway Worker

Great pictures of the work in progress.  As a postcard collector, I’ve never seen them.  Fascinating.

From A Central Park/Bethpage Postcard from a Motor Parkway Worker

Howard - thanks for the opportunity to provide comments:

1.  Levittown stretch for all the reasons above and two more - I live about 2 minutes from the grandstand site and there is also a stretch in Levittown before the grandstand site, along Salisbury Park Drive that could be included.  Here’s some more info. on that - http://www.freewebs.com/limparkway/levittownsalisburypkdr.htm

2.  Dead Man’s Curve - best example of how the Motor Parkway was developed including long stretches of the curved banking, many posts in the area, entact pieces of roadway, very tranquil, would possibly limit its current use as a teenage hangout, and maybe the most important, its close to the starting point of the Parkway and the groundbreaking ceremony.

From Opportunity to Provide Input on the Motor Parkway Trail

Howard,
Those are great photos!  Many I have never seen.
Thank you very much.

The riding mechanic on the Oldsmobile was Harry Miller. He of course went on to build some of the most successful Indy race cars of all time.

Lee Stohr

From Starting Lineup: The 1906 American Elimination Trial

Hi Mitch:
At this point, you can not do a search by poster’s name on the website. Maybe in the next upgrade.

Howard

From Motor Parkway from Little Neck Parkway to Marcus Avenue Part II

Thanks for the feedback, so far. More comments and suggestions are very much welcomed.

My favorite section for a pilot section for the MTP (Motor Parkway Trailway) is in Levittown parallel to Orchid Road. The reasons are as follows:

1.  The land is open and free of obstruction and homes and, as noted by Tim, centrally located on Long Island.
2.  It is historically important as a section of the original Motor Parkway opened in October 1908, the site of the Vanderbilt Cup Race grandstand, press box, service pits, Start-Finish Line and even the Long Island Aviation Club. Historical markers would be perfect for this sectionl. An archeological dig could also be set up at the race pits with a local university such as Hofstra.
3.  Sections of the roadway are still there and even two concrete Motor Parkway posts
4.  There is room for bike and car parking
5.  Very important- As noted by Denis, the Levittown residents surrounding this land are 100% in favor of building a greenway park here. It is currently used as a walking path. Every few years the residents fight off land developers who want to build homes on the property.

Here is a film on the area:
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/index.php/blog/article/saturday_june_27_2009_the_levittown_vanderbilt_cup_race_grandstand

Enjoy,

Howard

From Opportunity to Provide Input on the Motor Parkway Trail

I believe some lands in Levittown were sold by the county years ago before the trail effort began, but the developer was unable to get permits to build homes that many local residents thought were too large. I am not sure of the current plans for those lands, but the people would like to see them preserved as open space and trails.

From Opportunity to Provide Input on the Motor Parkway Trail

My vote goes to the Levittown section, where the original grandstand stood.  It is more central than the Bethpage and Great Neck sections.

From Opportunity to Provide Input on the Motor Parkway Trail

What is meant by “developed”? Perhaps restoration of all the remaining roadway with it’s features - maybe a couple of bridges; rest stops for hikers, interpretive kiosks or even a toll house/museum. Think Big.

From Opportunity to Provide Input on the Motor Parkway Trail

Nice to see the piece about Christie, Howard.

His work on tank suspension systems was remarkable.  A grossly underrated genius.

ROBERT

From Driver Profile: John Walter Christie: Front-Wheel Drive Pioneer

The US Army rejected the Christie design. Notice the angled front end. In the actual event, the Russians adopted the design for their tanks during WWII. The angled design was much better than the customary vertical design in deflecting or reducing the impact of shells, which played a major role in the Battle of Kursk. So in an odd way, Christie had a major role in WWII.

From Driver Profile: John Walter Christie: Front-Wheel Drive Pioneer

What should be saved in LI? Any portion that would provide the public with the easiest access. I guess Great Neck South would be closed to the public for most of the time. Would Bethpage also be closed most of the time?  Is there any way to join the right of way on the State bicycle path that cuts through Woodbury (the old right of way for the never built Bethpage State Parkway) with the remains of the parkway as a deadend spur?

From Opportunity to Provide Input on the Motor Parkway Trail

Talk about diligence and passion, I loved it, one of the best.  Hope to visit next summer when the Black Beast is in action.

From "Black Beast" a Hit on Broadway

Keep in mind that if any of this land is owned by a municipality and has been used for recreational purposes, selling it off could be considered an alientation of parkland.  Alienations of land are not just for land that is designated parkland, but could include land that by use is considered parkland. 

Here is the link:
http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us/publications/
Look under Guidance and Policy Documents

From Opportunity to Provide Input on the Motor Parkway Trail

The easternmost section, east of Bethpage State Park that Sam mentioned, would also be a nice segment as long as we mark the short on-street section from Bethpage to Battle Row so people can find their way to it. I believe the section within BSP is already going to be renovated as part of the state plan to extend the Bethpage Bikeway so we need to check on the status of that project and if in fact they are still going to cover the entire original route through the park and make the proper repairs to the 60 or so foot missing part of that banked curve. The state already installed a new opening in the fence at Joann and Schoolhouse where the parkway exits the park. And we recently spotted some intact pavement north of the old Botto fence under the decades of overgrowth that was cleared, chances are more is buried under the leaves and soil. The sections east of BSP are also on county owned parkland and do not have any LIPA poles located on the right of way.

Great Neck South HS would also be a great site but only if we can make it contiguous all the way over to Herricks HS, which would cover a few miles.
The old right of way (and much of the original roadbed) already exists, we just need to figure out how to get safely across the Northern State Parkway.
I think we’ll need more funding for that, but we can only hope that we’ll find it sooner rather than later. Once we have an agreement with LIPA, that segment merely needs stripping and resurfacing in most spots. The type of power pole there are typical wooden poles used along roadsides.

The area west of Bethpage State Park including Deadman’s curve is still my favorite for reasons including connectivity to contiguous pathways at Bethpage Bikeway, historical and engineering significance, and threat of loss by neglect or encroachment. One adjacent house seems to have part of his yard extended onto the west side of the curve by a few feet.

Of course extending the trail eastward from the Wantagh Parkway is also a good idea for trail connectivity but it has little original roadway and little danger of loss of right of way at this point. So while we’d be thrilled to see any segment built, that just west of Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway section including the curve will remain my personal first choice.
Thanks again!

Denis

From Opportunity to Provide Input on the Motor Parkway Trail

I favor Great Neck South (Lakeville to Northern State) at the west end and Battle Row Campground (Round Swamp to Sweet Hollow-Spagnoli) and Old Bethpage Village Restoration (Sweet Hollow-Spagnoli to the County Line) at the east end.  Those segments are simply gorgeous and also require relatively little work.

Also, are we restricted to only one segment?  If only one, I’d prefer the east end.  Where does this leave us in regard to the urgencies, such as Deadman’s Curve?

Of course, the northern (Botto) segment in Bethpage State Park is already 98% clear and improved and magnificent, so we should help the State to monument their segment and open the fence at JoAnn and Schoolhouse at the same time as the County presents the pilot section.

Having so stated, I am truly thrilled that ANY segment will be upgraded and offered up for the public to enjoy.

From Opportunity to Provide Input on the Motor Parkway Trail