Vanderbilt Cup Races

Howard, 
That’s incredible that you’ve been able to acquire such a priceless Tucker item.
Mazel tov!!!
Rog

From 1947 Tucker Franchise Plan Sales Tool Part IV: What You Get When You Buy a Tucker Franchise

Hi,here I am
    Looks so familiar, but just can’t place where it is. I think it’s around one of the shopping malls,don’t know which one though,that’s just a guess. I gues I’ll have to wait until Monday to find out. The weather finally changed for better,sun and clouds in the 80s humid,no rain. I’ll keep intouch as much as I can.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: A 1955 Aerial View of the Motor Parkway Surrounding Commack Road

Friday Foto #22

1.  The aerial is of the intersection of the Northern State Parkway and Sunken Meadow/Sagtikos State Parkway
2.  Aside from showing the State parkways, the aerials shows Vanderbilt Parkway, it’s Commack Spur to Jericho Turnpike (now Harned Road) and Commack Road.
3. Brentwood Lodge #4
4. The date is between 1952 and 1965 because the Northern State Parkway extended to the Sunken Meadow/Sagtikos State Parkways in 1952, but the aerial does not show the Northern State Parkway extension to Veteran’s Highway, which was completed in 1965.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: A 1955 Aerial View of the Motor Parkway Surrounding Commack Road

1)The location is Commack, NY

2)Major Roads include: Commack Rd, Harned Rd(Motor Parkway Extension to Jericho Tpke), Northern State and Sunken Meadow Parkway

3) Brentwood Lodge Toll Booth structure could be in the picture

4)Construction of the Sunken Meadow Parkway and Northern State was opened to traffic in November 1954.  This was the approximate date of this aerial. Also,The date has to be before 1960 since there are no residential buildings showing in most of the photo.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: A 1955 Aerial View of the Motor Parkway Surrounding Commack Road

Location - Commack, Northern State Parkway Terminus
Major Roads - LIMP, Northern State Parkway, Sagikos Parkway, Sunken Meadow Parkway spur (north of the Northern State Parkway), Commack Rd, Harned Rd (Old LIMP Commack Spur), and Crooked Hill Rd.
LIMP structures -  Bonwit Inn (Old Brentwood Kiosk) 1922-1923 ,Meson Ole ( Brentwood Lodge 1923 an after
Date of photo - 1955 , Sunken meadow spur opened 11/29/54,  Mystery Foto #43 11/30/17

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: A 1955 Aerial View of the Motor Parkway Surrounding Commack Road

Yes, and don’t forget the right side of the picture, with our spur up to Jericho Tpke.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: A 1955 Aerial View of the Motor Parkway Surrounding Commack Road

LIMP runs east and west just south of the NSP exit for Commack Rd.
Obviously, the picture is after the building of the NSP, so my guess is sometime in the 1930’s.  There is a toll structure on the corner.

From Mystery Foto #22 Solved: A 1955 Aerial View of the Motor Parkway Surrounding Commack Road

Admiring the diversity of thought here! There is also the possibility the photo is looking East but ONLY early in the morning before noon. If looking East, the shadow directly behind the worker on the ground is indicating about 10am. The Westbury Ave bridge (traveling north-south), also with two piers, could be the solution, and was located only 1 mile from the Clinton Rd bridge via Motor Parkway. Because of the proximity of this bridge and the Garden City lodge, it’s also quite possible Gordon’s grandparents possessed this photo of the Westbury Ave bridge, sister to the Clinton Rd bridge.

One more; the opposite angle and slighter curve of the Westbury bridge matches closer to the mystery, than that of the Clinton Rd bridge. Sending Howard a photo after another advil.   

From Mystery Foto #21 Maybe Solved: The Clinton Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Under Construction in 1909?

Sam, the trees appear to be much closer than where Stewart Ave would be?  The tree line goes up to the left side of the bridge in the photo (I believe it’s much closer than you may think?).  I think your “windmill” is either a large tree just off the side of the road or a large blemish in the negative like the ones on the top of the photo?  I guess that’s my 2 cents, who knows.  Any more idea’s

From Mystery Foto #21 Maybe Solved: The Clinton Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Under Construction in 1909?

Comment #32…You’ve been quiet, Gordon. I hope we didn’t scare you away.

From Mystery Foto #21 Maybe Solved: The Clinton Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Under Construction in 1909?

Greg O. - no, the old plant (I worked in it ca. 1957) was some 300’ east of Clinton, behind the later (today’s) office building, and the same distance south of Stewart;  the trees in the distance are about where Stewart is and would have hidden the plant.  Could my “windmill” be a construction crane?  Nah - much to far west and north.  Frank F. - I don’t recall the exact house but I looked at a house in there ca. 1968 that had been built for a top executive, as were the neighboring houses.  They were between the LIRR tracks and Stewart, and between Clinton and Washington.  You know, now that I think back, it may have been built for the Commanding Officer of one of the many bases in that area, a Navy Admiral mayhap.  This is a real “strain the brain"er!  Hurrah for Gordon and Howard!  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #21 Maybe Solved: The Clinton Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Under Construction in 1909?

Excellent and entertaining film. I find it disappointing that Tucker was unable to get into mass production. Thanks for sharing his story Howard!

From Film of the Week: Great Cars- Tucker

Does look like two piers underneath but Clinton doesn’t mesh. Photos can be deceiving but the bridge angle compared to the road is way off to be Clinton, in fact appears angled in the opposite direction regardless which way you’re looking (appears about 5 degrees off perpendicular). Bridge angle also doesn’t match other aerials showing appropriate angle. (sending Howard photo).

Sam - The worker on the ground with shovel appears a tree behind, over his head, then more trees further in the distance. Any object in the distance would’ve helped here.

Frank M - If I recall correctly, there was a development built about the same time across the street from, and associated with Curtiss flying field on the other side of Clinton. That may account for the trees disappearing. 

I think the piers on the ground may protrude past the bridge railing above. If so, this will allow some sun to hit the pier even if facing north. Truly baffling.

From Mystery Foto #21 Maybe Solved: The Clinton Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Under Construction in 1909?

If this was looking South at the Clinton bridge, wouldn’t we see construction of the Curtiss plant down the road on the left?

From Mystery Foto #21 Maybe Solved: The Clinton Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Under Construction in 1909?

  Hi Howard:  Thanks for a nice video//film as it is informative, detailed and nicely
done.  It was just nice to see and understand a lot of the details and struggles that
took place for this man to get his dream on the road.
                Best Regards Always,  Ron Ridolph

From Film of the Week: Great Cars- Tucker

O.K. - ignore my comments, guys - I’ve got thick skin.  BUT - does Gordon know the answer or are we all shooting in the dark?  IF it’s Clinton and asymmetrical, then it’s looking SOUTH!  Check the piers in the Clinton pix.  Further, the Curtiss plant was (and still is) on the SOUTH side of Stewart, thus SOUTH of the LIMP bridge at Clinton; however pole lines go in TWO directions.  Some of the reasoning expressed in prior comments simply doesn’t hold water.  Frank M., the vertical thingie at the left is a pier; embankments are NOT free-standing, with caps - they have wing walls at each end and go all the way up to the roadway level.  Is definitely a puzzlement!  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #21 Maybe Solved: The Clinton Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Under Construction in 1909?

First, there were at least four Parkway bridges in Nassau County that had more than a single span. These were at Willis Ave., Roslyn Rd., Westbury Ave and Clinton Rd. I believe there were more. The average length of a single span Parkway bridge was between 25 and 30 feet . The bridge over Marcus Ave. was 72 feet long and the one over Lakeville Rd.  was 66 feet long, both good candidates for more than a single span.

From Mystery Foto #21 Maybe Solved: The Clinton Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Under Construction in 1909?

A good tool in helping with this mystery is with the my Nassau property aerials. In the mystery photo you can observe a big stand of tall trees on the left side of the bridge past the bridge. In the 1926 aerial of the Clinton Rd area you do not see any stands of trees. You can look to the northwest and to the southeast without seeing any trees. This would correspond to the mystery photo depending if the photo is facing to the north or south.
I know that the aerial is taken 17 years later, but why would all the trees be removed?  The land looks very barren and is not farm land.  The only trees you can observe are planted along Clinton Rd in the 1926 aerial.  I do not believe that the mystery photo is Clinton Rd based on this observation.  Where did the trees go?
Another observation I made is that the terrain in the mystery photo does not match the later photos of Clinton Rd looking north.  The slope of the ground seams to go up after the bridge.  The slope of the roadway in the mystery photo seams to be level.  A big mystery?

From Mystery Foto #21 Maybe Solved: The Clinton Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Under Construction in 1909?

Joe - To add to the Clinton Rd Bridge, the 1930s photo above shows Clinton Rd still narrow, but widened just for the underpass below the bridge. This north-facing photo also appears to show some light seeping in onto the left pier, like the mystery foto. The railings also seem to match the mystery. This bridge sat in a NW to SE position because of it curved properties. I’ll be visiting soon to conduct a light/shadow test

From Mystery Foto #21 Maybe Solved: The Clinton Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Under Construction in 1909?

Joe O.- Those were some of my first thoughts as well, but remember, since it’s still under construction, they have not cleared out the outer passageways of debris so it appears to be not as wide.

Frank- since the flying field was on the East side of Clinton it makes more sense that utility poles were on that side. When I saw Howard’s above ‘30’s photo looking North, that was my semi-confirmation. However, We need a better photo confirmation of that to be completely fair.

From Mystery Foto #21 Maybe Solved: The Clinton Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge Under Construction in 1909?