Vanderbilt Cup Races

Very Cool to see. Seeing stuff like this just makes me think how cool of a spot this grandstand location was and how there is zero education/appreciation/knowledge about this Levittown spot from the general public. I had many friends in Levittown growing up and nobody knew about this.

From Aerial advertising kites flying near the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race grandstand

Very cool info Howard, thanks! Thoroughly enjoyed reading about Samuel F Perkins. I’m sure others will as well.
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Howard Kroplick

Brian, thanks for the feedback! I first saw a Vanderbilt Cup Race “flying banner” photo years ago. I finally decided to research this Very unusual advertising media in 1909.

From Aerial advertising kites flying near the 1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race grandstand

Tarantula? Curious name for the vessel. I remember reading that Willy K wanted to enlist in the Navy, but was denied because of health reasons ( also read that he was frequently sick as a child ). This didn’t seem to discourage him. He offered/donated some of his vessels to the Navy to support the war effort?

From William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.'s Yacht: Tarantula II (1913-1918)

Made me smile with enjoyment.  Thanks for posting this and for the determined & successful detective work complete with photos.

From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: The Lost East Wing of the Long Island Aviation Country Club

If you’ll allow me, here’s a perfect place to ask old Panelists and newer M. P. Pres. Soc. readers if anyone has new info. about my claim that there was an “apron” leading back to 193rd Street:

  http://sbiii.com/limp-qns.html#193rdstr

I never have uncovered the photos to back it up.  Sam, III

From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950

Great info here by all on the LIMP terminus and surrounding area. David’s observations help narrow the year when the N Hemp Tpke bridge was removed. 1955 now makes a lot more sense. Upon the school’s completion (1955), it must’ve been mandatory to have the bridge removed as well. I’d love to hear childhood resident Roy Warner’s input here. Even though Roy lived on the opposite side of the boulevard, kids wander off exploring new reaches in all directions, never forgetting their experiences along the way. I never forgot mine.

From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950

The aerial photo is facing towards the southeast over Fresh Meadows, Cunningham Park, and Hollis Harding Blvd ( Nassau Blvd Toll House/Lodge and the western terminus of the LIMP.).
LIMP bridges that can be seen are, North Hempstead Turnpike, 73rd Ave, and the Francis Lewis Blvd bike path overpass bridge,  Hollis Court Blvd and Bell Blvd bridges are in the photo but can not be seen.

The photo is taken most likely by the New York Life Insurance Company for their Fresh Meadows Housing Development Project. The photo is from the New York Life archives.  New York Life started the development in Feb 1946 after purchasing the old Fresh Meadows Golf Club. The project was built from 1946 until 1949.  The LI expressway was started in 1954 along Horace Harding Blvd. 
The Clearview Expressway was started near the location in Sept of 1956.
You do not see these projects started. A rough date of the photo would then be from 1948 until 1953. 
My best guess is that the photo was taken in 1948.  The photo was to document NY Life’s Fresh Meadows Housing Development.  You can also observe the 2 acre Oak Grove Park in the photo.

From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950

David Stephan

As an unofficial historian for a Fresh Meadows civic group, I felt I had to answer Friday’s questions. Please abridge or excerpt this response to suit the needs of your blog.
Regards,
David
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The aerial is Fresh Meadows and the photographer is facing east-southeast. As a reference, 188th St that slices through the Fresh Meadows development and contains two traffic circles (ovals) approximately aligns with magnetic north. The foto is a Thomas Airviews aerial and would have been taken for the benefit of the developer, the New York Life Insurance Company, and, perhaps, the complex designer, Voorhees, Walker, Foley & Smith. Similar pictures exist in the Fresh Meadows archive that NY Life created and which is now held by the current owner of the Fresh Meadows residential development.

Both Motor Parkway bridge #1 (North Hempstead Tpke) & #2 (73rd Avenue) can be clearly seen. Also seen is the bridge over Francis Lewis Blvd. constructed in the early 1940s under the supervision of Robert Moses and considered a “honorary” Motor Parkway bridge by us locals.

Evidence in the picture suggests this aerial was taken in 1951.

Homes have been built on a newly constructed segment of 185th St., just south of 64th Avenue, which means picture cannot be from before 1950. (The new 185th St. segment appears as a broad white stripe to the west of the development.) The neighboring Meadowlark Gardens apartment complex has been completed, which dates the picture to no earlier than 1951. New homes line the new 196th Place (thin white line the centers a wide spacing between homes south of 73rd Avenue), both of which were constructed during the 1950-51 period.

Because PS 179Q on Peck Avenue was built in 1955, many would know that the aerial is from before 1955, but careful analysis of street trees and other small details establishes a much earlier “before” date.

Searching the Digital Collections of the NYS Archives uncovers several aerials of “Fresh Meadows Housing” dated September 5, 1951, including a photo with the identifier NYSA_B1598-99_3653 that features the Fresh Meadows main shopping center along Horace Harding Blvd. The 188th St. northern oval remembers Pvt. Edgar G. (“Gilbert”) Holmes, Jr., said to be, in July, 1950, the first New Yorker killed in combat in the Korean War. The attached closeup of a September 5, 1951 aerial includes the American flagpole and boulder-mounted plaque (irregular white object to the left of the left walkway) and a number of trees planted around the center evergreen.  Mystery Foto #2 does not include all those details nor does it show the more mature tree close to the flagpole in the attached that some have stated is also part of the Holmes memorial. 

These observations establish that the photo was taken before September 1951.  (Other comparisons between the mystery foto and related archive images can be made to support that conclusion.) Because the picture cannot have been taken before 1951, the aerial must have been taken sometime in 1951. And because trees are full of leaves, the aerial cannot be from the early winter months of 1951, suggesting a late spring or summer date.

[The area that was to become the site of the boulder-mounted plaque appears dark (disturbed) in the mystery foto, but that darkness may be an artifact of the reproduced photo.]

P.S. As for the demise of Motor Parkway bridge #1, my older sister and her peers discovered the thrill of riding down the eastern edge of the northern abutment. Nervous Fresh Meadows parents began to see the bridge as a safety hazard and this led to the bridge being fenced off in an attempt to prevent children from getting onto the bridge deck. When that failed to discourage us children (it was easy to sneak past the fencing), the adults lobbied to have the bridge taken down. Because I remember that one time I “finally” had the “courage” to copy my sister—and ended up immensely enjoyed my ride down that forbidden abutment—the bridge must have been taken down sometime after 1955, as I was not even riding a tricycle in 1955!

From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950

Looks like a late 1930s aerial looking northeast over Creedmoor Psychiatrc Center
with the Winchester Blvd bridge showing at top left and the Commonwealth Blvd. bridge
at top right, and Grand Central Pkwy running laft to right across top just above the LIMP right of way. Photo might be from the Fairchild collection.

From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950

1044 was truly a joy to drive, even for short jaunt around the AACA Museum last fall and the chance to spend time with you and the car. Thank you and I will see you in a couple of weeks.

From Updated: Hemmings Classic Car Cover Article: Tucker On the Road in the Ultimate Driveable Dream

I’m a subscriber of Classic Car and wasn’t at all surprised your historic car is on the cover. I didn’t know about the unique suspension either. Just curious Howard, how long did it take to put this feature with the great article and pictures together? More than one day?
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Howard Kroplick

Mike, it was a two-hour photo shoot of the Tucker 1044 and the 1963 Mustang III Concept Show Car. Lots of fun! with Richard Lentinello- a great guy!

From Updated: Hemmings Classic Car Cover Article: Tucker On the Road in the Ultimate Driveable Dream

This is where the 44-mile adventure began. Long Island Motor Parkway’s entrance at its western terminus looking SE, the first highway built for cars. At Long Island Expressway and Peck Ave, the parkway actually ran just beyond Peck’s eastern sidewalk and is no longer visible in this aerial. P.S. 4 (eventually P.S. 179) would occupy this space in 1955 so this aerial was taken shortly before then. Just twenty years earlier this was all open space with Fresh Meadow Country Club golf course in place of all the residential housing. 

A rare shot of the North Hempstead Tpke bridge ruins is visible here and so is the 73rd Ave bridge (Black Stump Rd) that still exists today! 

Aerial photo likely taken for the advancement of housing in eastern Queens. This place grew quickly, similar to Levittown in the ‘40s.

From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950

Ron M:

Its really big news for car enthusiast to see the restoration of a original unmolested Tucker to see how it was put together, interest is warming up.

From Updated: Hemmings Classic Car Cover Article: Tucker On the Road in the Ultimate Driveable Dream

Brian Flory:

Congratulations!

From Updated: Hemmings Classic Car Cover Article: Tucker On the Road in the Ultimate Driveable Dream

Jeanett R:
What a cool treasure to find! I love reading updates on this car. My Classic Car mag came yesterday & I couldn’t wait to read article staring at every little detail in the pictures. What a beautiful work of art!

From Updated: Hemmings Classic Car Cover Article: Tucker On the Road in the Ultimate Driveable Dream

Howard, got my copy of Classis Car also, was change to coil springs?, didn’t know. In this issue an article about the 1942 Desoto Deluxe sedan that was at the Hershey meet. the same time as your Chrysler was there, next row over. The Desoto part of the Nicola Bulgari collections. Curator Keith Flickinger? was by the car, had a chat with him, gave him the Chrysler flyer that you had, told him about your website, to check it out, hope he did?

From Updated: Hemmings Classic Car Cover Article: Tucker On the Road in the Ultimate Driveable Dream

The photo is over Fresh Meadows and we are looking south-east. The bridges are North Hempstead Turnpike (remnant), 73rd. Avenue, and hidden in the trees are Hollis Court Blvd. and Rocky Hill Road. Since the Francis Lewis Blvd. greenway bridge is there also, I’m guessing around 1948 for the date. I found a similar photo in the NY Life Archives so maybe this one is from there also. This might have been taken as part of the planning for the L. I. Expressway.

From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Location/Orientation:  Fresh Meadows, Queens. Viewing southeast.

LIMP bridges: N Hempstead Tpke & 73rd Ave Pkwy Type. The overpass crossing Francis Lewis Blvd. isn’t an original LIMP bridge. It was built by the city to connect the parklands for the public. This bridge doesn’t follow the original LIMP. The LIMP continues a little more south of the overpass, then continues a dead east. The Clearview Expwy isn’t built yet. But the expwy eventually severs the LIMP.

Year: I’ll commit to 1950.

Aerial Source/Reason:  To display the New Housing Developments.

Also can make out the remains of N Hempstead Tpke & small sections of the Central RR ROW, all E/O the LIMP.

From Updated:Mystery Foto #2 Solved:An Aerial of Fresh Meadows from the New York Life Archives Circa 1950

my grandfather would deliver home heating oil in these ,5 gallons at a time, a typical oil tank can be 275 gallons

From Mystery Foto #86 Solved: Antique Five Gallon Can Manufactured by George D. Ellis & Sons, Inc.

Howard, nice going.  I have had the privilege of seeing your Tucker up close and it is indeed impressive.  The fact that you own it is well deserved.
I just received my copy of Hemmings Classic Car and can’t wait to read the article about you and your Tucker.
Looking forward to seeing the car after its restoration.  I’m sure it’ll be a knockout.
All the best,
Rog

From Updated: Hemmings Classic Car Cover Article: Tucker On the Road in the Ultimate Driveable Dream