Vanderbilt Cup Races

The photo was taken from a position over Garden City looking northeast toward Carle Place and Westbury. Among the structures associated with the LIMP are the Parkway itself, running from left right in the bottom third of the photo, the Clinton Road bridge, general manager’s office, and “Mayan Ruins” bridge abutments. In addition, the future sites of the 1936, 1937, and 1960 Vanderbilt Cup Races can also be seen. Other landmarks include Roosevelt / Curtiss Field (site of Lindbergh’s famous take-off) with their associated hangars along Clinton Road and Old Country Road, and possibly the Meadowbrook Polo Field. I believe the date of the photo is some time between April and July of 1911 since the Garden City Lodge appears to be under construction.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: An Amazing Aerial of the Long Island Motor Parkway In Garden City

Facing NE toward Roosevelt Field, with Clinton Rd. bridge at lower right. But the problem with the photo is that it’s a double exposure, with other non-existent “roads” superimposed.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: An Amazing Aerial of the Long Island Motor Parkway In Garden City

Great story and photos. One of the best!

From Herb Lytle's Great-Great-Grandson Takes a Ride in the Alco Black Beast

Photographer is airborne over Garden City’s Mott Section, snapping at Roosevelt Air Field at center in East Garden City/Carle Place, looking NE.

LIMP structures along the parkway from left to right:
Old Country Rd highway bridge
Mayan Ruins bridge abutments not visible between Mulberry Av and Transverse Rd
Clinton Rd parkway bridge clearly visible over Clinton Rd
Manager’s house and Garden City Lodge are also visible on Vanderbilt Court

Wow, love all the open spaces north of Old Country Rd. Houses to fill this area coming soon!

Looks like Roosevelt Field hangars are all intact including historic Hangar 16, where Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis was housed for the first cross Atlantic flight to Paris in 1927.

This photo was taken before the demolition of Hangar 16 in 1956 and after Curtiss Field hangars of 1926. Need more time to zero in on year.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: An Amazing Aerial of the Long Island Motor Parkway In Garden City

Photo of Mitchell Field (you can see the runway and hangers).
I believe they are the newer hangers so this was taken probably after 1931.
You can see the Motor Parkway in the upper part of the photo as well.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: An Amazing Aerial of the Long Island Motor Parkway In Garden City

A bit grainy, but I like the view!

*Location/Orientation:  Bird’s Eye View of Garden City, Northeast.

*Structures associated with LIMP & VCR’s:  LIMP, from right to left….Garden City Toll Lodge, General Manager’s House, Clinton Rd LIMP Bridge, and Mayan Ruins ( undisturbed/intact ).  VCR’s….1908 ( Ellison Rd., tough to make out; but it’s east and north of Roosevelt Raceway. 1909,10 ( Ditto for Ellison Rd. But Old Country Rd. is quite visible.  1936,37,60 ( Roosevelt Raceway, tough to make out; but I know it’s northeast of the Meadowbrook Polo Field ).

*Other Landmarks:  Westbury Golf Club, Roosevelt Field, Meadowbrook Polo Field, and Roosevelt Raceway ( again, hard to make out ).

*Year of Aerial/Rationale:  I recall images of this area around 1930 on your site here, Howard. They are much clearer than this one. There looks to be more trees,growth etc. in this image, but the parkway bridge over Clinton Rd. is still intact. Let’s say this is 1938.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: An Amazing Aerial of the Long Island Motor Parkway In Garden City

Hi Howard
I hate to bother you but, I have another question, and I think only you can answer, this time it’s about the Vanderbilt property turned over to the state in 1938 in lieu of taxes, as shown in the Motor Parkway map you had on the tables at the library, after the presentation I neglected to examine it as close as I should have, my mind was on the 70 mile trip I had to make getting back home my eyes aren’t as good as they used to be,  If these were the parcels turned over to the state in lieu of taxes, my question is, was the Petit Trianon and the property it sat on part of that property turned over to te state?  Your map would have the answer where the parkway terminated but I missed it.
Bob DeStefani
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

——————————————————

Howard Kroplick

Great question! My favorite co-author Al Velocci may have the answer.

From Great Turnout to the Presentation on Ronkonkoma and the Motor Parkway in Holbrook

Looking northeast over the Garden City-Weatbuey area about 1938….the bridge is still standing Clinton) and there’s lack of any development on either side of the LIMP.
The Clinton Road bridge visible at the lower right, with the Garden City toll lodge to its right.
The “Mayan Ruins” appear in the bottom center.
At the top center are the Roosevelt Field hangars and runways.
At the top right the rectangular Meadow Brook polo field.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: An Amazing Aerial of the Long Island Motor Parkway In Garden City

Very amazing photo ! We are looking northeast from Garden City across to Westbury, sometime around the mid to late 1930s. The lower left shows the Clinton Road Bridge, torn down soon after the parkway closed in 1938, and the Mayan Ruins just north of that, roads there are in place with no homes built yet.  The office and Toll Lodge on Vanderbilt place are visible. Toward the middle is the 1936 track at Roosevelt Raceway and the Polo Fields on the right. Also upper middle left side is Ellison Avenue LIRR Bridge where old #16 went airborne in 1908 Cup Race (too many stop signs to try that today). Waaay too many things to mention for this photo. Good Stuff !!!

BTW Howard, did they tear down the big old house next to the Westbury Hairpin Turn at Wheatley Road ? I passed it last week and noticed it wasn;t there.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: An Amazing Aerial of the Long Island Motor Parkway In Garden City

This is above the Mott section of Garden City looking NE .  This is Roosevelt Field mostly likely in 1930-1932 before the Meadowbrook was built.  You can see the Clinton Ave bridge, the Tool house and the Admin House - as well as the bridge to nowhere.

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: An Amazing Aerial of the Long Island Motor Parkway In Garden City

Current day Roosevelt Field Mall.  Looking East.  We can see the Clinton Ave bridge, the LIMP Managers house, the Garden City Lodge, and the Mayan Ruins.  If the lens was just a smidge wider we may have even had a picture of the LIMP passing under Old Country Rd.  As for the year, I am unsure.  But the Clinton bridge is still there.  Yes some of the Garden City area is already being gridded out.  Carle Place looks like a little prairie town.  If anyone can help?  What is the building just north of the LIMP on the east side of Clinton?
-joe o

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: An Amazing Aerial of the Long Island Motor Parkway In Garden City

Hi Howard,
The presentation in Holdbrook was extremely informative, I have a question, it wasn’t in line with the flow of the subject matter that’s why I didn’t ask it at the questions section of your presentation, in your book ”Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island"on page 110 in the lower photo of the Alco I noticed what looks like two steel rods one over each of the front wheels, at your Roslyn show I examined them closer and I still couldn’t see the purpose, can you tell me what they are there for ?
Thanks for invite to the presentation, it was great
Bob DeStefani
__________________________________________________________________
Howard Kroplick

Bob, great to see you on Tuesday. Thanks for the stories of when Petit Trianon was your playhouse.

The two rods in the photo are brackets for a canvass fender when the Alco Black Beast was not racing.

From Great Turnout to the Presentation on Ronkonkoma and the Motor Parkway in Holbrook

Sorry I missed your presentation Howard. I was really looking forward to it but thanks for this summary of the highlights. What a great story! Hope to see you soon.

From Great Turnout to the Presentation on Ronkonkoma and the Motor Parkway in Holbrook

Thank you for asking, Dick Gorman, and since we were well west of the hurricane here in the Florida Panhandle, we had only some wind gusts.
And I was clueless on the Mystery photo.

From Mystery Foto #36 Solved: On the Long Island Motor Parkway Right-Of-Way in East Meadow

Howard, a great informative presentation as usual.  I really liked the Suffolk County map of the LIMP

From Great Turnout to the Presentation on Ronkonkoma and the Motor Parkway in Holbrook

Thanks Dick Gorman ...I appreciate you…we were fine in the Panhandle, west of the storm path.  The mystery photo stumped me.

From Mystery Foto #36 Solved: On the Long Island Motor Parkway Right-Of-Way in East Meadow

Have mixed feelings about the museum, I have many auto postcards from the LIAM in my collection.

From Hemmings Daily: Site of former Long Island Automotive Museum sells decades after it closed

Tim Ivers who answers the mystery Photos nearly every week did not respond to Mystery Foto #36. Hoping that he was able to weather the storms at or near his Florida home in recent days.

From Mystery Foto #36 Solved: On the Long Island Motor Parkway Right-Of-Way in East Meadow

The photo is taken from the Eisenhower Park Red Course golf Path.  The photo is facing east towards present day Salisbury Drive (Old Newbridge Ave).  The location is just west of Meadowbrook Motor Parkway bridge.  The 1908 -1910 Vanderbilt Cup races was held on this section.

Cup racer Harold Stone’s machanician was killed in the 1910 cup race at the Meadowbrook bridge thus ending racing on the LIMP.

From Mystery Foto #36 Solved: On the Long Island Motor Parkway Right-Of-Way in East Meadow

My guess is looking east from Merrick Avenue LIMP ROW toward the Newbridge Avenue Bridge, used in the 1908 1909 and 1910 cup races - the Major Accident occured 1910 with driver Harold Stone careening off the bridge top. Now its used as a path for golf carts.

From Mystery Foto #36 Solved: On the Long Island Motor Parkway Right-Of-Way in East Meadow