Vanderbilt Cup Races

Frank,  Regarding you comment about the fence on the west side of the Parkway…I think that fence was put up to keep Parkway users from accessing Vanderbilt’s Deepdale estate and it most likely extended al the way to Lakeville Rd.

From Mystery Friday Foto #17 Solved: The Motor Parkway under construction north of Marcus Avenue in Lake Success (Circa 1911)

Greg, In early 1900 the Roslyn Light & Power received it’s charter from New York State. One of the incorporators was Clarence Mackay and also one of it’s first Directors.

From Earth Day Weekend was celebrated with the clean-up of the Mackay Estate Gate Lodge

Brian,  Complicating the whole scenario is that prior to the Parkway extension to the west was the photo taken of the Smith Farmway bridge with the caption. “1st bridge after Great Neck”.

From Mystery Friday Foto #17 Solved: The Motor Parkway under construction north of Marcus Avenue in Lake Success (Circa 1911)

The mystery photo is boxer Jack Johnson. Barney Oldfield raced him in 1910 although AAA refused to sanction the race of a non white driver. They were 3, 5-mile contests. Oldfield won 2.

From From the Barney Oldfield Collection: Four Classic Photos and One Mystery

Thanks Al, the inverted map as you point out clarifies where the park is.  Makes absolute sense! 

And Brian, I’m always ready to hear your answers to my questions.  Thanks.

From Kleiner's Korner - Nassau County Surveys: Stewart Avenue & The Motor Parkway in Westbury and East Meadow

This image could be the opposite way like your saying, Frank. This one would’ve been very difficult if there was no caption at all.

From Mystery Friday Foto #17 Solved: The Motor Parkway under construction north of Marcus Avenue in Lake Success (Circa 1911)

I think the drainage area that’s shown was always a drainage/ponding because of the streams north & south of Stewart Ave. Believe the water source of the pond in Eisenhower Park are the streams. There’s also the pond nearby within the Meadowbrook Parkway that’s connected. The water flows to the south shore.

Below are 2 - 1950 maps that basically ditto Arts maps. LRV map shows the current and past roads. You can see how the curve was eased like Arts map shows. Also the home on the east side of Carman Ave is there. Census map names the property- Schneider. We know now today that’s the NC Corrections Facility.

From Kleiner's Korner - Nassau County Surveys: Stewart Avenue & The Motor Parkway in Westbury and East Meadow

The second-last map appears to be inverted (north is at the bottom), so the Nassau County Park and parking field would be on the south side of the Parkway.

From Kleiner's Korner - Nassau County Surveys: Stewart Avenue & The Motor Parkway in Westbury and East Meadow

Greg; The 6.282 acre plot from Marcus Ave. to Lakeville Rd. was not “purchased” from Vanderbilt. When the decision was made to extend the ROW westerly from Lakeville Rd., the Parkway Corporation was not in a financial position to purchase the necessary property.  All the ROW west of Lakeville Rd. to Nassau Boulevard was owned personally by Vanderbilt and he “leased” that portion of the ROW to the Parkway.

From Mystery Friday Foto #17 Solved: The Motor Parkway under construction north of Marcus Avenue in Lake Success (Circa 1911)

The photo’s caption matches the view looking north towards the Lakeville Rd bridge, especially the numbered references to the bridges, and the iron fence on the left to section off the Deepdale Estate. However, the LIMP RoW ascent today is looking south, and part of the 3 mile iron fence was used along the Lakeville Rd perimeter of the estate. I would think the iron fence would better serve in isolating Lakeville Rd than the Motor Pkwy. Did Willie K mess up the caption?

From Mystery Friday Foto #17 Solved: The Motor Parkway under construction north of Marcus Avenue in Lake Success (Circa 1911)

Guess there’s another Brian McCarthy LIMP fan here, because I didn’t take the now photo : )

Howard Kroplick: Thanks for the correction! Kudos to Frank Femenias!

From Mystery Friday Foto #17 Solved: The Motor Parkway under construction north of Marcus Avenue in Lake Success (Circa 1911)

The photographer is standing on the Parkway bridge over Marcus Ave. and looking north. Photo taken in 1910 ?

From Mystery Friday Foto #17 Solved: The Motor Parkway under construction north of Marcus Avenue in Lake Success (Circa 1911)

Frank there are gas lines to the lodge from its days as a refreshment stand for the swim club, but lighting at the lodge has been electric since day one. Mackay had running water and electric for the whole estate before even before the town of Roslyn. The lights out front looked like gas, but were actually electrified and the wires running to them are still present.

From Earth Day Weekend was celebrated with the clean-up of the Mackay Estate Gate Lodge

Amazing work by all preservationist! It’s still incredible how the gate outlived the mansion! I’m glad it did. Installing gas lanterns at the gate would be an amazing feature to see - the true 1902 scene at the Harbor Hill Estate entrance gate. This feature is quite possible with the gate situated near the busy intersection. No doubt gas lines are running nearby and underneath. I hope this feature comes to fruition.

From Earth Day Weekend was celebrated with the clean-up of the Mackay Estate Gate Lodge

Update to my answer, I say I am looking north.  And Willie,s property is to the left.  I believe in the Nassau County 1926 overhead picture this is made clear.  And you can even see the tree
Iine near the far bend. 

Other observation, those are wood posts lining the property.  Not the cement ones made in the early 1920’s.  Willie K’s estate fence is to the left.

This is an absolute treasure of a picture.  I have been in this picture thousands of times.  And many of those times I tried hard to imagine what it looked like here when the parkway was new.  This picture is truly special.

From Mystery Friday Foto #17 Solved: The Motor Parkway under construction north of Marcus Avenue in Lake Success (Circa 1911)

I believe I have this down to a 50/50.  We (the photographer and I) are either on the Marcus Ave bridge’s northern end looking north, with the bend going right, and towards the Lakeville Rd bridge which cannot be seen.  Or we are just south of the Lakeville Rd bridge, and it is the Marcus Avenue bridge we cannot see just past the far bend.

Either way, this is well before the northern state parkway arrives.  Probably in the very early days of the parkway when it was first extended west of Great Neck.

From Mystery Friday Foto #17 Solved: The Motor Parkway under construction north of Marcus Avenue in Lake Success (Circa 1911)

Photographer is positioned on the LIMP bridge over Marcus Ave in Lake Success, snapped this photo viewing north towards the bridge rise over Lakeville Rd. Road construction west from The Great Neck Lodge began around 1914.

From Mystery Friday Foto #17 Solved: The Motor Parkway under construction north of Marcus Avenue in Lake Success (Circa 1911)

Below is one of your maps that I marked a bit, Art. Airborne Instruments is just west of todays Merchant Concourse, and Ward Bakery is further west, but before today’s South St. The map is facing southwest.

From Kleiner's Korner: Nassau County Surveys of Motor Parkway Property Transferred or Released (Garden City)

The Stevens Duryea you mentioned was sold in impeccably restored condition.at Hershey 2021 for about $70,000

From Can You Identify This Mystery Long Island Mercedes?

Based on Willie K.‘s clues, I think we’re looking north or maybe slightly northeast from the northern embankment of the Marcus Avenue bridge in Lake Success. This bridge was the second bridge going west from the Great Neck Lodge with the first bridge west of Great Neck being Lakeville Road. The date would probably be around 1910-1911 since the extension west to Rocky Hill Road opened in 1912. I think the area just behind the person in the photo (going left to right) is currently occupied by the Northern State Parkway.

From Mystery Friday Foto #17 Solved: The Motor Parkway under construction north of Marcus Avenue in Lake Success (Circa 1911)