About
The six Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910 were the greatest sporting events of their day, and the first international automobile road races held in the United States. The races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways. This site provides comprehensive information on the races, the Long Island Motor Parkway and current Long Island automotive events, car shows and news.
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Co-Founder and Writer: Howard Kroplick
Co-Founder: Dana Kroplick
Website by Eric Miller Design
Site maintained by Hop Studios
Recent Comments
Bravo!
From Exclusive: VanderbiltCupRaces.com and Cradle of Aviation to Digitize Thousands of Previously Unpublished Long Island Historic Photos
This is the first I am hearing that POWs, probably German and Italian, were held at Mitchel Field during the war. Fascinating. I am going to guess that they were in transit to more isolated rural facilities and were only temporarily housed at Mitchel after arriving on boats in NYC. Then again, in 1944, Mitchel Field was pretty much rural. How did they get out to Mitchel Field? An intriguing thought is that they could have been shipped east by the LIRR. Can’t wait for more pictures from the newly released collection.
From Exclusive: VanderbiltCupRaces.com and Cradle of Aviation to Digitize Thousands of Previously Unpublished Long Island Historic Photos
nice group of photos, one of a seaplane in Port Jefferson may be Bob Foggs , another photo of it at a NH seaplane base
From Exclusive: VanderbiltCupRaces.com and Cradle of Aviation to Digitize Thousands of Previously Unpublished Long Island Historic Photos
WOW - words escape me to state how absolutely wonderful that is to read the news about how all those period images will be saved and made available for so many people to view. HISTORY not only PRESERVED but SHARED as it should be - Long Island PROUD!
In this era of health crisis it is a ray of hope to see something being accomplished that will make so many people happy. Thanks to all involved in this effort and especially to Howard and Roz for the funds to do so.
From Exclusive: VanderbiltCupRaces.com and Cradle of Aviation to Digitize Thousands of Previously Unpublished Long Island Historic Photos
Thank you Brian for your support and contributions to the blog. Writing these articles gives me a much deeper appreciation for Long Island’s history. Hope others feel them beneficial, or at least interesting.
From Kleiner's Korner: The Overlapping Histories of Long Island Aviation and the Motor Parkway
Location is the southern edge of where the Roosevelt Field shopping center would be built. Photographer is looking northeast.
Motor Parkway links: (1) The parkway can be seen as the curved road at the bottom of the Foto. (2) Garden City Lodge was to the east of the J-shaped road south of the parkway (today’s Vanderbilt Court). (3) LIMP Inc. headquarters on Vanderbilt Court just west of the lodge.
Date: My guess is the same as last week’s (1956), because that looks like the shopping center under construction.
Frank Femenias’s interactive LIMP map was a big help in solving this one. First I looked for a place where the LIMP has a gentle curve in it, then I looked for a big circular structure. What is that thing anyway?
From Mystery Foto #47 Solved: A 1956 Aerial of the Motor Parkway Behind Stewart Field in Garden City
Wow, they are really neat, glad they have been found and will be saved and displayed.
From Tucker’s Promotional Desk Set Origin Discovered!
Below is a overlay of a 1873 and a current map, courtesy of The David Rumsey Collection. Shows a proposed Granger Ave between Rocky Hill and Queens Rds. Granger Ave never came to be. Even though the Central RR was long abandoned, the LIMP still built the bridge so as not to sever the RR ROW.
From Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series:#4 The Bridge over the Queens Central Rail Road Right-of-Way
‘Detour around protesting landowners’ I wonder when the term ‘objector’s bend’ came to be in use.
From Favorite Website: The David Rumsey Collection of Long Island Maps
Update: The 1968 date of the film and its Manhattan location.
From Film of the Week: Henry Austin Clark, Jr Being Interviewed on Automotive Technology in 1968
Looking Northward at the LIMP section between Clinton just off on the left edge, and Raymond Ct at the right edge. Long Island’s newest parking lot is sadly now towards the right.
Garden City Lodge and LIMP managers office/HQ on the left. Look at all those posts!
Clinton bridge is down and construction well-underway on the Roosevelt Field Mall, the year is 1956.
From Mystery Foto #47 Solved: A 1956 Aerial of the Motor Parkway Behind Stewart Field in Garden City
Hi Howard,
Wonderful find! It was great for me to finally see and hear the great and late Mr. Clark, Jr. Hope that somewhere out there is more film footage with audio of Mr. Clark.
Thank you.
Francis G. Clax
MotometerCentral™
http://www.motometercentral.com
From Film of the Week: Henry Austin Clark, Jr Being Interviewed on Automotive Technology in 1968
Brian, Show off ? HaH ! I’ll show you show off…..first, It’s not a trolley bridge but a Parkway bridge. On Jan. 27, 1942 the Nassau County Board of Supervisors awarded a contract to the Hendrickson Brothers firm (of Valley Stream), to demolish the Parkway bridge over Westbury Ave. for $55,000. This after local residents complained saying was it dangerous traffic wise and the steel could be used for the war effort. The bridge had three spans, the one for the trolley was 19’ wide, the other two were 18’ and 24’ wide. Two questions, why the different widths for automobile traffic and, when were the trolley tracks taken up, it must have been very confusing for automobile traffic there after.
From Anatomy of Three Aerials from the Cradle of Aviation Archives
I like the end of the story, the “smart new ‘48’s”. Quite collectible today.
From VanderbiltCupRaces.com Exclusive: Photos of Old 16 at the 1948 Antique Auto Show from the Helck Family Collection
Westbury Ave Pkwy/Trolley Bridge. Yes, I’m being a show off below : )
From Anatomy of Three Aerials from the Cradle of Aviation Archives
A pleasure to read through this, Art.
From Kleiner's Korner: The Overlapping Histories of Long Island Aviation and the Motor Parkway
A map showing the Motor Parkway that would eventually show “landing places for aeroplanes” prepared under supervision of Lawrence B. Sperry”. From “Aerial Age Weekly” of Jan. 1, 1917.
From Kleiner's Korner: The Overlapping Histories of Long Island Aviation and the Motor Parkway
Addendum: Most north-south expressways on Long Island/Queens are mostly straight, and where police heavily enforce speed activity
From Mystery Foto #46 Solved: A 1956 Aerial of the Meadowbrook Parkway and Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall Under Construction
The curvy Meadow Brook State Parkway (under construction) reminds me of the old Long Island Motor Parkway in general, also with its difficulties of purchasing lands for a straighter roadway. Stepping back a bit, it seems only the Long Island Expressway, I-495, (constructed 1939-1972) was able to accomplish the straightest roadway to date on Long Island, particularly in suburban Suffolk County.
From Mystery Foto #46 Solved: A 1956 Aerial of the Meadowbrook Parkway and Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall Under Construction
I was unable to respond in time but I must agree with Brian; that southerly view was a bit off-putting at first. Amazing how aerially south-to-north we get, and yet most maps have north at the top. ??? Sam, III
From Mystery Foto #46 Solved: A 1956 Aerial of the Meadowbrook Parkway and Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall Under Construction
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