Vanderbilt Cup Races

My posts (and pieces of roadway) were uncovered and taken in 2013 with the permission of the developer during the excavation of the ROW off of Crocus Lane and Orchard Road in Levittown.  Thanks to Steve Lucas and Ellyn Okvist for making that a successful archeological dig. 

https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/in_search_of_the_grandstand_press_box_officials_stand_and_pits_in_levittown

SPECIAL NOTE: And 7 years later, further development is encroaching on another ROW segment just west of the Crocus Lane location.  This is the area just off of Heron Lane, also near Orchard Road.  9 homes are to be built.  The builder has once again given me permission to see what Motor Parkway relics remain during excavation.  I certainly will take him up on the offer even though his initial drilling for sand samples have not produced anything.

Look for future updates in upcoming Kleiner’s Korners.

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

Update: I made contact with a Village of Garden City official this morning.

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

Gentlemen, my post was found already unearthed and laying flat on the LIMP RoW in Bethpage, discarded during Rt 135 construction.

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

Excellent observation David. I failed to acknowledge that the CAUTION warning could work on the ascent towards the bridge as well. Nice work.

The CRR through this intersection curved towards the west. In the ‘51 aerial below the RoW can still be seen on the north side of the LIMP, placing the bridge slightly more west. The ‘24 aerial shows the broad curve.

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

This post has been updated to note that the 10 concrete posts that are being donated were legally purchased from a builder in the 1980s who had already removed them.

Last opportunity to provide feedback before an email is sent to Village of Garden City officials.

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

Sam, You lucky dog ! You got your post free. I had to pay for the Parkway posts that I have acquired. See mystery photo, Nov. 25, 2019

https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/mystery_friday_foto_47_a_house_built_on_the_long_island_motor_parkway_right

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

Thank you Bill, very well stated indeed.
Those of us that own antique cars and always support the annual Garden City Easter parade run by the Chamber of Commerce should note what is or isn’t happening. Perhaps this is our opportunity to “protest” ( the new popular word for everything) as we see nothing being accomplished .

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

You don’t preserve something by burying it. You only bury the dead! No one would preserve their car by burying it. You bring it back to it’s former glory. I think their idea of preservation is a cop out to not spend money to do what is necessary. It seems to me in this time of election and re election the opportunity to get some local politician behind the proper preservation is timely.

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

I totally support this effort. Based upon the generous contribution you and Al are offering Howard, I think the Village of Garden City should accept your proposal. I also enthusiastically support Al’s suggestions for preserving the historical sections still available for use as a reminder of this historic part of Long Island history. I hope the village cooperates!

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

We are looking east-south-east above East Garden City / Westbury with the LIMP in the upper right quadrant of the photo along with the Meadowbrook Lodge and the bridge over Merrick Avenue. This section of the LIMP was part of the course for the 1908, 1909 and 1910 V. C. Races. The plane is a Curtiss B-2 “Condor” and the Curtiss Company had a plant just out of view off the lower right of the photo. The golf course is the Old Westbury Club (Intercollegiate Golf Club). Since the “Condor” was operational for the US Army only from 1929-1932, the photo should be from about then. The special road going from lower left and connecting with the LIMP was built as an extension of Ellison Avenue to allow access from Jericho Tpke. for the 1908 race and again in 1909 and 1910 from Old Country Road.

From Mystery Foto #42 Solved: A 1929 Curtiss B-2 Condor Bomber Flyover Over Roosevelt Field, Merrick Avenue and the Motor Parkway

Yeah, riiight, Sheri!  Kroplick and Velocci Concretes?  At least, I saved my post from a scrap heap (out by the Commack Spur, with permission).  If the personage who now has it in his/her possession would give it up, it might be added to the display (with ribbon wire).  Keep pressing on, regardless!  Sam, III

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

The 1951 NYC aerial makes the relationships easier to see, even though the trees in the upper right of the mystery photo no longer exists. By 1951, the demapped Peck Ave is being erased and the Central RR ROW from Kingsbury SE is being filled in to form Steward Road. Although a bit grainy in the photo posted, there is clearly a tree on the curve overhanging the parkway.

Also note the location of the continuation of the Central RR ROW. I conclude that the original bridge was partly “over” the future Bell Blvd., not slightly west as drawn in an illustration above. (Topographic Bureau maps circa 1950 support my conclusion.)

As a child I always imagined that what Brian shows in his picture was the Central RR roadbed because it crossed the LIMP and continued on the other side. If you measure distances to the new bridge and various angles you will discover that one is mostly looking at the remains of the demapped Peck Ave. on both sides of the LIMP.

In the 1951 aerial, you can see how Peck and the original LIMP path merged and what I know realize is the LIMP path I though years ago was a trail blazed for convenience. So somewhere on Brian’s fork one could see the original LIMP path weakly, but on my last visit over one year ago, foliage obscured that.

Finally, for those not familiar with this area I wanted to show how Peck Ave abruptly ends in the area. That’s an easy way into the LIMP, if you don’t mind walking through underbrush. Amazingly, I discovered a tree that is the right age and species to one of the trees in the 1938 photo! I sspect this tree is the tree above the S in the label CIRCLED TREES, which forms part of the upper right tree line in the original mystery photo.

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

I would like to confirm Howard’s assertion and offer some more details using digital editing techniques.
By inverting the photo and enhancing contrast, the “mystery word” is CAUTION (part of C and the N is not visible), which makes sense as bikers are about to cross a bridge.
Paying attention to the tree and tree line in the mystery photo enables one to match trees to various aerials and look for a narrowing of parkway just before a curve (traveling west).
Elsewhere, Howard has a June 1938 aerial, a close date to the August 1938 date of photo. I have both warped and inverted that aerial and labeled the “circled trees,” the only stand of trees that match the upper left tree line in the mystery photo. (The top picture has EAST on the top, the bottom has WEST on the top.) Note that Peck Ave is being constructed, although part will be demapped by 1951. The Xs are the photographer position and the horizontal slash over which Peck Ave crosses is Bell Blvd.

From Mystery Foto #41 Solved: A 1938 View of the Queens Motor Parkway Bike Path Looking West from Bell Boulevard

It’s a tough call here. When Lord Elgin ‘stole’ sections of the Parthenon frieze, the so called Elgin marbles, it was looked at as a desecration and as ruining the integrity of the Parthenon. Yet, when Kroplick & Velocci saved these LIMP posts they helped to preserve and to now be reunited with their original location and purpose. This donation of the posts provides a much needed context to appreciate this crucial period of transportation history.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Howard Kroplick, for the record, Al Velocci legally purchased these 10 posts in 1995 from a builder who had already removed them for a residential development.

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

I got a kick out of the 1907 description of “the old Vanderbilt Cup course”!  Old?  TWO whole years - wow!  Yes, I realize they were differentiating between the 1905 and 1906 courses but still it seems funny, now, 113 years later.  Sam, III

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 5 - A Proposed 2 Day 1907 Vanderbilt Cup Race on LI

The fellow standing next to Gill in the second DPL pic looks so familiar, even though facing away.  Mought’nt he be Jefferson De Mont Thompson, Chairman of the Vanderbilt Cup Commission?  Sam, III

From Kleiner's Korner: The Little Known (until now) 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race Driver: Howard Gill

So much of Long Island’s history has been buried, bulldozed of just forgotten. Its a shame the towns and villages don’t support this history. We support any effort to preserve and educate the next generation of Long Islanders.

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

As one on many “friends” of the western terminus LIMP bike/hiking path who value that path as a community resource and appreciate its historical significance, I very much urge the Village of Garden City to accept your and Al’s generous proposal.

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

WOW!  My e-mail has been deluged with notices of all these responses!  I hope everyone writes to LETTERS TO THE EDITOR at The Garden City News as Rikki M. suggests, directed to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).  I have.  Sam, III

From Update: A Proposal to the Village of Garden City To Restore the Motor Parkway Concrete Posts Near Their Parking Lot

Well, I instantly thought Barling Bomber but no, it’s a Keystone (prev. Huff-Daland) LB-5A (Liberty engines, twin tail), based out of Mitchel Field.  Twin .303 Lewis guns in scarf mount in nose.  Incidentally, H-D/Keystone’s chief designer was James McDonnell and the firm ended up in Curtiss-Wright and some of the staff quit and became Grumman in Baldwin.  Ca. 1930 (LB-5A service).  Lotsa av. info. but where?  I am SO lost!  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #42 Solved: A 1929 Curtiss B-2 Condor Bomber Flyover Over Roosevelt Field, Merrick Avenue and the Motor Parkway