Vanderbilt Cup Races

Eagles Nest. Summer residence of William k Vanderbilt in Centerport NY
(See photo)
1) salt water pool (now filled in)
2) golf course
3) marine museum and 1st hole tee from the roof
4) carriage house / garage
5) mansion
6) boat house
7) corithian columns
8) power house
9) rose garden and tennis courts
10) seaplane hanger

Photo taken in 1947

From Mystery Friday Foto #38 Solved: A Fairchild Aerial of Willie K's Private Eagle's Nest Golf Course

Here’s the same location viewing south, Frank. Definitely the same pole line row.

From A 1946 View of the Broad Hollow Motor Parkway/Trolley Bridge in Melville

Just realized this photo was used previously in May 2017. Our guess on the year then, 1930

https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/mystery_friday_foto_19_a_famous_long_island_estate

From Mystery Friday Foto #38 Solved: A Fairchild Aerial of Willie K's Private Eagle's Nest Golf Course

The history has been updated with a film of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt christening the Yankee Clipper and the Dixie Clipper’s first transatlantic passenger flight landing in Marseilles, France.

From Updated: Historic Seaplane Milestones at Manhasset Bay

The blue line in above photo is the center of former Highway from Melville to Amityville (Old Rt 110). The yellow line is the former Broad Hollow bridge. Could the current telegraph pole standing on the west side, be the same location as shown in 1945, and also in 1938? Their locations are very close.

From A 1946 View of the Broad Hollow Motor Parkway/Trolley Bridge in Melville

Amazing how this LIMP area on Rt 110 has changed over the years; first with the bridge’s removal, then with consequent road expansion. The bridge photo is unrecognizable today

From A 1946 View of the Broad Hollow Motor Parkway/Trolley Bridge in Melville

Sorry Art, no relation that I know of (unless very distant), but he definitely was a very interesting aviator with Long Island connections as his wife came from Garden City.  He truly proved the old adage that a landing you could walk away from was a good landing, having crashed numerous times!

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 4 - Buffalo, NY Wants the 1907 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Agreed!  However for purposes of sorting through lots of information for a particular topic you can’t beat the search and find functions.  But by relying on that only there’s so much that one would miss on other interesting finds.  Even when I use the search functions I usually scan the entire on-line document to pick out bits of useful information.  I’ve find many of the items I post on the blog that way.

Also, about your comment regarding LI being the “real” home of the Cup Races, I’ll be having an upcoming post about the 1907 race again being proposed on LI even after it was announced it wouldn’t.  And another post about offers to host the 1908 race off of LI. 

By the way, I’ve been coming across a name associated with aviation on LI in the early 1900s named Lee Hammond.  Any relation?

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 4 - Buffalo, NY Wants the 1907 Vanderbilt Cup Race

I remember when I was doing research on the Fulton Motor Truck, going up to Henry Austin Clark’s house - we wandered through the basement looking through all sorts of period magazines for ads and info., then upstairs to the library also filled with goodies.  For a librarian/historian it was paradise!  I’ll take a “real” object over a computer screen any day!

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 4 - Buffalo, NY Wants the 1907 Vanderbilt Cup Race

Thanks Gary - its truly a labor of love!  As you say, digitization has made researching our favorite subject that much more rewarding and efficient!  But it is still a thrill to read through the original hard copies when they are found.

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 4 - Buffalo, NY Wants the 1907 Vanderbilt Cup Race

-The location of the Mystery aerial
Willie K’s Eagle’s Nest in Northport

-The golf course
WKV’s private golf course on the property…tee offf from the top of the Hall of Fishes!

-The major buildings
The main mansion, hall of fish, garage and the tennis courts are where the current planetarium is located.

-What is the estimated date of the aerial?
Hall of Fish was built around 1922 and difficult to tell from the photo if the second level was built yet. The memorial wing has yet to be built for the death of his son in 1933. I’ll take a guess at 1927 since many Fairchild aerials seem to have come from around that year.

From Mystery Friday Foto #38 Solved: A Fairchild Aerial of Willie K's Private Eagle's Nest Golf Course

Excellent image! Probably the last image of this bridge before it was bulldozed.The bridge sign in 1935 must have been removable, the original painted copy being covered over. Also see that the electric utility strung wires along the trolley poles. Telegraph/Phone on the west side.

From A 1946 View of the Broad Hollow Motor Parkway/Trolley Bridge in Melville

Art,  Thanks a lot for putting in the extra effort for documenting these relatively unknown attempts for hosting the Vanderbilt Cup Races (even though we all know the Long Island races are the only ones that really count)!  Now that so many early periodicals have been digitized we have an incredible opportunity to further our knowledge of this important subject.

From Kleiner's Korner: Part 4 - Buffalo, NY Wants the 1907 Vanderbilt Cup Race

What many people forget is that Seaver was on the 86 Red Sox team. How ironic would it have been for him to pitch AGAINST the Mets in that World Series? Due to a knee injury he didn’t make the postseason roster. Thank God.

Better days might be ahead for the Mets! The Wilpon era is coming to a end (thank God again) and we have high hopes for our new owner, once confirmed. If A Rod bought the team I was NEVER going to watch another Met game ever. Biggest cheater of all time.

From Kleiner's Korner: My Personal Tribute to Tom Seaver

Great shot with Seaver, Art! Though too young at the time, he still was an idol in my world growing up in Woodside. Glad you both had the opportunity to meet and share a great moment in time together!

From Kleiner's Korner: My Personal Tribute to Tom Seaver

I pass the Moravian Cemetery often as I live in Staten Island.

From Video of the Week: The Vanderbilt Mausoleum at the Moravian Cemetery in Staten Island

Very interesting.

From Kleiner's Korner: A "True" 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race Illustration

Great information

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: Motor Parkway Remnants at Half Hollow Road, Dix Hills in 2008

Nice stills but video unavalible

From Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Society Visits a Hidden Parkway Section in Dix Hills

Great aerials Brian. The 1966 shows the old roadway still intact, and for a good length! Great stuff!

From Mystery Foto #37 Solved: Motor Parkway Remnants at Half Hollow Road, Dix Hills in 2008