Vanderbilt Cup Races

Great info as always Al, that show many inconveniences back then that we take for granted today (lack of roads for one). Motor Pkwy offering a traffic alternative for a $0.50 toll ($9.10 today), I believe would’ve been too costly for most, where one still had to maneuver their way towards the Merrick Ave entrance to fulfill the quest. I’m not sure where 45k spectators were permitted to park, but with the separate polo field entrances being 0.35 miles apart, I wonder if they walked in the dirt after parking at the Hunt Club, or perhaps walked the concrete path towards the east bridge, then crossed over the west bridge for access?

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

  The train is westbound at Bethpage on Track1 with a manifest freight of empty
cars or a few more deliveries in on the way in to Holban Yard. The locomotive is a
Brooks 2-8-0 and it served its days from 1928 to the end of steam power in 1955.
  The LIMP traversed over the LIRR at: 1/ Williston Park over to Roslyn, 2/Bethpage in this photo and 3/ Mineola to Carle Place.  #1./ is on the Oyster Bay Branch and the others are on the main line.  The year of the photo is probably the 30;s or 40’s.
The photographer is standing on the east bound side of the railroad.

From Mystery Foto #18 Solved : A Train Passing the Mineola LIRR Motor Parkway Bridge Heading East

I absolutely see 1 bridge over the former LIMP in Howard’s 1951 aerial. My best answer is that it belonged to the Polo Club. The elevated image viewing East within the 1951 Newsday article had to be captured from the still remaining bridge, the “cheat/jug handle path” on the northside of the barricade is evident in both images. I recall a 1950 elevated image viewing west from the still remaining bridge. Art Kleiner submitted this image as a Mystery Foto a while back.

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

Thanks Gary, you explained what I just learned : ) Jamaica must be an interesting area.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway in Maps - Part IV

Frank, You were on target about the probability of horses using the west bridge to access the fields, a friend who is a polo fan pointed out that the horse stables were located on the south side of Stewart Ave. He also pointed out that in 1930, the first time the fields were used for the International polo matches, the first match drew 45,000 spectators

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

Thank you, Art for that article – a real find. Indeed, when Wagner retired from the Horseless Age, he began writing for House Beautiful magazine wherein he wrote about his own ‘House Beautiful’ when it was completed in Smithtown. When he bought the property, it was on what the 1909 Belcher Hyde Map called Auto Avenue (perhaps in anticipation of Fred’s interest in the area). By the summer of 1913, Auto Avenue was called Edgewater Avenue; and it was only a few minutes walk east of A.R. Pardington’s family home Oakwell. Fred’s home in Smithtown is considered nationally significant and is the only example of the Van Guilder concrete construction method (double wall sandwiching insulating air between, thermos-bottle style) used by Stickley in the United States. There is a pattern of starter flags in the brick headers above the Living Room hearth, a feature illustrating why Stickley wrote in his Craftsman magazine about how he designed the house with the Wagners‘ participation.

From The Residence of the Starter of Five Vanderbilt Cup Races -Fred Wagner- Rediscovered in Smithtown

From Art Kleiner:
Nice job, Dave - I haven’t been there in probably 7 years - one time I went there and a few homeless folks were there so I didn’t stay too long (e.g. didn’t look like Motor Parkway enthusiasts).  But here’s some pics from my website page.  Not sure if these relics remain. 
https://www.freewebs.com/limparkway/mineolawestburyaveso.htm

From Sammy & Dave's "Excellent 2020 Vanderbilt Day": Scouting the South Side of Westbury Avenue in Mineola/Carle Place

Brian, On April 8th 1944, Newsday reported Nassau County authorized the removal of the “steel and concrete bridge” over the Motor Parkway with the Meadowbrook Land Co.  agreeing to it’s removal.  I’m sure it happened quickly. At the time some of the old Motor parkway bridges were taken down for their war time scrap metal value. Regarding the Sheep’s Pen Road. It got it’s name for the many sheep farms in the Westbury area a couple hundred years ago. The road ran from the Old Country Rd and Merrick Ave vicinity in a southwest direction to Hempstead Village.  Though lightly used, Hempstead Town required the Parkway to bridge it which they did in 1907/08. During WWI the Govt. closed down the dirt road south of Stewart Ave. After that, it was hardly used at all.  Part of the road still exists today, it is now called Westbury Road,  it’s eastern terminus at Oak St., Garden City.  Also, take a look at the two 1927/Lindbergh photos, south of the Parkway there’s no road heading straight south from the Motor Parkway bridge.

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

I believe the so-called Peace Monument actually refers to the Jamaica Civil War Monument dedicated in 1896 (see attached postcards).  Originally located at Hillside & Bergen Avenues, it was moved in 1960 to Major Mark Park.  Look at NYC Parks website for more info.: https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/major-mark-park/monuments/1464

From Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway in Maps - Part IV

Frank, The 1936 aerial clearly shows a well defined roadway from Stewart Ave. north that goes over the east bridge It also appears the roadway is paved as it is the same color of Stewart Ave.  The international polo matches were held on these fields,drawing crowds as large as 30,000 spectators. The only access to these fields was from Stewart Ave.  Which approach to the polo fields from Stewart Ave. was in better condition to handle the crowds. Also, the horses used in these matches were brought in by trucks and trailers. Another also. The Parkway had a special one way 50 cent ticket from the west to the matches exiting at the Meadow brook Lodge. The same was the case for motorists heading west from the Meadowbrook Lodge.

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

Correction-  The park was named Highland, not Hillside, prior to being presently Captain Tilly Park. Must be a nice place to enjoy & relax.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway in Maps - Part IV

Brian - Great 1951 aerial. I also see the dirt jug handle going around the road barricade, just as in the Nov 1951 Newsday article below. Someone over time carved out that jug handle. The distance from the barricade to the Meadow Brook Lodge entrance was 0.4 miles. Could it have been our photographer/lodge keeper, Otto McCamish?

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

Al - Attached aerials below show a darker roadway extending to Stewart Ave from the west bridge, perhaps dirt instead of concrete for horse use. The same dark roadway then extends further south of Stewart towards the south Polo Fields by Mitchel Field. Gate 6 on the Roosevelt Raceway map appears to be an entry point after crossing the east bridge. FREE PARKING for those who entered thru this gate if they purchased a Grandstand or Clubhouse ticket!

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

I’m not figuring on what you mean, Al. I understand that the 1936 aerial is viewing northeast ( Polo Bridge left/west of LIMP HWY Bridge ) I see perhaps a dirt road north & south of the polo bridge. A paved road south of the LIMP HWY bridge from Stewart Ave, north would lead to Sheep Pens Rd you know about. The 1938/39 aerial is viewed south, roads are the same.

If Otto snapped the photo on the south side of the LIMP, then that would mean the Polo bridge being built was EAST of the LIMP HWY bridge. This doesn’t figure in my mind. Aerials show the Polo Bridge WEST of the LIMP HWY bridge.

The 1951 aerial I see here still shows the polo bridge existing, look closely.  Sincerely,  Brian

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

From Art Kleiner:
An article about Fred Wagner resigning his post as president of a publishing company to devote time to his Long Island farm. From “The Motor World”, Nov. 2, 1911, two years before the house was built.  But he remained an official A.A.A. starter.  And maps from E. Belcher-Hyde (1917) and Google (current).

From The Residence of the Starter of Five Vanderbilt Cup Races -Fred Wagner- Rediscovered in Smithtown

The PEACE MONUMENT on the 1917 thru 1921 maps captured my curiosity. Shows on the north side of Hillside Ave, opposite of Merrick Blvd ( 166th St ) Jamaica. A bit of research brings me just a little north to CAPTAIN TILLY PARK. The park was named in honor of Captain George H Tilly, who died in 1898 during the Spanish American War. Prior to 1935, it was known as Hillside Park. A Spanish American War Heroes Monument was erected in the park in 1941.

Maybe there’s an older PEACE MONUMENT being that it’s noted on these maps?

From Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway in Maps - Part IV

Of the 2 ‘dangerous places’ on the map. I believe the one in the upper right was the Jericho RR crossing where the 1908 course went through. Shown below when it was the 1st mystery photo of 2019.

From Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway in Maps - Part IV

Even more aerials added to the post.

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

Howard. Great mystery photo. It stumped me.  But, those respondents who said the view is to the south east got it wrong. MaCamish took the photo from the south side of the Parkway. The view is actually to the north west. Take a look at the 1936 aerial view. Only the east bridge has a roadway that reaches Stewart Ave.  Then look at Frank Femenias circa 1938/1939 photos,  they also show that only the east bridge has a roadway to Stewart Ave.

From Updated: Mystery Foto #17 Solved: The Meadowbrook Polo Club Bridge over the Motor Parkway

I wish I had a time machine, so I could cruise by the Packard plant, Disbrow’s garage, and the Peace Monument on the way to the Wright flying school!

From Kleiner's Korner: The Motor Parkway in Maps - Part IV