Vanderbilt Cup Races

It says 1st bridge after Great Neck , so that would make it the bidg over New Hyde Park Road? Gene

From Updated: Surveyor Clinton Robertson Photo Album: A Motor Parkway Survey Team in Lake Success in 1909

Location - NYS pilgrim State Psychiatric Center Brentwood
            Photo facing to the north over Deer Park ,Brentwood looking towards
            the LIMP at Commack and Hauppauge
Building Complex - Pilgrim State Hospital built in 1929, opened in 10/01/31
Property today- Pilgrim State Hospital and associated psych centers,
                lower section of photo, Heartland Industrial Park
                section to the right was the center’s farm, now Suffolk
                County Community College, SCPD police academy
Roads- Commack Rd, Crooked Hill Rd, Wicks Rd and G Rd (entrance to the center)
Location of the LIMP -  The LIMP is on the top 3rd of the photo and runs from left
                        to right.  The parkway is just above the intersection of
                        Commack and Crooked Hill and then curves down and
                        around to the intersection of Wicks Rd which can be seen
                        in the photo. LIMP runs along top of the farms to Wicks
Location of LIRR - The LIRR can be seen on the lower right coming up past
                    the power house and curving up to G Rd and ending at the
                    LIRR Pilgrim State Station.  The Pilgrim Spur also splits at a wye
                    just below the power house and goes to the coal ramp next to
                    and below the power house.
Date of Photo-  the date should be late 30’s early 40’s, I would say maybe 37-39
                the LIRR started train service on 6/24/34 (station in photo)
                Comparing the SC GIS aerial of 1947, the complex is much more
                built up and developed as to mystery photo. It appears that the
                parkway could possibly be still open.

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

Hi Sam,
WWI quite possible. Sent Howard the rear side of the brochure which sold on ebay in 2017. There’s no date on the rear as well and It’s not a great image. The toll on the brochure was $1 dollar so it may have been printed sometime between 1917-1933 I believe.

From Updated: Surveyor Clinton Robertson Photo Album: A Motor Parkway Survey Team in Lake Success in 1909

Nothing here looks familiar. I believe orientation is NE and LIRR is at bottom right. The RR spur terminating on a bridge over water - strange! I’m stumped. Great mystery Richard, ya got me this time!

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

Hah!  There’;s an old typo!  The LIMP didn’t eliminate “highways”; only the at-grade crossings of same.  What got me to write, though, is to ask if there’s a date anywhere on the brochure.  One might assume 1917-18 from “War Tax”.  Thanks , Frank.  Sam, III

From Updated: Surveyor Clinton Robertson Photo Album: A Motor Parkway Survey Team in Lake Success in 1909

Update: Added Long Island Motor Parkway brochure courtesy of Frank Femenias.

From Updated: Surveyor Clinton Robertson Photo Album: A Motor Parkway Survey Team in Lake Success in 1909

There’s actually a third photo of this bridge on the front cover of a ‘Long Island Motor Parkway’ brochure, that I somehow cannot locate now, even if my life depended on it. Or was I dreaming?

From Updated: Surveyor Clinton Robertson Photo Album: A Motor Parkway Survey Team in Lake Success in 1909

I somehow missed Bridge Series 15 but find it hard to believe that all traces are gone.  The abutments and wing walls didn’t sit flat on the ground.  Assuming they had rebar in the foundations, it’s probably still under there and thus readily locatable by magnetometer.  It seems unlikely anyone would have bothered to bulldoze the underpinnings up in an undeveloped area like that.  How precisely can we locate Station 742?  Buried treasure seekers, get cracking!  Sam, III

From Updated: Surveyor Clinton Robertson Photo Album: A Motor Parkway Survey Team in Lake Success in 1909

I believe the photo is over Brentwood looking north with Pilgrim State Hospital being the main complex in the center. It opened in 1931 and the current smaller version is now known as Pilgrim Psychiatric Center. To the right is the current site of Suffolk County Community College. In addition to the LIMP, we can see Commack Road, Crooked Hill Road, Wicks Road, and with a little imagination, Jericho Turnpike ( state route 25), with its connector road to the LIMP, later to become Harned Road. The LIMP enters near the upper left corner, proceeds east, then curves south and east again where it intersects Wicks Road. The LIRR is a spur heading north from the lower right corner (having branched off the main line) before forking into two tracks on the hospital grounds. Not sure about the date but I’ll say around 1939-1940 because I don’t think there’s any evidence yet of construction starting for Edgewood State Hospital.

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

*Location & Orientation:  Brentwood, NY viewing north.

*Building Complex & Year Est:  Pilgrim State Hospital, opened 10/1/1931. Hospital community that’s entirely self contained. Property extended into 4 towns: Babylon, Huntington, Islip and Smithtown.

*Complex buildings on both sides of Crooked Hill Rd:  Pilgrim Psychiatric Center W/O Crooked Hill, and Suffolk Community College E/O Crooked Hill, est. 1974 on former Pilgrim farm land.

*Roads:  Commack, Crooked Hill, and Wicks Rd. LIRR spur north from main line. Right branch towards Pilgrim Passenger Platform, and left branch towards Pilgrim Power Plant.

*LIMP:  Upper half of image. West across Wicks Rd., then N/W towards Jericho Tpke spur. Continues west across Commack Rd.

*Kudo, image date & rationale:  I’ll say 1938 due to an aerial dated the same ( 7/13/1938 ) within the Stony Brook University Digital Collections ( ASA_5_5 or 5_3 ). Images are much alike.

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

Frank Femenias
Hi Howard,

Fantastic Fotos of the park. Attached are honorable mentions.
Congrats!

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/images/blog/2017-11-16_22-35-01_edited-1.jpg

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/images/blog/2017-11-16_22-36-52_edited-1.jpg

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/images/blog/Scan0009ffff.jpg

http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/images/blog/10-16-2012_11-17-58_PM_edited-1.jpg 

Frank

From Updated: My Favorite Queens Motor Parkway Images for the New York City Parks Department

Update: Captions have been added to the images

From Updated: My Favorite Queens Motor Parkway Images for the New York City Parks Department

In the far distance of the photo, to the North,  are the hangars of Curtiss Field. Curtiss Field was renamed and incorporated one year later as the eastern section of Roosevelt Field.

From The Salvation Army Hotel Being Moved Down Clinton Road in Garden City in 1928

Anthony Guardino

Howard.  Thanks again for your great work in promoting the history of Long Island Motor Parkway.  Here are my responses to questions relating to Mystery Friday Foto #50. - Anthony Guardino
Mystery Foto questions:
• Identify the location and orientation of the photographer.
• The photo is of Brentwood looking north.
• What is the building complex in the Mystery Foto and when was it built?
• The building complex is the Pilgrim State Hospital, which began construction in 1929 and opened in 1931.
• What is located on the complex today and the property on the far right?
• Today, the New York State Office of Mental Health operates the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center from a small portion of the former State Hospital site, and a large portion has been sold to Gerald Wolkoff, who plans a major mixed-use development on it.  The property on the far right is now the Suffolk Community College, Michael J. Grant Campus.
• Identify the roads that are not the Motor Parkway,
• Crooked Hill Road, Commack Road and Wicks Road
• Where is the Motor Parkway?
• It is located at the far north end of the State Hospital complex.  The Commack Spur is also plainly visible at the top of the photograph.
• Where is the Long Island Railroad?
• The main line of the LIRR is located south of the photo, but a spur from the main line to the Pilgrim State Hospital station is visible along the right side of the photo.  A elevated portion of the rail spur is located in front of the power plant building at the southeast part of the complex.
• Kudos question: What is the date of the Mystery Foto? Provide a rationale.
• The photo was taken between 1931 and 1941.  Rationale: The State Hospital opened in 1931, but Buildings 81, 82 and 83 (three large buildings constructed some time prior to 1941 to the west of the circular feature in the center of the campus) are not shown in the photo.

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

HI Bill, Regarding the sale of property to the golf course.  The Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Co. on June 10, 1925, sold off the 110 acre parcel to the Intercollegiate Golf Club for $232,780 taking back a $200,000 mortgage. I’m assuming, based on the large mortgage, they had no plans to expand the airfield and the property was simply unneeded. On March 1, 1928 Intercollegiate sold the property to Golf Associates. On June 1, that same year they sold the golf course to the Old Westbury Golf Club. By the end of 1932, the club closed and the property was sold off to the Clearview Golf and Yacht Club. (They were looking for a new location as the City of New York purchased their club for $940,000) They never re-opened the golf course and in 1942 they sold the property to a Walter Haber. In 1950 the property was acquired by Webb & Knpp who already owned the 250 acre Roosevelt Field. Al.

From The Salvation Army Hotel Being Moved Down Clinton Road in Garden City in 1928

Pilgrim. State hospital ln the late 1920’s or early 1930’s. Photo was taken looking north east. I believe the Motor parkway is running northwest on the right side of the photo close to the power plant.

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

This is the Pilgrim State Phycariatic Center in Brentwood circa 1940? The view is looking North in which the Motor Parkway is running from east to west in the top half of the photo. This is exactly where the LIE runs today. On the right will be Suffolk County Community College and the not built yet Sagtikcos Parkway. Most of these structures have been demolished but their remains still lie about with a few building still in use.I have tried to find remains of the Motor Parkway in the vicinity but the creation of the LIE cleared out anything to be seen.

From Update: Pilgrim State Hospital Complex and the Motor Parkway in 1938

Howard, is there anything we can do to support the efforts to get historical markers placed? 
___________________________________________________

Howard Kroplick

Art, will do. Right now they are in the early planning stages of the project.

From Updated: My Favorite Queens Motor Parkway Images for the New York City Parks Department

What a great picture!

From Updated: Surveyor Clinton Robertson Photo Album: A Motor Parkway Survey Team in Lake Success in 1909

Those are all great images Howard, of the Motor Parkway in Queens. Haven’t seen them in a while.Thanks for showing them.

From Updated: My Favorite Queens Motor Parkway Images for the New York City Parks Department