Vanderbilt Cup Races

From Mitchell Field, the current Nassau Community College looking NE.  Stewart Ave, then the Motor Parkway run from left to right.  The LIMP bridge at Roosevelt Field still stands.  The red box shows the faint remnants of the road connector built for the 1908 VCR, to join Ellison Ave in Westbury with the LIMP.  Looks like the race track used to revive the VCR’s of the 1930’s is peeking into the picture from the top.

From Update2:Mystery Foto #29 Solved:A 1936 Aerial of Mitchel Field,Roosevelt Raceway & the Motor Parkway

Update #2: Frank Mendyk added the above images of the historical marker.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Reveals Another Piece of Long Island History in Garden City

And now it runs!
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Howard Kroplick.
John, thanks. I appreciate your contributions to Tucker 1044!

From On the Road to Pebble: The Unique Tucker Cyclops Headlight

While I’m at it, the “Right Corner: Mayan Ruins Mo{to}r Parkway Bridge” photo clearly shows the rectangular features north of Osborne to which I referred and the large field to their east.  What is that all about?  Also, in the second close-up, “North of Oyster Bay LIRR:- Buildings of the Camp Mills Hospital Complex” probably should read “Between Old Country Road and the LIRR Main Line”.  The OB Branch cuts off north further west in downtown Mineola (top center in main photo).  Sam, III

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola

Art - I “happen” to remember; it was my first job back on LI after Aberdeen and was for Theiss, Inc., first in the Dade building basement, then Denton 2nd floor rear.  Also, let’s be careful, lest we propagate another myth, to remember, all of you, that there NEVER WAS a bridge over Transverse Road; only the abutments, the so-called (by us, now) Mayan Ruins, were ever built and the depressed roadway was later filled in back up to grade.  Sam, III
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Howard Kroplick I

Agree with Sam II, it was just a planned bridge that was never completed.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola

Update #1: Bill Bellmer explains why this area was, and still is, referred to as Mineola when it is in Garden City.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Reveals Another Piece of Long Island History in Garden City

Update #3: Close-ups of the Old Country Road Motor Parkway Bridge, LIRR Mainline Bridge and Mayan Ruins Motor Parkway Bridge added above.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola

Sorry I missed this but this aerial also displays the sharpest view to date of the Old Country Road highway bridge and the Mineola RR bridge. Howard, would love to see these zoomed by your methods. Nice aerial shot.
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Howard Kroplick
Close-ups added above.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola

Great Job, Bill Bellmer

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Reveals Another Piece of Long Island History in Garden City

Howard,

Any chance you could make a high quality available for download?  I’m collecting early Mott aerials for a photo collage of the area and would love to add this to my wall. Dave
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Dave,

I sent you a high resolution jpeg courtesy of Richard Panchyk.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola

Interesting info. Never knew there was a spur that extended east from the past Mineola-Hempstead branch. Obviously for coal delivery to the power house. Guess the local farmers made no waste utilizing the refuse for composting and possibly feed for the livestock.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Reveals Another Piece of Long Island History in Garden City

I’m not knowledgeable concerning any classic automobile. The front end makes me think of the Batmobile for whatever reason.

Silly question perhaps, but what is the purpose of a headlight that only switches on when steering left or right? I guess the headlight will also activate either with a switch or upon low light/darkness?
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Howard Kroplick

Brian, the middle headlight was designed to light up curves on turns.

From On the Road to Pebble: The Unique Tucker Cyclops Headlight

I had family in from out of town and had to miss the event. Looks like it was a great educational day. With only 4 or 5 years before I retire, I’m looking to get more involved in volunteering in historical preservation activities. Please pass along any similar events or any other historical preservation organizations in Nassau county in need of a volunteer.
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Howard Kroplick

Victor, thanks you are now a proud member of the Long Island Motor Parkway preservation Society which entitles you to all the preservation efforts. Welcome!!

From Update #1: Seven Long Island Motor Parkway Preservation Members Help to Preserve a Town Landmark

Camp Mills?  NO.  Camp Mills was east of Clinton and south of the LIRR Central Branch tracks; see <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Camp_mills_new_york.jpg>.  There’s a monument to the Rainbow Division (the 42nd) at St James Street and Rainbow Place (the triangle at Clinton) across from the site of Camp Mills.  I asked about the same area, above.  Sam, III
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Howard Kroplick

Garden City Village Historian Bill Bellmer has confirmed that the remnants of the Camp Mill Hospital Complex can be seen in the middle of both the 1926 and 1931 aerials. More documentation to follow.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola

sam - would you happen to remember who you worked for in the Denton Building?

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola

1926 aerial of the Mineola Fair and Clinton Road Motor Parkway Bridge added above.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola

I have one of the original tickets. It is not dated. It is No. 7114
Would this be worth something to a collector?
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Howard Kroplick

Nicholas, the toll tickets usually go for $50 to $100. Please send a jpeg to me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and I will post it.

From Vanderbilia: The Long Island Motor Parkway Toll Ticket

Art - personal favor, please.  Can you put a street number on the Denton Building?  Ca. 1956, I worked in what I then knew as the Denton Building, at the south-east corner of Hilton Avenue and the tracks (between 6th and 7th Streets).  Perhaps I misremember; there’s no trace of any such there, now.  I also worked in the basement of George Dade’s building on the north side of OCR immediately east of the LIMP RoW and in the Oxford-Pendaflex (ex-Curtiss) building at Clinton between Stewart and Commercial and lived many years in the ca. 1928 Mott section of Mineola (Marcellus, between Jericho and Hillside).  So, this picture is quite a kick for me!  By the way, the old Garden City Hotel is just off screen at the center left and certainly would qualify for a bonus if it were visible.  Darn!  What are the grouped rectangles two-three blocks north of Osborne and what’s in that big field just to the east?  Sam, III

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola

Howard, would it be a possibility to expand the picture where NYU Winthrop Hospital is located ? It would be really cool to see it’s buildings there at the time (which btw in the lobby has the names of many of the LIMP benefactors carved onto 2 huge marble stones), and possibly do a focus story on the hospital’s history and its connection to the cup races.  Thanks, Mike
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Howard Kroplick

Mike, close-up has been added above.

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola

The photo was taken over Garden City and Mineola facing northwest
Major roads - Clinton Rd, Old Country Rd, Glen Cove Rd, Jericho Turnpike, Westbury Rd, Roslyn Rd, Washington Ave, Franklin Ave, Mineola Blvd, and LIMP

LIRR Mainline, LIRR Oyster Bay branch, Mineola spur to Garden City
LIMP Bridges- Mayan ruins, Old Country Rd, and LIRR mainline.

The ovals is the Mineola Fairgrounds which is now the Nassau County Court Complex
The buildings in the lower right hand side is part of Roosevelt Field off of Clinton Rd
I would date the photo to be around 1938/39 due to comparing it with the 1942 photo.
It looks like Krugs corner and Hotel is still there and also the building across the other side of Willis Ave, 136 Jericho Turnpike

From Update #3: Mystery Foto #28 Solved: A 1931 Aerial of the Motor Parkway in Garden City and Mineola