About
The six Vanderbilt Cup Races held on Long Island from 1904 to 1910 were the greatest sporting events of their day, and the first international automobile road races held in the United States. The races had a far-reaching impact on the development of American automobiles and parkways. This site provides comprehensive information on the races, the Long Island Motor Parkway and current Long Island automotive events, car shows and news.
All Content © 2026 VanderbiltCupRaces.com
Co-Founder and Writer: Howard Kroplick
Co-Founder: Dana Kroplick
Website by Eric Miller Design
Site maintained by Hop Studios
Recent Comments
Greg
I know where nearby in that area, will visit, thanks.
From Greg O's Garage: Maggie Helck discovers two 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race flags
Location and orientation of the photographer
Looking a bit south of west from about over the Stewart Ave/Merrick Road
interception
Approximate month and year. Provide a rationale.
Stumped here. The Roosevelt Field Mall is evident, opened 1956. The Roosevelt
Field Harness track looks to be under (re)development which occurred in 1956.
The location of the LIMP
Along the top of the image you can see the turn north past the mall. Most of the
ROW was absorbed by the parkway here.
Major roads, buildings and housing developments
Stewart Ave. Meadowbrook Pkw with overpasses to Merchant’s Concourse,
Zeckendorf Blvd, and LIRR to industrial area. Roosevelt Field Mall
From Mystery Friday Foto #1 Solved: A 1956 aerial over the Meadowbrook Parkway Extension
Mark-
I could not find any info as to where the father James is buried. Maybe in a small cemetery somewhere in East Norwich or close by since he spent most of his life in East Norwich.
From Greg O's Garage: Maggie Helck discovers two 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race flags
I had stop by 6 Locust Ave. East Norwich from my Oyster Bay nearby, spoke to a young lady on her way to pick up her son, did not know of anything about the former resident or the history of that location, so I printout this story and this website and drop it in her mailbox, Hope she finds this interesting? NOW, where is James Remsen who had lived within 2 blocks from Veron, had lived and buried??
From Greg O's Garage: Maggie Helck discovers two 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race flags
Lower left corner is the Garden City Casino and tennis courts. Top center is the smoke stack for the Garden City Water Works. Left side above the Casino is the school administration building. Bottom center is the LIRR train station.
From A 1924 aerial of the Garden City Hotel
Stewart Ave. facing west Roosevelt Field Mall North-West off the Meadowbrook in the Early 1950’s
From Mystery Friday Foto #1 Solved: A 1956 aerial over the Meadowbrook Parkway Extension
Greg. All clear now.
Brian. Thanks for the info on online maps.
From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury
Well, that cleared up all of my confusion as to how the race course made it from Guinea Woods Road to Wheatley Road. Nice research. Thank you for the thorough explanation. I lived at 30 Wheatley Road 20 years ago. The property was the former polo field for the Grace Estate. I would have appreciated knowing the history of the cup race each time that I turned out of the driveway.
From Greg O's Garage: Anatomy of the 1906 Hairpin Turn
Looking Northwest towards Roosevelt Field. To the lower left is Mitchel Field. The tennis courts behind the single family homes on North Road are visible. LILCO ‘Gas Heats Best’ tower is seen on the horizon. Stewart Ave. runs top-bottom on the left.
Meadowbrook Parkway extension runs through middle of photo. Exit ramp for what is today Merchant’s Concourse is not finished. Bottom right is Mitchel Gardens. Former Polo Grounds exercise property and LIMP ROW are beyond those homes. In the distance, the bridge for what will become Zeckendorf Blvd. is present.
Difficult to tell from the distance if construction for Roosevelt Field Mall has begun. Hangers along Old Country Road are still standing.
Parkway extension opened in mid 1956. This couldn’t have been much later than that.
Approximately same orientation seen below. Forgot who contributed the image though.
From Mystery Friday Foto #1 Solved: A 1956 aerial over the Meadowbrook Parkway Extension
Rare photo of what appears remnants of the original Motor Parkway, just south of the newly built Roosevelt Field Shopping Center in East Garden City, Dec 1956. This strip lines up with the original Motor Parkway Right-of-Way. Photo is looking west with the Motor Pkwy Clinton Rd bridge already removed. The Garden City Lodge and Supt’s house are there but difficult to see. Present day Roosevelt Field Ring Road South will eventually occupy the remnant strip, almost. Stewart Av and Meadow Brook State Parkway dominates this photo
From Mystery Friday Foto #1 Solved: A 1956 aerial over the Meadowbrook Parkway Extension
From Greg O.
Dave- The house in the 1906 photos is at #1 Wheatley at Wheatley Rd &Old; Westbury Rd., torn down on 2017. There may have been a similar house at the location you’re asserting, but it is not the hairpin landmark. Hopefully my post tonight clears it up when Howard makes it live later.
From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury
That’s the whole point Mark. I thought the picture/house was at the intersection of Post and Wheatley. I think the location you are talking about is not correct. The house that looked exactly like the house in the pics was at the intersection of Post and Wheatley.
From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury
Dave. If the house in the picture is indeed the one that was torn down and we know that it was a few hundred feet from the intersection of Wheatley and Old Westbury Roads, how could it have been at the intersection of Wheatley and Post.
From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury
I have no idea what the 1906 course route was, but I do know Old Westbury and I always thought from the pics of the hairpin turn that spot seemed to be exactly at the location of present dayWheatley and Post Road.
And the house that was in all the old pics, that was there until a few years ago right at that spot.
From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury
Sounds good, Greg. Looking forward to the blog : )
Mark - I screenshot those maps from websites - Course Maps are here on the site, of course. NassauCounty.gov website - LRV ( Land Record Viewer ) has 1926 & 1950 aerials, as well current property maps. HistoricMapWorks website - has Atlases for just about everywhere. I also like SuffolkCounty.gov - GIS Aerial maps from 1947 till now, also shows property data. Tried looking at GIS maps yesterday, but it looks the website is reconfigured. Look again soon.
From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury
From Greg O.
Brian- you are correct. Tonight’s post should clear it up.
From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury
Brian. Interesting how many roads got reconfigured through the years because of LIE ect. The 1939 map shows Hastings merging into Wheatley Rd. Do you have these actual maps or is this off a website?
From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury
Mark - I became creative with the course southeast of Red Ground Rd. Here’s a couple of maps from 1914 and 1939. 1914 map shows Red Ground Rd extending southeast towards Wheatley and Old Westbury Rd. That seems to be the course route. 1939 map shows Red Ground as it’s today. Hastings La connects with Wheatley Rd, unofficially on the map.
From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury
This shows the interchange at the Meadowbrook and what is now Merchant’s Concourse. The straight road on the left is is Stewart Avenue, and we are looking essentially west. The Motor Parkway is barely visible west of the interchange, but can be seen as a dark line (of trees?) which separates the developed and undeveloped areas in the lower right of the pic. I’d date this as 1956 because it looks like some Roosevelt Field buildings are complete.
From Mystery Friday Foto #1 Solved: A 1956 aerial over the Meadowbrook Parkway Extension
I can see that the race course turned south onto Glen Cove Road then branched onto Red Ground Road and somehow weaved through Old Westbury towards the hairpin turn. Anyone know if there was a connecting road that is long gone now?
From Mystery Friday Foto #53 Solved: The #8 FIAT driven by Felice Nazzaro practicing at the 1906 Hairpin Turn in Old Westbury
Page 165 of 1025 pages ‹ First < 163 164 165 166 167 > Last ›