Vanderbilt Cup Races

Pat - you win the southernmost Motor Parkway award.  Thanks for letting me know.  We’ll have to map out the the Motor Parkway route from LI to Leland, NC to Tampa.

From An upcoming cover article on Long Island Motor Parkway License Plates and Vanderbilia

Great article!  Thanks to John for relighting the Motor Parkway spirit for others to learn about.  I believe I first heard about the Parkway from an earlier article I had read.  And thanks to the members who showed off their memorabilia! 

I was on LI this past week celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family and managed to get a copy of Newsday with the article on Sunday before heading back to NC.  I bought a copy in a bagel store as we always stock up on NY bagels prior to heading home (NC bagels just don’t cut it, although there are some wannabee NY Bagels down here).  Happy Holidays to all!

From Newsday LI Life cover article: A need for Speed: LI's Motor Parkway was a road like no other for racers with the right plates

Pete, It appears that plate #40 was not issued to anyone in 1937. The highest sequential numbered plate sold that year was #36. For 1937 the Parkway had to order 75 plates as that was the minimum size order that the Baltimore Enamel Company would accept. Among the plates ordered were 10 of #100 for Vanderbilt, 4 of #300 for Harold Vanderbilt, Willie K’s brother, (down from 6 he would ordinally order,) 2 plates numbered 400 for Mrs. Earl T. Smith, Vanderbilt’s sister Consuelo.  Plate #200 was reserved for H. B. Hollins every year but in 1937 he was a no show, Plates # 18-21 were issued to Dr. H.B. Baruch. At the end of the year Kienzle would give the unused plates away mostly to the children of the lodge keepers and other Parkway associates.

From Database of the 97 known Long Island Motor Parkway License Plates- Updated: 3/15/2024

When I read how her father found this plates, I immediately thought of a past blog where Howard, Al when to explore a large shed next to the apartment complex off of Hicksville Rd ( former location of the Massapequa Lodge ) Led by Arthur Mauriello, grandson of The Zinzi’s who managed the Lodge, and continued to reside there as their home. There wasn’t any plates or memorabilia remaining in the shed. But now thanks to The Weidenaar’s, what was found back then by Mr. Rothblum; is now in Howard’s safekeeping. Great story this has become!

From Newsday LI Life cover article: A need for Speed: LI's Motor Parkway was a road like no other for racers with the right plates

We are looking east in Westbury over Roosevelt Raceway. I think the race in the photo could be the 1939 National Midget Racing Championship. This was the site of the 1936 and 1937 George Vanderbilt Cup races along with the 1960 version which was mainly in the parking lot of the trotter / pacer track. Do the thousands of harness races count? Especially the Messenger Stakes? Tough to tell about LIMP structures. Could be a remnant near the upper right corner along with the Meadowbrook Lodge and bridge over Merrick Ave. The two Roosevelt Field bridges might be there also but photo is just to blurry.

From Mystery Friday Foto #58 Solved: A Midget Racetrack at Roosevelt Raceway

Great article, wonderful story. Nothing like reading about our favorite historic site(s), Willie K., and the license plates with a hot cup of coffee on a crummy Sunday morning.

From Newsday LI Life cover article: A need for Speed: LI's Motor Parkway was a road like no other for racers with the right plates

The grandstand in what became Levittown?  The LIMP is in front of it.

From Mystery Friday Foto #58 Solved: A Midget Racetrack at Roosevelt Raceway

Who was assigned number 40 in 1937. ?

From Database of the 97 known Long Island Motor Parkway License Plates- Updated: 3/15/2024

Howard, I got my Sunday Newsday delivery, I saw your LI LIFE, and I emailed to you and other’s we know, I just checked your newsletter and you’ve had it already. Oh well, just spreading the word out.

From Newsday LI Life cover article: A need for Speed: LI's Motor Parkway was a road like no other for racers with the right plates

Growing up near Alley Pond Park in the late 50s and early 60s I can attest to the wonderful discovery of this long gone motor parkway in remnants and bits of passage. It do I acted my interest in all things Automotive and in a sense it still does.
I love re exploring it with my son Gram in his younger days and those terrific Vanderbilt hikes lit a quest in him as well. Here’s hoping this great feature does the same for others in keeping the history of Long Island alive and thriving.

From Newsday LI Life cover article: A need for Speed: LI's Motor Parkway was a road like no other for racers with the right plates

Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, NY
Photographer is facing east/southeast
Pictured is the oval dirt track used for the 1939 Midget National Championship race
Other races, before 1939:
1936 Vanderbilt Cup (road course)
1937 Vanderbilt Cup (different road course)
1938 Midget racing (small oval, seen in picture)
Other races, after 1939:
1960 SCCA sports cars (a third different road course)
From 1940 to 1988, Roosevelt Raceway was used as a harness race track for horses

From Mystery Friday Foto #58 Solved: A Midget Racetrack at Roosevelt Raceway

Roosevelt Raceway.
Horse Racing.

From Mystery Friday Foto #58 Solved: A Midget Racetrack at Roosevelt Raceway

Greg, Forgot to mention…It was the management of the Astor Hotel that suggested changing the name from Motor Parkway Inn to something with more “Grande Classe”. Thats how we ended up with Petit Trianon.

From Mystery Friday Foto #57 Solved: The Petit Trianon Annex Building

Roosevelt Raceway was built in 1936 for the Vanderbilt Cup races on the site of the original Meadowbrook Polo Fields. They had auto racing until 1939 or early 1940 when it was converted to harness horse racing until 1988. The photographer is probably in a plane or blimp looking northeast. That’s all I got JeRita

From Mystery Friday Foto #58 Solved: A Midget Racetrack at Roosevelt Raceway

Moving forward to Nov 2025 and this same criminal activity continues online. Truly shameful and irresponsible by all parties engaged. Thanks Howard once again for the alert!

From Fraud Alert Update: Guide to Identifying Authentic Versus Reproduced Long Island Motor Parkway and Roosevelt Field Porcelain Plates

From Greg O.

https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/the_1914_petit_trianon_menu

From Mystery Friday Foto #57 Solved: The Petit Trianon Annex Building

Greg, A bit of information about the Petit Trianon… It was never referred to as the Petit Trianon Inn it when owned by Vanderbilt/Long island Motor Parkway. It was simply the Petit Trianon, Occasionally Restaurant, when operated by Myers but thats it. The confusion came about when it was announced that the Parkway was going to open the Motor Parkway Inn at Lake Ronkonkoma. Selected to operate it was the Hotel Astor of New York City. The management told Vanderbilt “we don’t Inns, we do upscale”. example, ...Greg, please put up the menu. Inn was added by the new operators around 1930.

From Mystery Friday Foto #57 Solved: The Petit Trianon Annex Building

Thanks Al! I tried calling you today for some of these details, but I guess you were out. Thanks for the additional factoids!

From Mystery Friday Foto #57 Solved: The Petit Trianon Annex Building

The annex building was built in 1913. Designed by John Russell Pope, it was built by the Morton-Lange Construction Company of New York City who were paid $10,100. It had 9 bedrooms and a lounge on the first floor and 8 bedrooms on the second. Vanderbilt sold the Petit Trianon Inn property’s around 1930 and the annex building opened as the Motor Parkway Inn with a Rathskeller in the basement. On the door at the bottom of the steps was a sign stating “Persons unknown to us will be required to give a reference” At the time prohibition was still in effect. I seem to recall the restaurant under various ownerships, survived into the 1950’s.

From Mystery Friday Foto #57 Solved: The Petit Trianon Annex Building

The Petit Trianon Inn’s (1911-1958) Annex building (1911-2006), housing for the Inn’s employees, looking Southeast. Both structures were designed by John Russel Pope at the Motor Parkway’s eastern terminus in Ronkonkoma. Walking employees traveled 475 feet (0.09 miles) daily to reach the Inn’s East service entrance, one staircase below ground into the kitchen area. After the Inn’s fire and demolition in 1958 the Annex was repurposed as a restaurant, then later The Park Lake Rest Home for the elderly. The Annex was destroyed in 2006. The residence at 24 Washington Av now occupies the space. Pope also designed the six original toll lodges used on the Motor Parkway

From Mystery Friday Foto #57 Solved: The Petit Trianon Annex Building