Vanderbilt Cup Races

One other memory from my time at NCC in the late 60’s. Adjacent to some of the hangers were reserved parking areas that were probably occupied by NCC staff. I recall that they used old RR rails painted yellow as wheel stops.  Perhaps those rails came from the then disused RR spurs that dotted the old warehouse area. Current Google street views in the old warehouse area still shows evidence of RR tracks.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

I think it’s safe to assume that the plumbing was copper. Perhaps in the hurry to close the base no one thought to purge the pipes of water or stop water from draining into the pipes. The first good freeze and it was all over.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

I ride my bike to the Fair Grounds all the time, great memories. Thanks

From Update: Memories of the 1964-1965 World's Fair

I was 16 y/o when the fair opened in ‘64. I lived in Fresh Meadows and my friends and I would take our bikes to get there; we’d lock them up outside the grounds. The most memorable things to me was the turbine car. It was driven in a depressed roadway that was visible from above. My question to this day is, “Where are the turbine and flying cars?”

From Update: Memories of the 1964-1965 World's Fair

The NCO pool looks quite large on the aerial above. An online measurement makes it about 100’ long, Olympic length is 164’. Not sure when PVC piping came into play ( need to web search that now : ), say it’s a good guess the original piping isn’t pvc. A bit surprised it hasn’t been filled in/grassed over by now.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

Whoa, I’d say those are most expensive homes in Levittown. The homes look to be built smack on the former roadway. If the homes have basements, I figure more artifacts would be found. Thanks for keeping us informed, Art.

From Kleiner's Korner: UPDATE - Levittown Motor Parkway Site Being Excavated

Two of the best summers of my life. I will always have great memories
of that World’s Fair.

From Update: Memories of the 1964-1965 World's Fair

Great blog here, I’m too young to have memories of the fair, but we did take our boys to the Science Museum when they were younger. There’s actually 4 Sinclair Stations on LI. I’ll need to watch the After the Fair video on TV later on.

From Update: Memories of the 1964-1965 World's Fair

looking northwest
Salisbury Park Golf Course
Old Country Rd. running east to west between course & cemetery
large track of land is Holly Rude Cemetery with St.Bridget’s church steeple raising up.
looking west and following RR tracks you will see Carle Places water tower.
looking southeast and south you will see the development of Salisbury Estates
if I remember correctly .
Running along golf course N&S is Salisbury Park Dr.

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: A view of Old Country Road (Salisbury) section of the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race courses

Just goes to show once again - you can’t believe everything you read!  Thanks Lee.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Part I-Mapping the Motor Parkway, Mitchel Field & Mitchel Gardens

The address on the PSEG sign is incorrect and revisionist history!  Stewart Avenue (including Mitchel Gardens) is and always has been in Garden City, NOT Uniondale!  It extends as far eastward as Merrick Ave. where it meets the border of East Meadow.  In fact, that area had its own Zip Code of 11533 when we moved to Mitchel Field in 1965, separate and apart from the main Garden City Zip Code of 11530.

From Kleiner's Kolumn: Part I-Mapping the Motor Parkway, Mitchel Field & Mitchel Gardens

Regarding the Officers’ Pool, when my father arrived as President at NCC in 1965, he early on had the pool examined by professional plumbers to see if it could be brought back to life.  At the time, it had not been used since at least the Summer of 1960.  At no time was there any consideration to put it in service for students.  Rather, it would be solely for the use of the NCC families who lived adjacent to it. 

As kids, we rode our bikes down the block to the pool the day the plumbers inspected it.  There was a side access entrance that was wide open.  We could see men walking around with flashlights examining the myriad of pipes underneath the pool. 

At the southernmost end of the pool was a rear illuminated waterfall which was quite striking.  Although the pool was fenced off, erosion under the fence easily permitted small children to gain entrance by climbing under it and then around the waterfall.

The pool would have rainwater collect at the bottom of it which would not drain out.  I can remember climbing down the ladders and walking on the bottom of the empty pool.  For a good portion of the year, it mainly just collected leaves. 

The plumbers assessment was the pool was beyond repair, owing to the extensive deterioration of the pipes.  It was estimated it would cost more to build a new pool
than to try and repair the existing one.  It seemed odd that so much damage could be done to the pipes in such a relatively short period of time. 

Following this, my father negotiated a reciprocal agreement with the Navy which would allow use of the NCO pool as well as the Navy Theater for NCC families in exchange for Military families gaining access to Nassau’s athletic facilities.  And so a deal was done.  During my childhood, I learned to both swim and dive at the NCO pool and saw more movies in that theater than any other in my life. 

Fast forward to April, 2002.  While taking photos of the NCO pool, I met the manager of the Gymnasium which by then had been significantly upgraded and now operated in a joint venture by the Navy and the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation & Museums on behalf of the Disabled Veterans now living on the western end of Miller Ave. and Wheeler Ave.  He related a nearly identical story to me about attempts to put the NCO pool back in operation for the Vets but in an case of history repeating itself, deterioration of the pipes made that impossible.
Next to the pool was a picnic area where many folks enjoyed lunch.  The very small children’s pool immediately next to the main pool as seen in the Google Earth image was a latter day addition which was not present back in the ‘60’s & ‘70’s. 

The Officers’ Pool remained empty for many years.  With young children in the area, there was concern about the possibility of a child falling into the empty pool.  The decision was made to solve the problem by simply filling it in with earth.  Grass was planted on top of it and in the Summer, patio tables are put out there for students and instructors in the Hospitality Department who occupy Building K, the former Officers’ Club to enjoy.  Many are likely oblivious to the fact there’s a pool beneath them! 

As for the Navy Theatre (the former War Theater), it sat empty, boarded up for dozens of years.  Recently, I was told by the NCC VP of the Physical Plant that the college had acquired the building and plan on refurbishing it so as to offer concert recitals and the like in the future.  Although there is a hole in the roof and water damage inside the building, it is felt it is salvageable.  At least the pipes are good!

Shots below:

1) Officers’ Pool in 2011, now filled with earth, facing East Avenue along the border of where the Polo Grounds were. 

2) A sad shot of the empty NCO pool on 04/10/02 facing west. :(  Although the ladders were still in place, the diving boards had long been removed. 

3) The boarded up Navy Theater, also on 04/10/02.  As a kid, I could easily scrounge up the 25 cent admission fee to see films of the day.  The sole remaining Temporary building still standing (although now painted yellow) can be see across the street from the theater at the corner of Miller Ave. and Hospital Road.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

I think we are over Salisbury looking northwest toward Westbury / New Cassel. Major roads include Old Country Road, Merrick Avenue, Bellmore Road (Newbridge Avenue), and and Westbury Road. The golf course is the northern most course of the old Salisbury Links, part of today’s Eisenhower Park. Just above the golf course is Holy Rood Cemetery. This section of Old Country Road was part of the course for the 1909 and 1910 races. Based on a 1950 Hagstrom map that does not have the roads for the Salisbury community (foreground), I think this photo is about 1952-1953.

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: A view of Old Country Road (Salisbury) section of the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race courses

Howard Kroplick on the East Meadow Facebook Page (42 Comments):

Do you remember when the Mitchel Field airplanes flew night and day over East Meadow? If so, check out this photos and memories:  ..

Larry Feit and 101 others
42 Comments
Yuriy Zacharia
Yes it was all of the time.
Joseph G Salemi
We had the BOXCAR planes right over our house. It was really cool when we sat in our pool and they were right over us coming in for a landing! We lived on Front St. Between Maple and Chestnut Aves. A great memory.

Joe Reilly
I remember when one crashed and and Capt Magus was a fireman at the base.

Steve Kochick
Playing outside and seeing planes so low we would all stop and look up at it. great memory.

Mike Voiland
By growing up in EM 1953-1968, I came to believe that it was the norm for military aircraft to fly often, low, and loud overhead. It became second nature to hear and see them. When I move away in 1968 to other places, I found it odd when other people would get so excited (even worried) when such craft flew by.

Gail Scope
I remember the jets breaking the sound barrier.

Susan Chasin Ross
My dad would take us to Mitchell Field on Armed Forces Day..We could see all the planes up close.

Nita Metz
I had friends who lived on the base. The tv rabbit ears would constantly shake because we lived so close to the base.. it was fun!!

Joseph Logan
Stewart Ave on right. Parade field in center, BOQ in right corner, tracks running down the center.

Howard Millstein
Very cool picture! That big road I would think is Meadowbrook Pky?

Paul R. Martin III
Howard Millstein looking west. It’s Stewart Ave. Picture looks to be mid to late 40s, MBP not yet built.

Paul R. Martin III

Gary Balbo yes, but in the movie they spelled it wrong, and it was surrounded by mountains!

AG Lebkuecher
Not always at night. I remember F105 practically buzzing on a hard left hand bank over my house my on 7th St. I could actually see the pilot working the controls.

Casper Scaturro
I remember that
Nancie Campo Giacalone
I was born there ..l planes flew overhead all the time

Paula Godles Maynard
I surely remember. When the planes flew overhead I was scared that Russia was going to bomb us!!!

Lana Murano
I remember the sign on Hempstead Turnpike that read watch out for low flying planes. It happened to us one day while on the turnpike out of nowhere a plane was in front of our car. These are such great memories.

Vera Elizabeth Kern DeVito
I remember them breaking the sound barrier and we had to report any broken glass.

Michael Castle
They used to open up the field to the public and you could go inside some of the planes on the runway

Billy Bruce
Without saying too much yet enough, me Eddie Manto, Harry Roesch and Kenny Scott would buy sandwiches from the jewish deli or roast beef and potato salad from the German deli at the Manor shopping center and go play on the flight line. we’d lay down

Nancy Opezio
I remember the day the plane was going to crash in the neighbor hood right near Meadowbrook Hospital. The pilot and co-pilot waved the kids away from the road. They both died. I don’t know if this had anything to do with the closing.

Linda Burros
First time we heard one break the sound barrier we thought it was a bomb.

Robert Coyle
Flew over my house.

Dorothy Oppelt
We could see them land from our house on Newbridge Rd, Levittown and hear them too!

Russ Petz
My dad would take us to the airfield’s fence by Santini. We would lay on our backs and watch the Box Cars land. They were about 20 feet off the ground. The pilots would wave at us! It was pretty cool.

Joan Pizzo
Remember the sign on Hempstead Turnpike that said Caution Low Flying Planes.

Len Schoenfeld
I remember the Globe Master I think the largest pane in the US Air Force. So loud it made my house shake. Then there were the flying box cars . I think Mitchel was home base for the fleet.

Buz Pannell
Remember the C119s (Flying Boxcars) coming in so low to land, sometimes one after the other ?

Jerry Hammel
In the 50s

Pete Riderson
I remember in mid 60s the field was like abandoned
And being able run and roam free with the dog…
Running up and over the dirt and grass covered fall out shelters….

Bruce O’Leary
Had a big tree in our yard and thought one day a plane would hit it cause they came in so low. The house would shake.

Chris Tarantino Brajuka
Dad would bring the whole family up on the roof when they had air shows

Maria Lume-Lasurdo
Yes! My room would rumble

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

-The location and orientation of the photographer

Photographers plane is flying directly over my old house in the Salisbury section of Westbury looking North west.

-The major roads

The horizontal road in the center is Old Country Road. Between the houses and golf course is Salisbury Park Drive. The road that splits going into OCR is Westbury Rd. The far side of the course is Post/Merrick.

-The golf course

Now the Eisenhower Red course.

-The large property above the golf course

Cemetery Of The Holy Rood

-The location of the Vanderbilt Race course
-The years that this section were used for the races.

Very wide shot, so many can be seen, but the main races on OCR were the 1909 & 1910 courses.

-What was the date of the Mystery Foto? Provide a rationale.

My old house along with most in that area were built in the mid 50’s. My guess would be 1958ish.

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: A view of Old Country Road (Salisbury) section of the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race courses

The building of 9 homes on the Motor Parkway continues - pieces of roadway are still there!  At a price of $898, 888 maybe a Vanderbilt will purchase a home! 

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/8-Heron-Ln-Levittown-NY-11756/2077645503_zpid/

Photos taken on March 12, 2021.

From Kleiner's Korner: UPDATE - Levittown Motor Parkway Site Being Excavated

Attempting my answers to this Mystery Foto below.

From Mystery Foto #11 Solved: A view of Old Country Road (Salisbury) section of the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbilt Cup Race courses

I love the picture of the circus train, because it was taken by me! Back in May, 2017, the circus announced that it would be going out of business after the Coliseum shows, so I went over to the college to capture a bit of history. The circus would use the old Central Rail Road tracks as its home whenever they visited the Coliseum.

It’s too bad Sam III is no longer around to comment on this post.

From Hot Post Alert & Update: Beneath the shadow of wings: Mitchel Field and the Motor Parkway (1924-1948)

Tom Padilla, From the very beginning the LIRR had a vested interest in the LIMP"s success, they were one of the top five of investors in the Motor Parkway.

From Kleiner's Korner: And Now For Something Completely Different: Part 1 (Motor Parkway 1906 - 1910)

Interesting that the LIRR would tout the fact of the LIMP’s elimination of grade crossings.

From Kleiner's Korner: And Now For Something Completely Different: Part 1 (Motor Parkway 1906 - 1910)