Tag: Queens Aerials
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Aug 01 2011
Long Island Motor Parkway Bridge Series: #3 The Hollis Court Boulevard Motor Parkway Bridge in Queens
A total of 60 Motor Parkway bridges were built from 1908 to 1926 ...a pioneering concept to eliminate grade crossings for an automobile road. There are four types of Motor Parkway bridges; over crossroads (parkway bridges), under crossroads (highway bridges), over railroad tracks (railroad bridge) and, as part of right-of-way agreements, to connect farmlands (farmway bridges). This series will document these bridges beginning at the Western Terminus in Fresh Meadows, Queens to the Eastern…
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May 17 2010
Aerials of the Motor Parkway in Hollis Hills, Queens
Steve, this 1941 aerial shows the Motor Parkway in Hollis Hills looking east. The photo is courtesy of the Fairchild Collection at the Benjamin and Gladys Thomas Air Photo Archives located in the UCLA Department of Geography.
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Oct 17 2009
The Motor Parkway in Hollis Hills, Queens
Art, one of the best preserved sections of the Motor Parkway is near your parent's home in Hollis Hills, Queens. When the parkway closed on April 17, 1938, Robert Moses created a bike path over the first two and half miles in Queens. The bike path is still very active today and includes three well-preserved, original Motor Parkway bridges over Hollis Hills Terrace (see above), 73rd Avenue and Springfield Boulevard.
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Oct 14 2009
Motor Parkway from Little Neck Parkway to Marcus Avenue Part II
Joe, thanks for the comment and excellent observation. LIMP expert Sam Berliner agrees with you and suggested the Motor Parkway bridge that I labeled Little Neck Parkway actually went over Hewlett Avenue. To determine the facts, I called in the LIMP CSI Team and requested a Concrete Scene Investigation.
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Oct 08 2009
The Motor Parkway from Little Neck Parkway to Marcus Avenue Part I
Elliott, thanks for the questions. First, the pavement of the Long Island Motor Parkway was only 16 to 22 feet across. The Motor Parkway right-of way (the area purchased by Vanderbilt and his business associates) was typically 50 feet to 100 feet in width. The property lines and the guardrails for the Motor Parkway were often indicated by concrete posts (described extensively on Sam Berliner's wonderful Motor Parkway website). Hundreds of these posts are still in place today from Fresh Meadows…
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Feb 09 2009
In Search of the Nassau Boulevard Toll Booth: Part II
In Sunday's post In Search of the Fresh Meadows Toll Booth: Part I, it was documented that the Motor Parkway designated two new "toll lodges" in Queens when the Nassau Boulevard entrance was opened on July 1, 1928. The existence of the unique Rocky Hill Road Toll Booth, which crossed the Motor Parkway near Springfield Road, was confirmed in both aerial photos and the above ground level photo. But, what about its sister toll booth at the western terminus at Nassau Boulevard?
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Feb 08 2009
In Search of the Nassau Boulevard Toll Booth: Part I
As described in the book The Long Island Motor Parkway, the Motor Parkway was extended three miles in the late 1920s from Rocky Hill Road (Springfield Boulevard) to Nassau Boulevard (later renamed Horace Harding Boulevard). The above image of a rare 1928 Motor Parkway brochure (courtesy of Robert Harrington) promoted the new entrance at Fresh Meadows. Note the illustration of the toll booth crossing the entire road.
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Jan 01 2009
The Four-Lane Motor Parkway and an Aerial View of Queens in 1924
For the second VanderbiltCupRaces.com post of 2009, I have improved the format of my December 31st post and added a rare 1924 aerial view. The post includes amazing images from the Queens Borough President's Collection that shows two Long Island Motor Parkway bridges over Winchester Boulevard in Queens. Yes, in November 1932, there were two bridges at this location and the Motor Parkway looked like a four-lane parkway. Alas, it was just a temporary illusion. Here's the story (click on the…
