Exclusive: 1956 Aerial Views of the Construction of the Long Island Expressway in Lake Success
In October 1956, Skyviews Survey was commissioned to document the construction of the Long Island Expressway.
These four exclusive Skyviews aerials provide insight into 1956 views of the Motor Parkway and how the "world's longest parking lot" was created through the area of Lake Success.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
View Looking North #1
The huge 1.4 million-square-foot plant of the Sperry Gyroscope with filled parking lots for 22,000 employess.
View Looking North #2
Another view of the Sperry plant.The right-of-way for the Motor Parkway can be seen at the top of this close-up.
The first buildings of the Long Island Jewish Hospital were in the middle of this closeup. Remnants of the Motor Parkway can be seen west of the hospital along the diagonal.
View Looking West #3
This aerial shows how the Expressway cut through the former Deepdale Golf Club. The golf club was created by William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. and his friends in 1924 on Lake Success property owned by Willie K.
Lakeville Road was in the middle of this closeup with Northern State Parkway on the left. The Motor Parkway Bridge over the Northern State Parkway was still standing, west of Lakeville Road. The Motor Parkway right-of-way can also be seen as the third road to the right of the Northern State Parkway.
View Looking South and West #4
In October 1958, two years after this aerial was shot, the first Long Island section of the Long Island Expressway opened between Exit 32 (LIttle Neck Parkway) and Exit 39 (Glen Cove Road in East Hills.)
Village of Lake Success Park, located on property formerly owned by William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.
Comments
I need some help here. On the last (LS Park) pic, is that the WKV/Deepdale chicken coop (demolished in spite of my feeble efforts) the dark near-horizontal line slightly above and to the left of center, inside the paths (NOT the parallel line at lower left)? Sam, III
This view shows construction of the hospital that I was born at in 1981 alongside our sacred road. Another place I will take a lady to someday, and she will earn being called Princess Zelda and Lady Of The Vanished Overpasses. Hoping that she will get it as to how important this is. And if she says “Inuyasha, SIT!!!” on any portion of the road, I will consider it a marriage proposal. Hoping that her family will pay for the wedding which I want to have on the road itself. And I even developed a romantic-gesture toll payment system a few years ago but haven’t had the chance to use it yet for a female hiker.
A very nice set of photos—thanks for posting them.
Ken
Back in the early 1950’s my folks looked to buy a house on what would become the north service road just west of Lakeville Rd. When my Dad learned of the Expy coming that was the end of that purchase.
Thanks for these photos.
Several of these photos also show the beginning of construction of Great Neck South High School and South Junior High School, on the south side of the LIE, east of Lakeville Road. These two schools, joined by a central cafeteria building, opened to students (including me as a junior) in the fall of 1958.
That view looking South and North #4 exit 39 LIE Glen Cove Rd is where you live,right and that’s what got you started on this whole thing? Knowing that the Motor Parkway was right their amazed you
________________________
From Howard Kroplick
Ted, your are correct!
Thanks,Howard. Now,I’m trying to remember when this all started,can you help me out on this?I know you mentioned it a few times. It had to be before I met you,which I think was 2008 and you had the Black Beast,never will forget that day.You showed up for nothing,if you remember,the event was postponed and you had the whole parking lot to yourself to drive around and this was the first time I saw the Black Beast,this is what started me following VCR
I feel that our road has its own theme song. It just kind of synchs up. It’s Blue Oyster Cult’s “Dancin’ In The Ruins,“from their 1985 album Club Ninja. The band formed in 1967 at Stony Brook University and still plays to this day. Why the college doesn’t put up some sort of monument to them I’ll never understand.
I am confused with the bottom photo #3. I remember as a young boy..the bridge over the Northern State Parkway was just West of New Hyde Park Road…not Lakeville Road. The LIMP crossed Lakeville Road just North of the Sperry Company and that bridge was down many years before the bridge over the Northern State. The toll house is still standing on the East side of Lakeville road..although vastly modified now. I used to have a bag lunch on the bridge over the NS on my many bicycle excursions of the LIMP. It was only a few hundred feet from the New Hyde Park Road bridge… The section of the LIMP where the bridge near NHP road was became the exit ramp of the Northern State Parkway after it was widened. New Hyde Park Road ended at Powerhouse Road…which is now the LIE….which is not at all in keeping with this photo. Is it possible this photo is mislabelled??? It appears that the NSP was already widened and went under this bridge….whereas the bridge was torn down to make way for the widening…
Harold,
There were two Robert Moses bridges built over the Northern State Parkway. One just West of Lakeville Road and one just West of New Hyde Park Road.
This is the bridge near Lakeville;
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/newsday_1954_motor_parkway_ghosts_haunt_northern_state
This was the bridge near NHP Rd.;
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/mystery_friday_foto_65_can_you_identify_this_long_island_bridge
Jeff: Great catch on your dad’s part. I’ve heard stories of real estate purchases that went kaput within 6 months because of highway development.
Chris: Heard that one but my all time Cult fav was ‘Burnin’ for You’. And don’t forget ‘The Reaper’. Geez, I was admitted in that same hospital (LIJ) in ’76 when it was first released, diagnosed with type 1. Would you believe the hosp today, has no record of events back then?? Amazing! :D Guys, drop by every Fri to solve the mysteries, no points loss for trying, and Howard keeps ‘em interesting.