Greg O’s Garage; Chrysler’s Chrysler at the Merchant Marine Academy Car Show
On Sunday May 21st, Chrysler's Chrysler went 'home' again to where she started, at the former Chrysler Estate for an impressive car show.
This past Sunday was beautiful day and with the sun out, attendance at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point was outstanding with a good time had by all!
Greg O.
'Forker House', originally the Henri Bendel residence designed by Henry Otis Chapman in Kings Point c. 1916, with landscaping by Charles Leavitt. The house was sold to Walter P. Chrysler in 1923 and eventually acquired by the U.S. Government in 1938 to be used as the administration building for the United States Merchant Academy (established on site in 1943) and given the new name 'Wiley Hall'.
Chrysler's Estate clearly seen in the reflection of Chrysler's Chrysler.
...and for real in the background where she would originally sit under the portico waiting to take the Chryslers where they needed to go.
A little digital trickery
Cars lined the drive of the old Chrysler estate.
Howard Kroplick with Vice Admiral Joanna M. Nunan, the 14th Superintendant of the Unites State Merchant Marine Academy and the first woman to hold this role.
Midshipman Dominick Kowalik, one of the car shows coordinators, can be seen on the right.
Vice Admiral Nunan and her husband reenact Della and Walter Chrysler.
Howard Kroplick with Vice Admiral Nunan and the car show coordinators.
From left to right: Midshipman Gabriel Michaud, Howard Kroplick, Vice Admiral Joanna Nunan and Midshipman Dominick Kowalik.
Comments
From Long Island Facebook Page
Nancy Twible
Thanks for the history!
Reply11h
Marie Daly Neil
Top contributor
Thanks for sharing!! I never knew that!!
Reply11h
Warren Bauer
Stunning vehicle!
Reply11h
Tom Fabbricante
Wow great story, and car, and estate!!!!
Reply11h
Vicki Simenson
Great post !
Reply11h
Christine Trotta Mais
Awesome story! Beautiful vehicle!
Reply11h
Nancy Calabrez
Top contributor
those wonderful cars ....
Reply11h
Judith A Pope
Great history! Thank you.
Reply11h
Suzanne Rofrano-Moshy
Very interesting
Reply11h
Holly OBrien
Beautiful
Reply11h
Warren Smith
Beautiful car!
Reply11h
Christopher Cusumano
Was the Mariners Chapel organist from 78-10 and spent happy times inWiley Hall where there used to be a pipe organ
Reply11h
Steve Giovanelli
..... maybe we could see a few pix of the motor & interior?
Reply11h
Greg Oreiro
Author
Steve Giovanelli
May be an image of 1 person and van
Reply10h
Greg Oreiro
Author
Steve Giovanelli
No photo description available.
Reply10h
Steve Giovanelli
Greg Oreiroawesome!
Reply10h
Mary Olympia
Beautiful car!
Reply10h
Paul Cornwell
Always made me jealous when my Mom told me her first car was a 1936 Ford Coupe.
Reply10h
Steve Cymbalski
More history on the car? From daughter’s ownership forward?
Reply10h
Greg Oreiro
Author
Steve Cymbalski https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/.../chryslers_chrysler
Vanderbilt Cup Races -
VANDERBILTCUPRACES.COM
Vanderbilt Cup Races -
Vanderbilt Cup Races -
Reply9h
Steve Cymbalski
I saw a rolls royce car show at kings point decades ago
Reply10h
Kathleen Brennan Miceli
Vic Piano
Reply10h
Georgia Diane
Thanks for sharing this story and history!
Reply9h
Marie Fields Levy
Are any of these sites open to the public to view?
Reply9h
Paul Bjorneby
Marie Fields Levy the academy is open on weekends to the public. Don’t know the exact hours, but you can call them. Also the sporting events, football, basketball , etc… are open.
Reply9h
Marie Fields Levy
Paul Bjorneby thank you Paul
Reply5h
JimBarbara Harrison
That is so cool!
Reply9h
Joanie Alvarez Mazzella
Spent many happy times at Melville Hall as my mother worked at Kings Point 85- 15????????
Reply9h
Stacey Drake Richardson
Had my wedding at Kings Point! Beautiful campus and the academy is fantastic!
Reply8h
Mary Terilli-Weigang
Stacey Drake Richardson my husband graduated from USMMA and our daughter also had her wedding there. Absolutely beautiful!
Reply6h
Steves Offthecouch
Gorgeous car
Reply8h
Daina Kencis Ferlin
Beautiful car! We have a 1940 Plymouth Coupe!
Reply8h
David Belding
Oh yes the Walter P Chrysler estate.
Reply5h
Mike Sanchez
So the daughter brought the car over?
Or is it yours?
Reply1h
Greg Oreiro
Author
Mike Sanchez As far as we know of the history of the car, daughter Bernice had the car for years and it made its way to a doctor in the 50’s. In 1959, the doctor donated the car to the Vanderbilt Planetarium and museum. It sat there until 2012 when it rediscovered by my boss who was there for other business. He then bought it from the museum and restored it to the winning Pebble Beach concours condition it is in today.
Reply1hEdited
I saw this car up-close once on a sunny day. I had my camera snapping away. The body surface literally looked like a black mirror throughout the auto. The brilliance of black color is difficult to maintain as its top surface is easily scratched through cleaning/etc. Outstanding restoration/preservation work of this automobile. High Five!
I have fond memories of seeing the Chrysler for the first time when it had just arrived at the Vanderbilt museum and I was about 10 years old. Also seeing it stored in the back building of the L.I. Auto Museum in Southampton for some years . I helped pull it out from the basement of the Vanderbilt Museum when Howard bought the car and we towed it up a very steep grade on a chain to get it on level ground to load into a trailer . Car had no brakes so I used a block of wood from a museum display to throw under the left rear wheel to slow it down. Then the wonderful trips to western NJ to the restoration shop where it was restored and the conversations about that going to and from long island to the shop. Then at the photo shoot for the feature story in Hemmings Classic Car magazine with Richard Lentinello ( now Editor/Publisher of Crankshaft magazine that had Howard’s Tucker on the cover of the first issue). SO many stories and being there at the right times over the decades.