Mystery Foto #40 Solved: A Willys-Overland Whippet in Front of Rockville Centre’s Carnegie Library
Alene Scoblete, librarian and archivist for the Rockville Centre Public Library, challenged you again to solve a Mystery Foto.
Mystery Foto questions:
- Identify the year, manufacturer and model of the automobile
The Mystery Foto auto could have easily been built by several manufacturers: Willys-Overland, Jewett, a Chandler or Paige Brougham.
The expert team of Dick Gorman and Greg O. favor a 1927/1928 Willys-Overland Whippet Model 96.
- Identify the Rockville Centre building. What year was it built?
This building was the first permanent public library in Rockville Centre. It was built in 1912 after a 1903 gift offer of $10,000 from Andrew Carnegie. Overall, Carnegie gave away $60 million to fund 1,689 public libraries thoughout the Unitied States.
The Clinton Avenue property for the library was donated by John Lyon. It was the primary Rockville Centre libary from 1912 to 1962. The building is still standing as an office building at 11 Clinton Avenue.
Comments (7)
Congrats to Dick Gorman, Greg O., Art Kleiner (see below Kleiner's Korner), Dave King and Sam Berliner III who correctly identified the first Rockville Centre Public Library.
Kudos to Dick Gorman and Greg O. for suggesting the Willys-Overland Whippet as the potential Mystery Foto auto.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Closeup
Possible Automobile Identification
1926 Paige Brougham
Kleiner's Korner (Submitted by Art Kleiner)
History of Rockvile Centre by Marilyn Nunes Devlin
The property of John Lyon. E. Belcher-Hyde map (1906)
The location of the public library. E. Belcher-Hyde map (1914)
Brooklyn Daily Eagle July 7, 1911
Brooklyn Daily Eagle April 28, 1912
The building today at 11 Clinton Avenue.
Comments
Mystery Foto #40… The auto in the photo is a 1928 Willys Overland 96 Knight or at least I want to believe that it is. All cars really did look alike back then. It could easily be a Jewett, a Chandler, a Paige Broughham, a Whippet.
The building is the fourth home of the Rockville Centre library built in 1912.
The Rockville Centre library, built in 1912, seen in the 1930’s.
The car looks like it could be a 1927 Willys-Overland Whippet Model 96
Will let others figure out the car, but year is circa 1930.
The building is the Clinton Avenue Library in Rockville Center. Built in 1912 and existed until 1962. The donor was Andrew Carnegie who gave $10,000 for the library (one of many donations he made for libraries to be built) on property given by John Lyon. The building is at 11 Clinton Avenue, near the intersection with Front Street, near the RC LIRR station. Today it is an office building, housing numerous lawyers.
The building is the old Rockville Centre Public Library on Clinton Ave. built with a Carnegie grant in 1903 / 1904.
The building on Clinton Ave. in Rockville Centre was built in 1912 to be the first permanent home of the library. The land was donated by John Lyon, RVC’s first Village President. I just need information about the car. Thanks!
Here we go again with ill-formed guesses. I vaguely recall that being the old Public Library about a block north of the tracks on the east aside of a north-south street like North Centre or North Village Avenues. The car, ca. 1924, clearly has six wheels - four driving, one spare, and one steering. :ยท) Sam, III
Ihe building is the original RVC library. I believe it was used as such until the present library was built around 1962
Could not locate this structure anywhere, old or recent. This was a good mystery. Sam III nailed it based on memory. Fantastic! Five stars!!!!!
Wow. I was not aware of Carnegie’s charity. That is impressive. Almost 1700 libraries. Pretty amazing.