Vanderbilt Cup Races

Photo C - Forest HIlls, south of LIRR -
Photo D - former Mineola High School circa 1929-1935
Photo E - Curtis Manufacturing facility, Garden City.

Foto G is the Clarence Mackay estate in Roslyn. Just another unbelievable LI Gold Coast masterpiece of yesteryear.

The main gate is still standing, right across from Roslyn HS, the water tower remains in tact and one of the beautiful horse statues at the bottom of the pic is located right on Main Street next to Roslyn Duck Pond.

Foto E is the old Curtiss Engineering Co. grounds; now belongs to School District - plant where the NC flying boats were built - First Across the Atlantic!  See video of Nc-4 here… http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/video/1486853815/

Cheers,
John Bayer

Howard, Thanks for posting these great photos. I can’t identify any of the locales, but many of them look familiar, at least in a generic way. The country club and high school especially so. The greenhouses look like they’re at the intersection of Front Street and East Meadow Avenue (formerly Newbridge Avenue) where a large nursery property was located when we moved from the city, but I don’t think there could have been so many residences nearby in the 30’s. So that locale is probably much closer to a larger population center. I’m not usually nostalgic about Long Island, but I thank you for reminding me about its many interesting features.

From Gary Hammond

Here’s my answers to this weeks mystery photos:

Hammond’s Historical Happenings

• Photo A: Playland Park, Freeport; existed 1924-1931; 9 acres at South Grove St. & Front St., Freeport (see attached post card (c.1920’s) for details)

• Photo B: Fresh Meadow Country Club, 255 Lakeville Rd., Lake Success; buildings still exist today (as does the swimming pool hidden in the trees), although much expanded

• Photo C: Kew Gardens, Queens; looking NW down LIRR tracks; lowest bridge is Lefferts Ave.; LIRR Station is just above it on right side of the tracks; next bridge is 82nd St. Bridge; then 80th St. Bridge; then the next bridge is now replaced by Jackie Robinson Pkwy; the Park at top left is part of Forest Park; road on right side of photo is Austin St.; road on left side of LIRR is Grenfell St.; all the street names are based on current road names, as I don’t know if that is the names used in the 1920’s or if they have been renamed since then

• Photo D: Is obviously a superimposed artistic rendition of a proposed school building, location unknown to me

• Photo E: Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corporation Plant, Clinton Road & Stewart Ave., Garden City;
1. Note name “CURTISS” spelled out on the smokestack (still exists today); for many decades the building was home to Oxford Pendaflex, and is today used by both Nassau BOCES and FedEx
2. also the old gas tank (now removed), both an obstacle & navigational landmark for the aviators flying at Curtiss/Roosevelt Fields; the still site is occupied by National Grid as 600 Stewart Ave.
3. on the right are some of the old wooden WWI warehouse buildings left over from Camp Mills
4. the building on the left side of the photo also still exists, although today it is a Chase Bank
5. the 3-story building on the right, just below the gas tank, is used still by the 1st Marine Corps District, 605 Stewart Ave. (see separate history below)
6. and of course we can’t forget the LIMP running diagonal across the top left of the photo (notice the white concrete posts), pass Raymond Ct., where many of those homes still stand!

• Photo F: An unknown greenhouse complex

• Photo G: Clarence Mackay Estate, Harbor Hill, Roslyn

.    Photo H: The Lido Beach Hotel

History of Marine Corps building (from their website):

“The current 1st Marine Corps District building was built by the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (A&P) in 1923 for a warehouse and distribution center.  The building became outdated, and A&P built a more modern warehouse further east on Stewart Ave. The vacated building took occupancy in 1941 by Sperry Gyroscope, famous for manufacturing war materials.  During their occupancy, they added several buildings, to include the guardhouse and a cafeteria. Today the cafeteria occupies the same structure, half of which was converted into the 1st MCD Enlisted Club.
The building was purchased by Navy Records Management Center (NRMC) for $319,000 immediately following the end of the war in 1945 in order to process and microfilm the paperwork of the thousands of discharged servicemen of WWII. Being on Long Island for ten years, NRMC moved to more up to date facilities in St. Louis, Mo. in 1955.
For almost a year, the building was only occupied by a small caretaker team. Alicia Patterson, publisher of an up and coming newspaper called NEWSDAY, tried to acquire the property. When she failed, she built her plant next door.
A public affairs officer was scouting the New York area to relocate the 1st MCRD&RD; headquarters. With the help of the caretaker personnel, 11 officers and 53 enlisted Marines took occupancy of the property on August 3, 1953.  In 1956, the 1st Marine Corps Reserve and Recruiting District (MCR&RD;) headquarters moved from Boston to its present location on Stewart Avenue in Garden City, N.Y.  On 11 October 1985, the District held a commemorative naming ceremony to name the building in honor of the historical Marine from the metro New York area, Cpl. John F. Mackie, the first Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor.”
Gary Hammond

Foto g Otto kahn estate

Garden city Hotel

So many photos, so little time! I think I’ve identified a few; the rest I’ll leave to Greg and Art: foto C could be the LIRR over Forest Hills; foto E is the Curtiss Engineering Plant in Garden City with the LIMP in the upper left corner; foto G is Clarence Mackay’s “Harbor Hill” estate in Roslyn; foto H is the old Lido Club Hotel, now the Lido Beach Towers condo. Great pictures. Can’t wait to see what the others are.

Without cheating, only E and H are certain.  I worked in the office wing of E ca; 1956; it is (or was recently) the Esselte/Pendaflex plant at the south-east corner of Clinton Street (Glen Cove Road) at Stewart Avenue in Garden City.  It started out as the Curtiss Aeroplane plant and still had the outline of the original Curtiss wind-tunnel throat in the south wall of the second floor passageway between the offices and the factory in 1956.  The LIMP RoW is visible along the upper left (just north of Stewart Avenue)  H is the Lido Beach Hotel-cum-Towers.  F is almost certainly John Lewis Childs’s massive nursery and greenhouse complex on the north side of Jamaica Avenue (Jericho Turnpike/Route 25) in Floral Park and G sure looks like Clarence Mackay’s Harbor Hill high up above Roslyn (at today’s Harbor Hill and Roslyn Roads.  I don’t doubt the rest will elicit “Well, Duh!” from me.  Sam, III

Documentation sent to Howard for some of these.
Mystery Foto A: Playland Park, Freeport
Mystery Foto B: Deepdale Country Club (Lake Success)
Mystery Foto C: Kew Gardens (showing LIRR, part of Forest Park)
Mystery Foto D: High School?
Mystery Foto E: Curtis Aircraft Corp.  (with Motor Parkway shown)
Mystery Foto F: Joseph Feldis Greenhouses - Hempstead
Mystery Foto G: Harbor Hill Estate, Roslyn
Mystery Foto H: Lido Beach Hotel, Lido Beach

Howard, I believe mystery photo F is of the Hengstenberg greenhouses located on the south side of Graham Ave. in the village of Hempstead between Rose Pl. and Hemlock Dr. The complex was on 8 acres.

I have some answers,also some questions,that I’ll get .
A- Is a roller coaster,probably one of largest in Long Island.
B- Is that the race course in the upper left corner?
C- Where in Queens.
D- Got me on this one.
E- This one too.
F- Same here.
G- Harbor Hill 648 acre Estate in east hills,where the Mackay Horse Statute was.
H- Have no idea.

Nice shots.
A: Looks like Bay Park looking South? Waterway looks the same.
B: ?
C: Kew Gardens looking West. Forest Park top left.
D: ?
E: Looks like Garden City looking North? Mayan Ruins on top left.
F: ?
G: Harbor Hill, East Hills looking East.
H: Lido Towers, Lido Beach looking North.

Howard, sending attachments.

Didn’t have research time this weekend, so off the top of my head I can only get 2 or 3.

Mystery Photo E.
  Curtiss Engineering on Clinton Rd in Garden City. Motor Parkway can be seen on this photo, background left.
Mystery Photo G
  One of my favorites! A great shot of Clarence Mackay’a Harbor Hill in Roslyn. Can’t miss those beautiful Horse Tamer statues!
Mystery Photo H
  The newly finished at that time Lido Beach Hotel in Lido/Long Beach.

I knew G right away,F I knew was greenhouses,B I kinda thought that was the race course.

Just came across this ad for Playland in Freeport which sounded familiar.  From “The Daily Review”,  June 16, 1923.  Wonder what “The Dodgem” is.

Mineola Middle School was designed c. 1927 by Tooker & Marsh with decorative elements by the Federal Seaboard Terra Cotta Co. Photo courtesy of “Pencil Points”, April 1930.

F appears to be the Peters property along South Franklin Street & East Graham Avenue in Hempstead. I grew up on the street one block north (to the left side of this picture), Elizabeth Avenue. I remember the last row of greenhouses & the smokestack from my childhood, as my friends & I walked to Franklin School. The Peters family lived in the house at bottom left, shown in the picture. The first street shown at left, perpendicular to East Graham, s Hudson Place. I lived off of Jefferson Place, (not shown) which is three blocks east of Hudson. Peters Avenue is far right in the picture, perpendicular to South Franklin St.

Thanks John!