Newly Discovered Photos of Motor Parkway Bridges and Willie K’s Guest Lodge in Lake Success
In the never-ending treasure hunt for new images of the Vanderbilt Cup Races and the Long Island Motor Parkway, I found some gems from the collection of New York State Parks Bureau of Historic Sites. The first images from this collection provide insight into Willie K's former Deepdale guest lodge and the Lake Success Motor Parkway bridges over Marcus Avenue and Northern State Parkway.
This aerial shows Lake Success on August 17, 1934 looking north. Willie K's former mansion Deepdale can be seen through the trees in the right upper corner of the aerial.
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This close-up of the 1934 aerial looking northwest shows the still active Long Island Motor Parkway across the bottom. The Motor Parkway over Marcus Avenue is on the left and the Motor Parkway Bridge over the Northern State Parkway is to the right.
This August 15, 1934 aerial shows the the two Long Island Motor Parkway Bridges looking east. Note: There is not a single car on the Long Island Motor Parkway as compared to the traffic on the Northern State Parkway.
This building to the north of Northern State Parkway looking northwest was the former guest lodge for William K. Vanderbilt, Jr.'s Deepdale Estate. By the 1930s, the guest lodge had been converted into the New York State Parkway Police barracks.
These spectacular photos show the New York State Parkway Police barracks on April 10, 1940.
A view of the Northern State Parkway looking west of the construction of heating pipes in front of the police barracks on December 9, 1950.
Links to related posts on VanderbiltCupRaces.com :
Willie K's Guest Lodge in Lake Success
The Northern State Motor Parkway Bridge in Lake Success
Comments
From Tim Ivers (Former police officer who worked at the State Parkway Police Barracks in Lake Success):
I thank you very much Howard. Deja vu.
In the photo of the roadway looking westward, it brought back a memory that was lost to me until I saw your photo.
At one point in time, in the 50s, a portion (maybe several hundred yards) of the westbound lane of the parkway just east of the police barracks there was a network of underground pipes. These pipes carried either hot water or steam (I don’t recall which) and during freezing wet weather they could be activated from a control switch in the basement of the police barracks.
The purpose was to keep the pavement from freezing. And it worked. But I think impractical.
Hi Tim:
Wow, you are exactly right. The caption for the December 9, 1950 photo reads: “Installing road heating pipes near police barracks.” I had thought the caption could not have been accurate!!
Howard
Wow that is something and very interesting about the police barracks and the road heating pipes underneath!
Thanks for the photos of Lake Success. I too grew up in Great Neck and have some memory of the parkway (more where it passed thru Deepdale).
This was really great to look at.
From Steve L:
“When did the State Police stop using the barracks in Lake Success and what happened to them?”
Hi Steve:
The barracks were taken down in 1967 with the expansion of Northern State Parkway:
http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/index.php/blog/article/wednesday_october_28_2009_willie_ks_guest_lodge_in_lake_success
A new barracks was built on Marcus Avenue in Lake Success:
http://troopers.ny.gov/Contact_Us/Troop_Information/Troop_L/
Enjoy,
Howard