Vanderbilt Cup Races

Photos dated 10/09/39 and 09/26/40 originated on the Mitchel Field Memories.com site and are copyrighted by me personally:

http://mitchelfieldmemories.com/aerial_shot_1939_10_09th.html

http://mitchelfieldmemories.com/polo_field_in_1940_09_26th.html

In 1966 upon his retirement from the Air Force, Col. Robert F. Schirmer who had served on the Base in various capacities before, during and after WWII created a pictorial history of the air field and environs for posterity and presented it to my father, Dr. George F. Chambers who was the President of Nassau Community College at the time. 

Many more of the photographs Col. Schirmer used in that work can be found here:

http://mitchelfieldmemories.com/

Also of interest, numerous ‘Then & Now’ photos including modern day photos I took in March, 2002 can be viewed here:

http://mitchelfieldmemories.com/mitchel_field_then_and_now.html

I painstakingly took shots of the same buildings from the days when Mitchel was active as a flying field from the same perspective as the originals had been captured between 1937 - 1961. 

Finally, I also had access to the NCC Master Plan from March of 1970 before it had been revealed to the public detailing the ‘new’ campus which was constructed on the former Polo Grounds during my father’s tenure as President:

http://mitchelfieldmemories.com/#NCCMasterPlanMarch1970

BTW, my Dad is still ticking at the ripe old age of 94!

Great pictures, Thank You.

Thank you Lee for sharing your photos.  And good luck Paul on the new book!

Yes Lee, excellent research thanks to you. Your dad has been blessed with longevity.

A fabulous job that covers the history of what was an important air base. I recall a field trip there in the late 50s with the Boy Scouts. I don’t remember much but a do remember having lunch in the mess hall. It was Salisbury Steak covered with an unidentified red source. To this day I will not eat Salisbury Steak! Fast forward to 1968-70 as a student of NCC where we had gym in a converted hanger. There were still signs on the walls warning of spinning propellers. We parked on one of the old runways. Some classes were in wooden barracks. There were still places for coal storage. Man those buildings were cold in the winter.

Lee. Thank you for sharing all of these pictures. Do you know where the location of the main entrance into Mitchell Field was? I have never heard mention of a golf course on the west side of Merrick Ave. Was that part of Mitchell Field? Do any of those LIRR cars remain on site.

Amazing history and photos here of Mitchel Airfield that I was unaware of. They closed down the airfield one year before I was born. Thank you Lee, and Wayne for sharing the details! Remnants of Camp Mills Base Hospital can be seen on the west of Mitchel in the 1933 photo. Good luck Paul!

Mark Lanese, the Main entrance to Mitchel Field was at the intersection of Selfridge Avenue and Stewart Avenue.  Prior to the Base Reconfiguration between 1927-1932, the entrance was located several yards to the east of that location.  That roadway ran straight through where the Quadrangle / Parade Grounds would be laid out and terminated at the flight line.  There was also an entrance to the west of the property, joining up with Commercial Avenue. 

The golf course to the West of Merrick Avenue was the Cold Spring Golf Club, sandwiched in between Merrick Ave. and the Santini Area to the South of Hempstead Turnpike.  Cold Spring Creek (aka, Meadow Brook Creek) ran through the course.  Immediately to the north of Hempstead Turnpike was the Meadow Brook Golf Club which hugged the perimeter of the Base.  And across the street from it, on the eastern side of Merrick Avenue were the four courses of the Salisbury Links (three of which still exist today in Eisenhower Park as the red, white and blue courses).

All the golf courses were independently operated, though Nassau County acquired the Salisbury Links when the club could not meet their tax obligations during the Depression.  Many of the officers at Mitchel were members of any of the clubs.

The vintage LIRR cars seen parked on the edge of the Base in 2002 have long been removed and are likely in museums now, perhaps in Riverhead or the planned RR museum in Oyster Bay.

The 1941 or 1942 shot above of the Military Police Honor Guard was taken on the side of the Operations Building facing the flight line (towards Uniondale).  It’s hard to make out, but on the bottom level there was a catering facility which provided food and drink for planes in transit.

Just a brief portion of the vestibule on top of the building can be seen and was where Air Traffic Control originally was located before the much taller tower at the west end of the Base was constructed in the early’ 50’s. 

NCC eventually used the Ops building as the original location of the Library (today it is the College Union).  The vestibule was removed in 1966 to facilitate repairs to the leaking roof (books and water just don’t mix well).  The vestibule had not been used in 15 years by then.  As a child, I remember checking out children’s books that were actually intended for students interested in becoming children’s authors.

When my father arrived at NCC in 1965, the school had not yet been accredited.  Part of the reason given was the library facilities were deemed to be insufficient.  One of his first acts was authorizing the construction of the pre-fabricated building immediately behind the brick build (still there today) which dramatically enlarged the library.  The school was granted accreditation soon afterwards.

The photo above of the inside of the Air Traffic Control Tower was taken on the last day of its operation in April of 1961 (though the Base wasn’t officially decommissioned until June of that year).

Of all the artifacts left over from the Air Force, that tower was by far the most fascinating of all and was an absolute magnet for kids to climb up.  Many a time as children we were chased out of there by NC Police who spotted bicycles parked at its base.

Some of the equipment such as telephones were left behind along with all of the very heavy furniture.  We would pretend to land planes with that equipment.  The glass was heavily tinted green so it was unnecessary to wear sunglasses.  The panes of thick glass were angled outward at a sharp angle to deflect jet blasts. 

Because of potential danger to children and others, the tower was taken down around 1968.  One day I came home from California Ave. Elementary School in Uniondale and it was gone! :(

The third image above was an artist’s conception from 1970 of what the new campus at NCC would look like.  It proved to be remarkably accurate.  The design of it was considered to be very advanced for its day.  Delays in construction resulted in it taking a decade to get it all built.  My father’s office was on the top floor of the Administration Tower (his previous office in Building 102 at the corner of Davis Ave. & Duncan Ave. had been the Commanding Officer’s office).  You could see the World Trade Center from there.  We would often go for walks during construction to see how progress was coming.  Some construction photos are attached herein.  Endo Boulevard became the new main entrance to the campus. 

When Channel 21 WLIW moved their transmitter tower out to Suffolk around 1980, NCC’s WHPC-FM, whose own tower was co-located on the TV stick was moved to the top of the Administration Building. 

The first building to actually be constructed was the James Fuller Physical Plant on the edge of campus.  All the maintenance vehicles which had been stored in the easternmost hangers had to be moved before the last 3 hangers were demolished.  Before that happened, the insignias on the buildings were removed and presented to the Navy for posterity. 

Before the new campus opened in the late ‘70’s, I had graduated NCC and transferred to Maryland.  As such, I never had a class in any part of the new campus.  I had numerous classes in various Barracks on the Base which were hastily constructed at the outbreak at WWII, never intended to be anything more than temporary dwellings.  Most of those brick buildings are still in use, though there is only one ‘temporary’ building left, at the corner of Miller Ave. and Hospital Road, directly across the street from the old Navy Theater.

First two shots are of the ‘new’ NCC campus under construction in May of 1977.  Last photo was taken by my mother of me and my Dad the day I graduated Nassau, also in May of 1977 and was taken outside the front entrance of the former Commanding Officer’s Quarters (now NCC President’s Residence) in the middle of the road at 363 Rice Circle.

Many memories of the original NCC campus. The Book Store was the old Navy PX. The North and South Halls were rebuilt inside but the Engineering Building interior looked pretty much as if it was still part of an air base. I recall that WLIW 21 started out on the top floor of that Engineering Building. I was always mystified by those railroad tracks across Selfridge Ave. In later years I learned the history of the Central Railroad of LI. There was also a warning that went around campus that we should avoid the adjacent residential areas as they were still military housing and that MPs would pull you over if you ventured into that area. Those were substantial houses. Ii was good to be an officer!

Mark Lanese. Here are a few pics of the main entrance courtesy of the Cradle of Aviation Museum. Built about 1932-33 or so. Note it originally had an open porch, which was enclosed just before WWII.  Thanks.

Here is another shot of the main entrance from postcards in my collection. Peeking out from behind the trees south of the Gatehouse is the new Catholic Chapel (Chapel 2) built and completed by August of 1942, about a year after the Protestant Chapel (October 19, 1941) (Chapel 1), across the street (Selfridge Ave.)  a little further south. The photo from the COAM, and the second postcard, is the Protestant Chapel, identical in every way, based on Army architects’ plans approved on March 17, 1941for a chapel “to resemble the small country churches which dot the countryside of America. Simple dignity marks the outward appearance of the chapel, the construction being of clapboard on a wooden framework, set on a concrete foundation.” 604 such chapels were built on airfields, camps and bases all across America during the next few years. (Excerpt from my forthcoming books “Beneath the Shadow of Wings”) Thanks.

When my father was the Historian for the Wantagh FD, I recall looking through the FD records and pictures of various FD related incidents. The one listed below stands out in my mind. I assume that the jet was going to or coming from Mitchel Field. Really highlights the risks of having an active air base surrounded by a growing suburbia.

https://www.liherald.com/stories/plane-crash-60-years-ago-stunned-wantagh-street,56841

Wayne Woodbury. This crash was NOT Mitchel Field related. Captain William H. Weiland, the Air Force Pilot died when his jet crashed at Wantagh, Long Island, New York. About 12:30 PM on August 3, 1954, the Air Force Republic F-84 Thunderjet crashed in the center of Denver Road in Wantagh. Captain Weiland was traveling from Dover AFB Delaware to Dow AFB, Bangor Maine. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Detailed in my forthcoming books and on my website: https://mitchelfield.weebly.com/crashes-50-55.html

Thanks.

Thanks for the update. I stand corrected. When I read this am that he was at 30,000 feet I realized that he would not be on approach to or climbing from Mitchel.
One hell of a website BTW. I am still going over the pictures and maps. I find myself trying to place my movements at NCC in the late 60’s by using the maps as a guide. At that time I don’t think the outward appearance of the campus was much different from it’s time as an air base. At least I didn’t have to salute anyone!

Wayne, you are very welcome.  So glad you like my website. BTW, I attended NCC in the mid 70s and many of the pics I took at that time are in various places on the website. I know there’s alot to look at on my site, but this page has my 2020 walk around with current pics of all the remaining buildings. Thanks so much. https://mitchelfield.weebly.com/walk-around-2020.html

Paul, I was at NCC from 1968-1971. I could tell you stories about the anti-war campus protests and other associated stuff. We in the Engineering area tended to stay away from that stuff but it wasn’t easy. There were even plans to “defend” the Engineering Building in the event of a student “takeover”. Wild times.

Looking at your map and my aging memory I would say that 104 Hdqtrs was the Engineering Building and 103 Hdqtrs was I think the Bursur’s building. That’s were some of the anti-war protests took place, in front of 103 and onto the “Quad”. I could tell you a story about the flag pole at that time but perhaps I better not. 105 looks like North Hall and 101 South Hall. We had most classes that were non-Engineering in those halls. Except an Art class in the 103 barracks area and a Human Biology class in a room connected to one of the hangers. Oh, of course, Gym in one of the hangers. Thanks for the memories.

Wayne, I was there a little later than that so missed all that stuff at the college. But your building IDs sound right, they were the same when I was there. Gym in Hangar 5-6 classes in the “Halls” and art studio in the barracks, lunch in the mess hall and theater in the Chapels. During my walking tours, (I’ll be giving more in the Spring) I always say the best thing that happened to preserve MF was having it taken over by NCC. The exteriors and much of the interiors have been preserved. Re-purposed, but preserved nonetheless. Many people complain about the loss of the barracks north of the tracks but they were just T buildings anyway (T for Temporary). A few of the NCO duplex houses were taken down for condos but most of those and the officers houses on the south side of the tracks still remain as military housing. All in all about 70-80 % of the buildings remain, including 5 of the original 1930 hangars as part of the COAM and other museums. Thanks

I attended NCC at the same time as Paul did.  In fact, we both worked at the college station, WHPC at the same time!

NCC and the Navy always had a good relationship.  One point of contention however were students parking in front of Military homes along Ellington Ave. West, preventing locals from parking anywhere near their homes.  My father had the row of Temporary Buildings closest to Stewart Avenue torn down around 1966 to create a very sizeable parking area for the remaining buildings on the North Campus including the Firehouse Art Gallery which had at one time been an actual firehouse used to put out dwelling fires on the Base.  Thereafter, the parking situation improved overnight, much to the delight of the Military families in the area.

Riding our bikes past the demolition of the Temporary Buildings one Summer night, we found the street sign for 1st Street and Avenue E laying on the ground and took it home as a souvenir.  It remained in our basement for many years.  Today, is still sitting in perfect condition in my garage, 3,000 miles away in LA!   

Regarding the student protests, I was there too, but not as a student.  I witnessed firsthand the demonstrations in 1971 following the invasion of Laos and Cambodia.  Unlike other schools that had dormitories, when it got dark, the protestors would leave and go home for the night.  Then they’d be back the next day.

Some of them defaced the Parade Grounds reviewing stand which had been repainted to say ‘Nassau Community College’.  Graffiti changed the middle word to ‘Communist’.  A lesser known fact was the existence of what could be described as professional protestors, who did not reside in the area and traveled around the country to rile up anti-war sentiments.  Some were wanted by the FBI. 

When tensions hit their peak, with Administration Buildings at campuses around the Country being occupied by protestors, my father had an emergency HELP button installed in the President’s office under his desk that he could use to instantly contact the NC Police should his office ever be taken over by protestors.  Thankfully, that never happened. 

Similarly, another HELP button was installed in the President’s Residence at 363 Rice Circle for the same reason.  As children, we were taught where the button was and what it was for.  Coming home from school, we were also told not to walk in plain view from our school bus stop at the corner of Rice Circle to the front of our house where protestors on the Quad could easily intercept us and were told to use the Back Alley entrance to our house instead.  Fortunately, that too never occurred. 

In a comical conclusion, the button in our house remained operational well past the demonstrations in the early ‘70’s.  Periodically, there were false alarms resulting in NC Police responding.  For some reason it happened most frequently after heavy snowfalls.  Then one day in 1974 in the middle of Summer while our parents were away from home, several squad cars suddenly came racing up our driveway.  The hilarity reached a crescendo when the NC Police helicopter landed on the Quadrangle with officers storming our house wanting to know what the emergency was.  Of course, there was none and it was just another false alarm.  After that episode, the button was removed.  Upon my last visit to the house several years ago, the holes where the button had been hidden under one of the kitchen cabinets were still there!

Great stories Lee. It must have been very cool to live there. I will PM you.

Great commentary by all!  Thanks for sharing your memories.  I was a neighbor in the mid-70s having spent my college years at Hofstra. As a commuting student my car was parked on the runways. 

I’m a fan of postcards and came across the work orders for the series of postcards shown in this blog.  The postcards were produced by Curt Teich & Company, Inc. in 1942, one of the largest post card producers in the world.  Each work order listed the subject and where the copy should go and also contained the work schedule.

A few more.

And last but not least . . .

Can anyone locate where the three swimming pools at Mitchel Field were?  And are they still somewhere to be found today or what might have they become?  From Aviation magazine, Jan. 1942.

Art Kleiner, those Curt Teich POs are awesome. I may ask you if I can use a few in my book. I have been collecting Postcards for a long time too and never saw those. There is a full page on my website dedicated to the MF PCs in my collection but I am sure I am missing some. https://mitchelfield.weebly.com/postcards.html I only know of 2 pools on the base, the OC pool (above) and the Enlisted men’s pool by the Gym. The OC pool was grassed over, and the EC pool still stands but hasn’t been filled in years.

Art Kleiner. There are more pictures of the pools as they appear today on my website. https://mitchelfield.weebly.com/walk-around-2020.html  I Like the picture I took here of the old ladder posts at the edge of the pool (grass). It makes me a little sad.

Art Kleiner, Here is a short excerpt from my forthcoming books. “Beneath the Shadow of Wings” 

“1937 New OC pool

During the spring of 1936 a new swimming pool was constructed by the CCC and WPA behind the officers club between Miller Avenue and East Road.  Base Commander, Col. Walter H. Frank held a formal opening party on the evening of June 17 with much fanfare. Master of ceremonies LtCl. Thomas F. Hanley introduced speeches by Col. Frank, Base Quartermaster Maj. John N. Douglas and construction quartermaster Capt. Ralph G. Richards.

Officers, families and guests were treated to a spectacular aquatic presentation and exhibition by expert swimmers and divers from nearby Jones Beach. West Point Cadet and swim team member Cadet Crandall, son of the Fields Base Surgeon Maj Walter M. Crandall had the honors of making the first official “resident” splash into the deep end of the pool.”

An excerpt from:
Beneath The Shadow of Wings
Untold Stories from Mitchel Field, Long Island
The Gathering Storm
1938-1941
A full length, profusely illustrated book

By Paul R. Martin III
Copyright 2020 by Paul R. Martin III
COMING SOON!
No excerpts or photos can be used without the express written permission of the author, Paul R. Martin III

Great photos, Paul.  Looks like I’ll be taking a few more trips to Mitchel Field soon as I live within a few miles of it.  And if the weather is right I’ll take my bathing suit for those pools - lol. 

No problem using whatever I’ve posted in your book.  Here’s a link to where I found the material.  The Mitchel Field postcard info. goes from about page 87-92 and includes more of the estimates for each work order.  E-mail me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you would like. 
https://archive.org/details/CTPFE_213/page/87/mode/1up?q=mitchel+field

Art Kleiner, and those interested in the pools. Here is a 1940 aerial with the pools circled and 2 modern google maps of the pools today. also on my website and from my forthcoming books. Lee Chambers can better tell the history of the pools post-MAFB (1961) . Thanks.

I’d say that’s easily an olympic sized pool next to the gym. If I was a local resident I’d push to have it back in swimming shape.

I love the picture of the circus train, because it was taken by me! Back in May, 2017, the circus announced that it would be going out of business after the Coliseum shows, so I went over to the college to capture a bit of history. The circus would use the old Central Rail Road tracks as its home whenever they visited the Coliseum.

It’s too bad Sam III is no longer around to comment on this post.

Howard Kroplick on the East Meadow Facebook Page (42 Comments):

Do you remember when the Mitchel Field airplanes flew night and day over East Meadow? If so, check out this photos and memories:  ..

Larry Feit and 101 others
42 Comments
Yuriy Zacharia
Yes it was all of the time.
Joseph G Salemi
We had the BOXCAR planes right over our house. It was really cool when we sat in our pool and they were right over us coming in for a landing! We lived on Front St. Between Maple and Chestnut Aves. A great memory.

Joe Reilly
I remember when one crashed and and Capt Magus was a fireman at the base.

Steve Kochick
Playing outside and seeing planes so low we would all stop and look up at it. great memory.

Mike Voiland
By growing up in EM 1953-1968, I came to believe that it was the norm for military aircraft to fly often, low, and loud overhead. It became second nature to hear and see them. When I move away in 1968 to other places, I found it odd when other people would get so excited (even worried) when such craft flew by.

Gail Scope
I remember the jets breaking the sound barrier.

Susan Chasin Ross
My dad would take us to Mitchell Field on Armed Forces Day..We could see all the planes up close.

Nita Metz
I had friends who lived on the base. The tv rabbit ears would constantly shake because we lived so close to the base.. it was fun!!

Joseph Logan
Stewart Ave on right. Parade field in center, BOQ in right corner, tracks running down the center.

Howard Millstein
Very cool picture! That big road I would think is Meadowbrook Pky?

Paul R. Martin III
Howard Millstein looking west. It’s Stewart Ave. Picture looks to be mid to late 40s, MBP not yet built.

Paul R. Martin III

Gary Balbo yes, but in the movie they spelled it wrong, and it was surrounded by mountains!

AG Lebkuecher
Not always at night. I remember F105 practically buzzing on a hard left hand bank over my house my on 7th St. I could actually see the pilot working the controls.

Casper Scaturro
I remember that
Nancie Campo Giacalone
I was born there ..l planes flew overhead all the time

Paula Godles Maynard
I surely remember. When the planes flew overhead I was scared that Russia was going to bomb us!!!

Lana Murano
I remember the sign on Hempstead Turnpike that read watch out for low flying planes. It happened to us one day while on the turnpike out of nowhere a plane was in front of our car. These are such great memories.

Vera Elizabeth Kern DeVito
I remember them breaking the sound barrier and we had to report any broken glass.

Michael Castle
They used to open up the field to the public and you could go inside some of the planes on the runway

Billy Bruce
Without saying too much yet enough, me Eddie Manto, Harry Roesch and Kenny Scott would buy sandwiches from the jewish deli or roast beef and potato salad from the German deli at the Manor shopping center and go play on the flight line. we’d lay down

Nancy Opezio
I remember the day the plane was going to crash in the neighbor hood right near Meadowbrook Hospital. The pilot and co-pilot waved the kids away from the road. They both died. I don’t know if this had anything to do with the closing.

Linda Burros
First time we heard one break the sound barrier we thought it was a bomb.

Robert Coyle
Flew over my house.

Dorothy Oppelt
We could see them land from our house on Newbridge Rd, Levittown and hear them too!

Russ Petz
My dad would take us to the airfield’s fence by Santini. We would lay on our backs and watch the Box Cars land. They were about 20 feet off the ground. The pilots would wave at us! It was pretty cool.

Joan Pizzo
Remember the sign on Hempstead Turnpike that said Caution Low Flying Planes.

Len Schoenfeld
I remember the Globe Master I think the largest pane in the US Air Force. So loud it made my house shake. Then there were the flying box cars . I think Mitchel was home base for the fleet.

Buz Pannell
Remember the C119s (Flying Boxcars) coming in so low to land, sometimes one after the other ?

Jerry Hammel
In the 50s

Pete Riderson
I remember in mid 60s the field was like abandoned
And being able run and roam free with the dog…
Running up and over the dirt and grass covered fall out shelters….

Bruce O’Leary
Had a big tree in our yard and thought one day a plane would hit it cause they came in so low. The house would shake.

Chris Tarantino Brajuka
Dad would bring the whole family up on the roof when they had air shows

Maria Lume-Lasurdo
Yes! My room would rumble

Regarding the Officers’ Pool, when my father arrived as President at NCC in 1965, he early on had the pool examined by professional plumbers to see if it could be brought back to life.  At the time, it had not been used since at least the Summer of 1960.  At no time was there any consideration to put it in service for students.  Rather, it would be solely for the use of the NCC families who lived adjacent to it. 

As kids, we rode our bikes down the block to the pool the day the plumbers inspected it.  There was a side access entrance that was wide open.  We could see men walking around with flashlights examining the myriad of pipes underneath the pool. 

At the southernmost end of the pool was a rear illuminated waterfall which was quite striking.  Although the pool was fenced off, erosion under the fence easily permitted small children to gain entrance by climbing under it and then around the waterfall.

The pool would have rainwater collect at the bottom of it which would not drain out.  I can remember climbing down the ladders and walking on the bottom of the empty pool.  For a good portion of the year, it mainly just collected leaves. 

The plumbers assessment was the pool was beyond repair, owing to the extensive deterioration of the pipes.  It was estimated it would cost more to build a new pool
than to try and repair the existing one.  It seemed odd that so much damage could be done to the pipes in such a relatively short period of time. 

Following this, my father negotiated a reciprocal agreement with the Navy which would allow use of the NCO pool as well as the Navy Theater for NCC families in exchange for Military families gaining access to Nassau’s athletic facilities.  And so a deal was done.  During my childhood, I learned to both swim and dive at the NCO pool and saw more movies in that theater than any other in my life. 

Fast forward to April, 2002.  While taking photos of the NCO pool, I met the manager of the Gymnasium which by then had been significantly upgraded and now operated in a joint venture by the Navy and the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation & Museums on behalf of the Disabled Veterans now living on the western end of Miller Ave. and Wheeler Ave.  He related a nearly identical story to me about attempts to put the NCO pool back in operation for the Vets but in an case of history repeating itself, deterioration of the pipes made that impossible.
Next to the pool was a picnic area where many folks enjoyed lunch.  The very small children’s pool immediately next to the main pool as seen in the Google Earth image was a latter day addition which was not present back in the ‘60’s & ‘70’s. 

The Officers’ Pool remained empty for many years.  With young children in the area, there was concern about the possibility of a child falling into the empty pool.  The decision was made to solve the problem by simply filling it in with earth.  Grass was planted on top of it and in the Summer, patio tables are put out there for students and instructors in the Hospitality Department who occupy Building K, the former Officers’ Club to enjoy.  Many are likely oblivious to the fact there’s a pool beneath them! 

As for the Navy Theatre (the former War Theater), it sat empty, boarded up for dozens of years.  Recently, I was told by the NCC VP of the Physical Plant that the college had acquired the building and plan on refurbishing it so as to offer concert recitals and the like in the future.  Although there is a hole in the roof and water damage inside the building, it is felt it is salvageable.  At least the pipes are good!

Shots below:

1) Officers’ Pool in 2011, now filled with earth, facing East Avenue along the border of where the Polo Grounds were. 

2) A sad shot of the empty NCO pool on 04/10/02 facing west. :(  Although the ladders were still in place, the diving boards had long been removed. 

3) The boarded up Navy Theater, also on 04/10/02.  As a kid, I could easily scrounge up the 25 cent admission fee to see films of the day.  The sole remaining Temporary building still standing (although now painted yellow) can be see across the street from the theater at the corner of Miller Ave. and Hospital Road.

The NCO pool looks quite large on the aerial above. An online measurement makes it about 100’ long, Olympic length is 164’. Not sure when PVC piping came into play ( need to web search that now : ), say it’s a good guess the original piping isn’t pvc. A bit surprised it hasn’t been filled in/grassed over by now.

I think it’s safe to assume that the plumbing was copper. Perhaps in the hurry to close the base no one thought to purge the pipes of water or stop water from draining into the pipes. The first good freeze and it was all over.

One other memory from my time at NCC in the late 60’s. Adjacent to some of the hangers were reserved parking areas that were probably occupied by NCC staff. I recall that they used old RR rails painted yellow as wheel stops.  Perhaps those rails came from the then disused RR spurs that dotted the old warehouse area. Current Google street views in the old warehouse area still shows evidence of RR tracks.

Speaking of pools and Mitchel Field trivia, Uniondale High School was the first in Nassau County to have its own pool.  It was made possible by Federal Government subsidies to reimburse the School District for educating Military children living on the Base.  With no educational facility for kids on the Base at any time during its history, standard operating procedure was to send them to the nearest Public School. 

California Ave. Elementary School (known at the time as ‘East Hempstead Elementary School’) opened in 1928, just in time for the housing on Mitchel then under construction.  The Uniondale School District extends as far North as Old Country Road.  Accordingly, grades 1-8 went to CA Ave. while 9-12 graders attended Hempstead High School prior to 1954 when Uniondale High School opened.

Photos below: 

1) 1928 CA Ave. cornerstone.

2) 1954 UHS cornerstone.

3) UHS pool.