Mystery Friday Foto #15 Solved: The Jerusalem Road (Stewart Avenue) Motor Parkway Bridge under construction
The Vanderbilt Museum Archives challenged you to solve this weekend's Mystery Foto.
Answers to the Mystery Foto questions:
Identify:
- The Motor Parkway Bridge and the orientation of the photographer. Provide a rationale.
Jerusalem Road Motor Parkway Bridge (now Stewart Avenue in Bethpage. The photographer was looking south toward the LIRR crossing sign of the Central Rail Road. In addition to the RR sign, the massive tree adjacent to the north embankment is a big clue.
- The approximate date of the Mystery Foto.
August 20, 1908.
What historic event occurred near this location?
The Motor Parkway ground-breaking ceremony on June 6, 1908.
Comments (9)
Congrats to David Miller, Joe Oesterle, Art Kleiner, John Cunningham and Steve Lucas for correctly identifying the Jerusalem Road Motor Parkway Bridge.
Kudos to Art Keiner, John Cunningham and Steve Lucas for knowing that the ground-breaking ceremony was located near where the Mystery Fot was taken.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
From the Vanderbilt Museum Archives
Close-Ups
Other Views of the Jerusalem Road Bridge
1908
1948
The tree was still there in 1948
Comments
This is the construction of the LIMP bridge over Jerusalem rd (Stewart ave) in Bethpage. The photographer is facing south and the LIRR crossing sign is visible on the south side of the bridge. This picture was taken August 20, 1908. To the right, on the west side of this picture was where the LIMP groundbreaking ceremony to place.
Stewart Ave (now)
Jerusalem Ave (1908)
The Jerusalem Road (Stewart Ave.) Motor Parkway Bridge in Central Park (Bethpage) looking south. Railroad track and large tree were south of the parkway.
August, 1908.
The Motor Parkway groundbreaking ceremony was held nearby on the west side of the location.
The Jerusalem rd(stewart Ave) in bethpage looking south on stewart through the bridge. You can see the central railroad sign also. The groundbreaking took place on the right in the field next to the parkway. (Present day Albergo Court and motor lane)
must be 1908. after the grounbreaking in june but before the opening of the parkway
after some research that probably should have been done BEFORE I answered, I’ve discovered the date is August 20, 1908
Well I’m stumped again. The diamond shape “RAILROAD CROSSING LOOK OUT FOR THE CARS” sign puts us looking south near the Steward Line, or between (Old) Westbury Road and Broadway Road in Bethpage. There is a culvert or small bridge so I presume there is a stream there to the right/west. That should nail down this exact location, but the only source I could use for that is Wayne Consolla’s Google Map, which seems to have gone away. Such a shame, it was great work.
The photo shows the LIMP bridge being built over Jerusalem Road (today’s Stewart Avenue) in Bethpage. The view is looking south because of the LIRR crossing sign just beyond the bridge. The date is approximately August 20, 1908. The LIMP groundbreaking ceremony took place very close to this site a little over two months prior on June 6, 1908.
Over Old Court House Road, Manhasset Hills!
Ernie - It is unclear to what happened to Wayne Consolla’s online map. Wayne had supplied this link to his back-up map.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1txBIpGwi8_bcSwIsl8fBNTzya-Nkgicl&usp=sharing
Thank you so much Frank. I think that map is such a good reference on the LIMP. I was hoping someone would comment when I mentioned the stale link.
Frank, thanks for the heads-up. The link is back and working.
Howard
Much thanks Howard!