Vanderbilt Cup Races

-Identify the location and orientation of the photographer
-Who owned the building on the left? Link the owner to the Vanderbilt Cup Races.

Standing on the railroad tracks looking northward on the East side of Robert Grave’s garage in Mineola.
Robert Graves was the owner of the #1 Mercedes that raced in the 1905 Vanderbilt Cup Race and the two #3 Mercedes that raced in the 1906 and 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Races. 
Robert Graves’ wealth came initially from his father’s company the Robert Graves Company, Manufacturers of Wall Papers. In addition to the wallpaper company, Robert Graves also invested a lot of money in Manhattan and Brooklyn real estate.

-Kudos Question: Who planted all the trees in the Mystery Foto?

NYC and Gold Coast Mansions of the wealthy of the day usually had Frederick Law Olmsted do all their landscaping, so I’ll go with that guess.

On second thought, maybe the answer to kudos question isn’t quite as obvious as I thought. For a second guess, I’ll go in a different direction and say Hicks Nurseries did the actual planting of the trees since they were also responsible for many estate planting’s as well.

From Automobile Topics 1905

Art - is it okay if you could let it be known at this point if the building is residential or commercial? Appears to be a home.

I’m glad YOU can see anything readily identifiable there!  Is it safe to assume that the blur at lower right is LIRR trackage?  Sam, III

This one had me stumped for most of the weekend but then I finally remembered a mystery photo from several years ago with a cement wall near train tracks. Could we be looking north in Mineola with Robert Graves’ property on the other side of the wall? Graves had a Mercedes that ran in the 1905 Vanderbilt cup and two more Mercedes that were entered in the 1906 and 1908 races. As to who planted the trees, I’ll guess it was Mrs. Graves; or maybe the new owners of the property after it became a school.

Robert Grave Jr’s exquisite garage (1908-1966) in Mineola, NY, on dead-end street Searing Av, looking NW, where he housed his 1906 Mercedes racer for the 1905, ‘06, and ‘08 Vanderbilt Cup races. I believe Jenatzy was Grave’s race driver, later Stricker. The garage later became Corpus Christi school in the ‘50s, when the trees were likely planted. Townhouses were being built on this location in recent years. Take me back, please. My camera is charged and ready

Top: Same view from Searing Av but without trees

Bottom: From Searing Av at opposite side of property.

Map link:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1396j0_672hYkvbcNFJInbc1mXNJspD9f&ll=40.7449954933771%2C-73.6374224935605&z=19

I just can’t come up with an answer. Fairly sure that’s a railroad track at the lower right corner. A sturdy appearing fence between the tracks and rear of the building, looks to be made of concrete or cement. Row of pines were planted for privacy, maybe lots of trains going back & forth.

Jerry Rokoff:

Site of greenhouses Vanderbilt mansion.  Wild guess.

Mystery Foto #31… Only a guess.but could it be Peter Helck’s home?

I’m always learning new stuff here Howard, Thank you for continued historic content!

The following photo is the only remaining residence on Searing Avenue - it was built in 1910 and is opposite the current apartment building where the Graves Garage once stood, two lots off of the railroad tracks.  The home was recently purchased for $850,000 by the developer that purchased the adjoining lot (adjacent to the tracks) which up until recently had a house on it but was demolished.  I’m assuming the last home shown in the photo will also be demolished to make way for a new home or office building.

Howard, Not generally known is that this building was not the original clubhouse/garage. On Sept. 6, 1906 the original structure nearing completion, constructed of concrete, collapsed, killing three workman.  Graves ordered the demolition of the collapsed structure and had it rebuilt this time with a brick exterior.        Though heavily involved with the Vanderbilt Cup Races, he did not purchase any stock or bonds of the Long Island Motor Parkway.                                  But,.... he was present at the Parkway’s grand breaking ceremonies, inviting all the notables present to a luncheon at his just completed clubhouse/garage at Mineola Unable to discover why he selected this location.

Thanks for noting the fact of the collapsed original building, Al - more photos can be found here: 
https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/mystery_foto_friday_20_can_you_identify_thsi_vanderbilt_cup_race_car

As a one-time resident of Mineola, I am quite familiar with Corpus Christi but had completely forgotten the 17 Jun 2013 Mystery Foto: #20 thread (not that I’d have picked up on the garage).  Was the garage a private storage and workshop entity or commercial?  I would question the caption in the old blog about Jenatzy “posing in front of the collapsed building”; I would suggest he is in front of the new building still under construction.  Another great thread; thanks.  See, I’m NOT too old to learn!  Sam, III

Got curious; 105 Searing is still there as of the latest Google Street View but 101 (by the tracks) is already gone.  Sure doesn’t look very promising.  Sam, III

Correct Sam.  As my photo of 105 shows the fence around it and he who bought it is the same developer who bought (and demolished) 101 it’s a good bet they’ll both be gone soon.

The whole block will be totally transformed it appears. Amazing what a century can do

Art - I believe your’s is the last view of 105, sorry to say, the end of the Grave Garage era. Again, another historic structure remade for? Thanks Sam for clarifying

I should have known this one.  Gave up too easily.  I do believe that most of the wall was recently removed.  New construction replaced the school.

Howard, The Graves building had a convoluted and confusing history before it was acquired by Corpus Christi Church. It appears it was taken over by the Federal Government during WW 1 and later returned to Graves. In early 1921 it was reported to have been sold to to a Dr. William Gatewood who planned to convert the building into a sanatorium of some sort. Guess the community didn’t like that idea.

Great history of Graves’ garage, Al. The garage as a sanatorium in the ‘20s, on a dead-end street says it all. I was never a history fan until I visited this web site. Thanks to everyone for their contributions, bringing history alive once again.

Graves garage was a large structure!

I repeat: “Was the garage a private storage and workshop entity or commercial?”  We, collectively, seem to know everything.  How ‘bout this one?  Sam, III

Sam III, this was Robert Grave’s private garage.

Howard I

Sam,...The Robert Graves structure on Searing Ave., Mineola…    Over the years it’s been described in many ways including as a hotel, which it never was, nor was it ever just a garage. Graves built it as his man’s cave, to store and maintain his automobiles. Newspapers of the day said built it here because he wanted to be near his friends at the Meadow Brook Club, Old Westbury and close to the Vanderbilt Cup Race course. The entire first floor was for the autos. The two multi story wings were living quarters, one wing for his use and the other for visitors. Some time after the Vanderbilt Cup Races ended on Long Island,  he used it as his Long Island retreat well into the teen years. calling it aptly, “The Garage”.  I have always been curious why, wealthy as he was, he didn’t built a more conventional country estate. in a more upscale community.

As Howard pointed out above, Hick’s Nurseries often transplanted large, mature trees onto the grounds of wealthy Long Island estate owners.  Our own Willie Jr. was no exception.  The trees in this 1907 photo are probably headed to Willie’s estate, Deepdale, in Lake Success.  From the book “Trees for Long Island” by Hicks Nursery.

Once upon a time (1960?), I bought a whole bunch of saplings (now 40’ high) at Hicks, not in Westbury but up on the east side of 107/Cedar Swamp Road, just south of Glen Cove/Head, where their tree ops were then HQ’d.  They had a huge collection of old photos on the walls; some of the trees they moved dwarfed the middle one in Art’s WKV pic.  They developed all sorts of specialized equipment for the task.  I remember that one giant shipment went across the Sound on a barge (possibly for Austin Corbin’s Newport, NH, estate).  Haven’t seen the book but here are three random Hicks images from the Net.  Sam, III

Excellent photos, Sam III !