Kleiner’s Korner: A Return to the Long Island Motor Parkway (Part 1)
A visit back to Long Island this month (April, 2023) provided the opportunity to visit some of my favorite Motor Parkway locations.
Part 1 shows a new sign I came across in Eisenhower Park in East Meadow and what's left of the recently lost Motor Parkway section in Levittown, now called Heron Estates off of Orchid Road and Heron Lane.
Art Kleiner
Eisenhower Park
I came across this historical marker around the lake at Eisenhower Park which I've never seen before. Note the reference to the Motor Parkway which ran approx. 100 yards north of where the marker stands.
Heron Estates (Levittown)
The site of Heron Estates, atop the Motor Parkway (now named Heron Court) in Levittown.
A view looking east off of Heron Lane. The nine homes on the street (some are already occupied) are being sold in the $900,000 range.
Heron Court stands where auto enthusiasts once drove on the Motor Parkway. The road is marked private and dead ends in a court but is fully accessible.
Quite a bit different than the original Levitt homes.
The view looking west from the dead end.
Interestingly its street sign has a picture on it - I'll need to do additional research to find out who it is. I would have voted to have others such as Willie K., Howard Kroplick or Al Velocci be honored.
Several pieces of the roadway are still present along the fence bordering the street and in the dead end court yard. Anyone willing to store them for safe keeping please do so (I didn't think my wife would let me transport them down to my home in NC - my current two relics are my limit)!
Not sure if this is a Motor Parkway relic as it could just have been construction debris.
But quite sure these are originals!
Part 2 of my visit back to Long Island will provide views of a bridge associated with the Motor Parkway in Suffolk County.
Comments
I managed to save some of the remnants of the Motor Parkway at the end of Heron Court in Levittown. It was still right where Art left it. Back in the 1980’s along this stretch of the Motor Parkway when I was a kid we had set up a small bike path with jumps and obstacles for us to play. It was closer to the Skimmer lane side which was where these pieces were when I found them today. Literal touchstones for me. When I recovered these pieces it looked like the end of Heron Court was in the process of undergoing some new planting and landscaping. These pieces of the Motor Parkway very soon would’ve been swallowed up or destroyed to make way for further landscaping. They are now on the side of my house. I think in one of my pictures you can see the rebar imbedded in the traprock. I was glad to have been able to save these 115 year old relics.
Great going, David! I was hoping someone would make a home for the relics and I’m so glad they have special meaning to you. I have part of a post and a piece of roadway down here in NC. And I strategically placed more roadway behind the shed at the rear of my previous house in Levittown. I need to go back there at some point and see if they still remain.
Even the modified Levitt homes of today are much different than these new homes. What’s done is done, but these newer homes along this stretch won’t ever look right here. One thing is for sure, the photos on the signs aren’t William Levitt. Must be someone of note.
So good to see the “relics” saved and not just thought of as debris. thanks guys!
I think your line of the ROW through Eisenhower Park is about 100 yards more south than it should be. The entrance of the Meadowbrook Lodge would have been more north of this line and matches more closely to the path running through the present-day golf course.
Some bits and pieces from that stretch grace our Floral Park backyard, saved by my son Gram during our years exploring the roadway.
Thanks for the comment, gents! And Eric, you are correct. The ROW would have been directly next to the offices today of NY Community Bank further north of my line. Actually I believe the ramp leading to the back of the building is actually the roadway. Here’s an updated pic where I believe the Motor Parkway is approx. located.
Thanks for sharing the info and the pictures. I picked up a couple of pieces today. I used your pictures to help identify that what I was grabbing were part of the road. Both my pieces had the thin metal rebar so I guess that confirms it. Thank you again Art.
Lyndy - glad you were able to save some relics. Enjoy!