Mystery Foto #40 Solved: The 73rd Street Motor Parkway Bridge in 1927 Looking East
Frank Femenias challenged you to identify this rare view of a Long Island Motor Parkway bridge.
Mystery Foto questions:
- Identify the Motor Parkway Bridge
The 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge in Fresh Meadows, Queens as seen in 1927.
- What is the orientation of the photo?
Based on the farm buildings in the 1938 aerial, the view is looking east.
- What year was this bridge built?
1926
- When was this bridge taken down?
Trick question: The bridge is still very much standing and is used as part of the Brookly-Queens Greenway.
Congrats to Kevin Walsh, Michael LaBarbera, Joseph Oesterle, Greg O., and Steve Lucas for identifying the 73rd Avenue Bridge and the photo's orientation. Super kudos to Frank Femenias for hisbelow excellent Femenias Findings.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Closeups
Hint
This aerial June 24, 1938 aerial shows the 73rd Avenue Motor Parkway Bridge.
The full aerial showing the Long Island Motor Parkway in Fresh Meadows looking north.
Another aerial view of the Mystery Foto section taken on July 23, 1939. The 73rd Avenue Bridge is just to the right of the first arrow on the right. Note the 1939 World's Fair in the upper right-hand corner.
Femenias Findings (Submitted by Frank Femenias)
1909 Bromely Map. Check out Black Stump Road follows 73rd Avenue, then Jewl Avenue in bottom left corner. Also Rocky Hill Road's original Right-Of-Way on the right.
Close-up of 1909 Bromley Map.
1924 aerial overlayed with current Google Earth view.
1924 "Then" view versus "Now" view.
Labels for the 1927 image looking east.
1927 "Then" view versus "Now" view. The bridge looks further away in the "Now" photo but the location is correct between 196 Place and 197th Street. May be due to wide angle lens.
Looking west from Francis Lewis Boulevard.
Looking east from 199th Street.
Still standing!
1926 date on the bridge
Comments
Black Stump Road aka 73rd Avenue, looking east, the bridge was built in 1926 and is still standing
Too easy because i was just there in Fresh Meadows last May .... 73rd avenue bridge facing east….built 1926 and still standing. Now that fall is here i can’t wait to bring my bicycle and go exploring thru the parks. I believe on the other side of the bridge is the parking lot and entrance to get onto the roadway.
Deer Park Avenue and limp.?
It took me a little while to settle upon my answer. 73rd Avenue. Queens NY. The hint eventually helped put me over. I was stuck because the look of the bridge was different from the standard parkway bridge build in the 1908-1911 era. Eventually it hit me. This is the 1926 bridge (date imprinted into the concrete), the 2nd to last most westerly bridge, over 73rd Avenue. Which means your question about when it was torn down…. well, last time I was by there it was still there. Great photo. I love this stuff.
-Identify the Motor Parkway Bridge
Parkway bridge in Fresh Meadows, Queens, over 73rd Avenue (named Black Stump Road in 1926)
-What is the orientation of the photo?
Looking East
-What year was this bridge built?
Built in 1926
-When was this bridge taken down?
Still standing.
Unless that was a horrible paving job in the photo, the road appears to still be dirt. Bridge built in ‘26, road paved in ‘27, bare trees, so it would seem that narrows down the date of the photo to late winter of1926/1927.
Great aerial hint photo! -from June 24, 1938
This photo is a view of Black Stump Road (later 73rd. Avenue) In Fresh Meadows looking east as it goes under the Long Island Motor Parkway. The bridge was built in 1926 during the last phase of the parkway expansion. As to when it was taken down: TRICK QUESTION—it’s still there.
Just a guess. Little Neck Parkway? (I grew up in Fresh Meadows in the 50s, so the potholes on what otherwise appears to be a paved road are consistent with roads that were in far out Queens.) Year built. 1924? Orientation of first photo. Looking north?
Photoshopped. Never existed.
Looking south, Walt Whitman Road
Bridge built 1910 Removed 1951
The bridge still stands! And fully operational after 89 years. They don’t make ‘em like they use to.
I know this was done a few years ago but thought I would ask.
Is the photo of the Adam Klein Farm? I am a descendant and would love to get a copy. If you know of an archive of area photos please let me know. Thanks
_______________________________________
Howard Kroplick
Rich, let me know the specific area of Queens that you would like to see and I will send you several early aerials.