Mystery Foto #46 Solved: The 1904 press box/officials’ stand on Jericho Turnpike in Westbury
Greg O. challenged you to identify this weekend's Mystery Foto.
Answers to Mystery Foto questions:
Identify:
- The structure
The 1904 press box/officials stand
- Its location and orientation of the photographer
On the north side of Jericho Turnpike in Westbury
- The occupations of the people within the structure
Race officials and press reporters.
- The date of the photo
October 8, 1904
- What important action occurred on top of this structure?
American Mutoscope and Biograph documented one of the earliest sporting events ever filmed.
Comments (4)
Congrats and kudos to Steve Lucas and Art Kleiner for solving this weekend's Mystery Foto.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Comments
That’s the press box / officials stand located on the north side of Jericho Turnpike in Westbury between Powells Lane and Hitchcock Lane. The photographer would have been facing north. The occupants were either press reporters or race officials / timekeepers. The date is probably October 8, 1904, the day of the first Vanderbilt Cup Race. The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company was on the roof taking movies making the race one of the earliest filmed sporting events.
Press Box
Looking north - the press box is on the north side of Jericho Turnpike between Hitchcock Lane and Powells Lane.
Reporters
October 8, 1904
Movie taken from the top of the press box.
Additional documentation to my earlier answers. Using clues from the advertisements on the press box, I was able to locate digital copies of the publication “Motoring and Boating” which was prominently advertised on the front of the press box. These photos are from its Oct. 13, 1904 edition: the first is the actual mystery photo with the caption and the second is the press box this time shown with Willie K. and Al Reeves!
The photo with Willie K. and Al Reeves was the cover story. And true to its word the publication did a very comprehensive report of the 1904 Vanderbilt Cup Race.
The north side of Jericho Tpk between Hitchcock and Powell’s lane was, up until very recently, the site of the Hitchcock mansion and huge horse field and track. The mansion was torn down along with most outbuildings and stables and the Catholic Church is making a very large cemetery here. It is actually open now either the first bunch of graves recently put in.
Noticed the ads for RIVOLI SIGARETS I guess at some point ‘cigarettes’ became the preferred spelling. Maybe Cigar used to be SIGAR?
Brian - Sigaretes is Italian for Cigarettes according to Google. Here are a few articles mentioning the brand from 1903 and 1904 editions of “Tobacco World” & “The Smokers Magazine”.
And one more.