Then & Now: The First Long Island Offices of the Long Island Motor Parkway, Inc.
According to my favorite co-author Al Velocci, the first Long Island offices for the Motor Parkway was the Denton Building on the northwest corner of Old Country Road and Mineola Boulevard in Mineola.
Engineers and staff leased offices here as their headquarters from 1907 to 1914 before moving to a small office near the Garden City Lodge. Built in 1906, this classical style building faced in brick and terra cotta is still standing today at 210 Old Country Road.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Then: 1909
Al Velocci has shared this 1909 postcard of the Denton Buidling. I reads "The window with the X on it is the office of the Motor Parkway Co.". Postcard courtesy of Al Velocci.
1926 Aerial
The Denton building is located across the street from the Nassau County Courthouse (now the Nassau County Executive Offices).
Now: 2018
The Denton Building as it looks today at 210 Old Country Road.
Comments
Northwest corner
WOW! Who would’ve known? I’ve passed this unwittingly so many times. Thanks Al.
Yes Frank,same for me.
Some additional info regarding the Denton Building and the Parkway. The Parkway first took desk space in the building April 1907 paying $5.00 per month for April and May. In June they acquired their own office and the rent increased to $35.00 per month. In October that year the Parkway took on additional space moving out of Manhattan as this location became the official headquarters of the Long Island Motor Parkway. The rent increased to $75.00 per month. The Denton Building at the time was the most modern building on Long Island. It had a central heating system, electricity, indoor plumbing and an internal phone system. This is where the Parkway wanted to be, impressing potential investors. The Parkway hired the Lush Sign Works of Freeport to gold letter the office door and exterior windows. The Parkway would remain here thru 1914. In 1915 the Parkway headquarters was moved to Garden City adjacent to the Garden City Lodge into a two room “portable building” (Vanderbilt’s words). Kienzle, the general manager, could not have been too happy. Moving out of the most prestigious office building on the Island into a shed with kerosene lamps instead of electricity, a pot belly coal stove instead of central heat and an outhouse instead of indoor plumbing. The Denton building (it hasn’t been called that for years), is still there receiving a major rehabilitation a couple of years ago thankfully retaining it’s basic exterior look. Al.
Interesting history. Imagine the cost of rent today. I wonder who is currently in that very space now.
Amazing, all the area of trees and grass out front have been replaced by the expanded Old Country Road, and all that now remains is a narrow 9ft sidewalk where the short hedge once was.
Sounds like a new quest for the Wikimedia Commons gallery for Mineola. Actually, I just found out they have it already.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mineola_Bl_Old_Country_Rd_td_09.jpg