'Black Beast' Coming Home to Garden City

With Harry Grant at the wheel, the ALCO "Black Beast" won the Vanderbilt Cup Races (1909 and 1910) 100 years ago. Today, the famed vintage car is coming home to Garden City.

What's the connection?

According to Garden City resident and history buff Cyril Smith, the Vanderbilt Cup Races and Long Island Motor Parkway were planned and headquartered at the Garden City Hotel by William K. Vanderbilt. The Black Beast was actually prepared at the Garden City Garage, later Texaco and now the empty lot under construction at the corner of Seventh Street and Franklin Avenue, Smith said.  

Over 200,000 people came out to see these powerful machines in the auto racing event of the age. 

"The Cup ran through Nassau County streets and the newly opened (1908) Long Island Motor Parkway (aka Vanderbilt Parkway). A portion of the parkway ran through Garden City between the present Pell Terrace and Russell Road, turning eastward over Clinton Road and behind Stewart School," Smith added.

An original section of the Vanderbilt Parkway, the first auto toll road and concrete highway in America, exists from Clinton Road/Vanderbilt Court to Raymond Court in Garden City.

The Toll Lodge was on Vanderbilt Court where the Beast entered the Motor Parkway. It was later relocated to Seventh Street and has served as the Garden City Chamber of Commerce's headquarters for the past 21 years.

"The Black Beast is coming home," says Smith, who will promote an effort to have Garden City illuminate this history at Thursday's board of trustees meeting.

Howard Kroplick, owner of the Black Beast and Smith's friend, will show off the vintage automobile between 7-8 p.m. at Garden City Village Hall. Kroplick is a noted expert on the Vanderbilt Cup Races and Long Island Motor Parkway.

Kroplick has collected over 14,000 images and articles and has accumulated a large collection of race memorabilia. He has written extensively about the topic in both his books, Vanderbilt Cup Races of Long Island (Images of Sports) and Images of America: The Long Island Motor Parkway, which are available at the Garden City Public Library.

"[The Black Beast] is one of the most valued vintage automobiles in the world. In effect, it is coming 'home' to Garden City," Smith said. "This powerful reminder of Garden City's glory days in early automotive history will be promoting an effort to have Garden City illuminate this history."

Smith intends to present this proposal to village trustees Thursday night.