Horseless Carriages in New Hyde Park, NY on long island

[Walt G 3,374]

Leo Peters was a early collector of brass era "horseless carriages" and had a service station on the south side of Hillside Avenue at North Second Street ( building is still located there opposite a Stop N Shop supermarket. )  In 1947 he had a small booklet printed up by a shop in Jamacia, Queens, NY that showed the 7 cars he owned. I have a copy of that which also states his interest in early cars and why. The booklet shows the cars he owned at the time .  Any interest to see this? If so I will find the time to scan and share - it also shows the service station he owned and operated and where most of his cars were kept.

[John_S_in_Penna 3,425]

2 minutes ago, Walt G said:

Any interest to see this? 

 

Absolutely!  It's always interesting to hear of

old cars and old collections, and we might get

some insight into the state of the hobby in 1947.

 

Thank you for sharing this, Walt.

[John_S_in_Penna 3,425]

Just think:  In 1947, there were many people who

remembered the dawn of the automobile;  who

could recall the first car they ever saw;  who 

witnessed roads turned from muddy ruts into

smooth ribbons of solid pavement.  What they

could tell if they were still with us today!

[TerryB 2,923]

This past November 3rd,, a Tuesday that was in the news for lots of other reasons was the 120th anniversary of the first automobile show.  It was held in 1900 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden and ran from the 3rd to the 10th.  The most popular cars at the show were electric, steam, and internal explosion as internal combustion was known back then. Admission charge was $0.50 which was a lot of money in the day.  I don’t think any brand of automobile that was shown there is still in business, the last was probably Oldsmobile.  As the old saying goes, pictures are worth a thousand words Walt!

[58L-Y8 1,882]

Now that car collecting as a hobby is decades old, its valuable to show artifacts of the generation who were the early enthusiasts and conservators of what we now enjoy.   Please, Walt, when you have an opportunity, scan and share this.

[edinmass 12,683]

My newest purchase is currently parked in New Hyde Park.......at a friends house, who is a true car guy.......which is also a stones throw from Walt G’s place near the racetrack. Please scan and post! 👍

[Walt G 3,374]

Ok Ok Ok ( read that and hear actor Joe Pesci's voice) Here you go. I have way to much old stuff .............................

[John S. 1,016]

Leo Peters was a Kaiser/Willys dealer after the war. The painted Kaiser/Willys signs were still on the building  until the early Eighties when the business change hands.

[8E45E 1,280]

5 hours ago, Walt G said:

Ok Ok Ok ( read that and hear actor Joe Pesci's voice) Here you go. I have way to much old stuff .............................

 

 

 

 

There he is, #63 in the 1946 Glidden Tour Guidebook with that 1911 Model T, and the 1912 Buick on the 1949 Glidden Tour (#42): 

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[Chris Bamford 299]

Well, that is very cool. Thank you Walt.

 

Just for fun, who noticed the repeated typo typo?

 

[1937hd45 3,264]

Thank you Walt! Wonder who the current caretakers are today. Bob 

[Walt G 3,374]

44 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said:

Thank you Walt! Wonder who the current caretakers are today. Bob 

It would be interesting to know who owns the cars today. The building still exists mostly unchanged from the 1947 photo shown here I will try and get a current photo of it the next time I am up that way and post it . If I showed this to the current owners of the building I am sure a "yeah, so what" reaction would be immediate. Walt

P.S. is this auto history, car collector history, old architecture history , old dealership history or ?

As several people here in the village I live in sometimes ask me " how do you think of this stuff ? "  It just happens, I don't do it on purpose or with any planned thought.

[edinmass 12,683]

I ran up to Long Island and snapped this photo..........😝

[Walt G 3,374]

Nope, the building is to the left (east) of the diner in the photo , and North second street is in between the diner and what was Leo Peters business. in the period photo the building with the word Peters on the corner entrance door has been torn down but the 2 story building next to it still remains looking just about as it did in 1947.

[46 woodie 795]

The building is a BP gas station now. In this world of tear it down and build new, it's refreshing to see something that old with some form of history!

[edinmass 12,683]

Ok......sorry, I was off fifty yards........and thought that what I was looking at was half of the original. Another quick run up to LI and now we have the correct photo........Walt, we can go to the diner when I come up and visit you and Craig.

[John348 1,527]

13 hours ago, 46 woodie said:

The building is a BP gas station now. In this world of tear it down and build new, it's refreshing to see something that old with some form of history!

 

Very true! There still are a few of the old brick buildings on HIllside Ave. I have not been down that way in a few years, but I remember that building now 

[Walt G 3,374]

Thanks to all for commenting and contributing. I see so many notices on the TV about what any particular "day" it may be : national kiss a toad day, national pet a rock day, national dandelion sniffing day, so everyone how about a "National Hug a Great old Building Day"? you get extra credit if it is a former car , truck, vehicle showroom, factory or parts store. AND are allowed an extra scoop of ice cream, snort of whiskey, or $50 to buy some old rusty piece of junk if that Building you hug used to be the home of a Custom Body Builder!!!  ( lots of those left in N.Y. City) We have tree huggers why not building huggers?  🤩

[1912Staver 1,325]

Lots of problems for building huggers. In many locations buildings are very cheap, but the local job environment won't support the sort of income necessary to have a hobby oriented " pet " building. Any repairs can cost much more than the building will ever be worth in its location.

 In quite a few other  locations wages may be decent , but property values can turn a run down building into a site waiting for multi million $ re - development.  

As an example even in my somewhat out in the sticks location, a commercial building like the one in this thread would run 2.5 Million +. 99.9% land value. Or put another way, more than the after tax, lifetime earnings of 75% of the people who live in this area. Preservation is an impossibility for all but an interested member of the 1%.

Those of you living in a area with decent wages and reasonable property values, you have no idea how lucky you are.

 

Greg

Edited November 18, 2020 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Walt G 3,374]

Greg

I can appreciate what you say. Back in the early 1980s buildings were being torn down or altered at random with no requirements and some pretty terrible looking alloy skinned glass infested modern replacements took place in great areas that could have recycled the existing structure or even the facade ( with a new structure behind it to accommodate the modern needs. )

I had looked at in person what was being done in London, England to make all compatible , reuse facades etc. and took that information to our Mayor and trustees of our village ( where our family has resided since 1924) was told " OK you're and artist, teach art and architecture  so gather a committee and write us some rules we can make into law"  By 1986 we were on the revised version of the original Architectural Review Board suggestions and Law. That review board still stands, and meets regularly, and no further slap up and paste on facades or tear down and put ups have existed for some years. This even went so far as how signs would look ( back lit plastic ones were banned) It has been over heard that I am mentioned as being " one tough customer" .  Preservation with accommodation.

Walt

[PFitz 835]

2 hours ago, Walt G said:

Thanks to all for commenting and contributing. I see so many notices on the TV about what any particular "day" it may be : national kiss a toad day, national pet a rock day, national dandelion sniffing day, so everyone how about a "National Hug a Great old Building Day"? you get extra credit if it is a former car , truck, vehicle showroom, factory or parts store. AND are allowed an extra scoop of ice cream, snort of whiskey, or $50 to buy some old rusty piece of junk if that Building you hug used to be the home of a Custom Body Builder!!!  ( lots of those left in N.Y. City) We have tree huggers why not building huggers?  🤩

Have you hugged the Chrysler Building lately ? 😄

 

Paul

[Walt G 3,374]

No Paul, want to get back in there to visit it. I do give W.P. Chrysler's town car that is owned by a friend and occasional pat on the fender when I am in his garage where he keeps the car.

[8E45E 1,280]

3 hours ago, Walt G said:

Thanks to all for commenting and contributing. I see so many notices on the TV about what any particular "day" it may be, how about a "National Hug a Great old Building Day"? you get extra credit if it is a former car , truck, vehicle showroom, factory or parts store.  We have tree huggers why not building huggers?  🤩

Now that would be a good incentive, but this iconic Mid-Century Modern gem is about to be torn down by the Provincial Government:  https://www.archpaper.com/2020/09/iconic-legislature-annex-building-in-edmonton-alberta-set-to-be-demolished/

 

It has the distinction of being the first 'curtain-wall' building in Western Canada, if not all of Canada, completed a year after the Seagram Building in NYC.

 

Craig

[rusty12 39]

Thanks for posting. What a great piece of car collector history.

 

When this pamphlet was written in 1947, the newest car pictured-the 1912 Buick- was only 35 years old. 

 

 

[MochetVelo 408]

It is interesting that, even in the 1920s, people found the pre-WWI cars curiosities. 

[cahartley 609]

13 hours ago, Walt G said:

No Paul, want to get back in there to visit it. I do give W.P. Chrysler's town car that is owned by a friend and occasional pat on the fender when I am in his garage where he keeps the car.

 

I presume this is the car?

 

[Walt G 3,374]

Yes, that is the Chrysler I love. First saw it when I was about 10 years old at the Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport, NY.

that museum is known for its collection of sea life ( stuffed fish) collected by W.K. Vanderbilt - but I just wanted to look at the Lincoln model L town car there ( it is still there) and this Chrysler, didn't care about fish - still don't.

[58L-Y8 1,882]

Walt:  Viewing this Custom Imperial at Hershey, what occurred to me: is this car the very last one-off, full-custom body for private individual transportation built by LeBaron.  The Newports and Thundbolts were primarily show cars first and foremost.   All the other LeBaron-bodied Packards and Chryslers I can think of were semi-custom modifications of standard Briggs bodies.

 

I also wondered why Chrysler didn't installed annually updated frontal styling to keep the car looking current.   Just those things one wonders about... 

[Walt G 3,374]

Chrysler had several full custom bodied cars made just prior to WWII. Derham did some conv sedans, and a conv victoria as well.

This was largely in part do to easier accessibility of the Chrysler product chassis as Derham at that time in the 1936-42 era also had a Chrysler franchise to sell their cars.

this continued up through about 1948 and some fairly neat looking 2 door coupe bodies were on Dodge chassis postwar.

Re the Chrysler town car - they even stretched the chassis, when I was underneath it when it was first sold from the Vanderbilt Museum and with the current owner you could see the cut and welded area in the chassis. Neatly done of course but there was at least 4 inches added and that is a lot of space.

[58L-Y8 1,882]

Thanks Walt, I am aware of the continued custom-body work Derham performed on Mopar chassis.  My question was specifically regarding whether this was the very last one-off, full-custom for private use by LeBaron?  Disregarding the later Newport and Thunderbolt since they were built as show cars.