vincentastor

Cabot Ward was New York City Park Commissioner (1914-1917) and William J Lee was Supervisor of Recreation. See, for example, NYT of September 3, 1916 query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70E14F83F5D17738...

For more pictures of and information about Lee, see

Thanks swanq: We will add more information about these two New York City officials to the description when we update.

NYT of June 13, 1915 select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10E12FF3D551273... reports that "Hundreds of children shouted "Hurrah!" and waved their hats and their hands yesterday afternoon as little Fred Lewis, 5 years old, of 275 West 150th Street, and William J. Lee, Supervisor of Recreations of the Department of Parks, sent the Stars and Stripes fluttering to the pinnacle of a tall flagpole, and Astor Field, a children's playground, was dedicated. "

child at play,what a lovely sit to see. better than watching the play on xboxs

swanq: Thank you for the New York Times article about the opening of this playground. We will add some of the details to the description when we update.

The article in Swanq's link notes that the playground was on land owned by Vincent Astor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Astor , who loaned his land to the city and installed the playground equipment on an acre of land between 7th and 8th Avenue and 49th and 50th Street (in West Harlem, not far from the Polo Grounds). Today the entire block is a single apartment house development made up of several buildings. The article also notes that some of the notables due at the opening of the park were delayed by the Fireman's parade (the subject of the set of photos immediately prior)

Apparently another photo in the sequence of the Christening of the New York Naval Militia's Burgess-Dunne Seaplane at the foot of 52nd St. in Brooklyn in July 1916. The gentleman standing to the left, looming above a seemingly pensive and seated Vincent Astor (Astor's then-wife, Helen Dinsmore Huntington, with parasol and roses in hand, is seated to the right of Commodore Robert P. Forshew) is almost certainly Charles L. Lawrance. Lawrance would go on to play a vital role aviation (see below). Here's an article about the event in Aerial Age Weekly, Volume 3, July 10, 1916, page 503, Second Battalion N.M.N.Y. Seaplane Christened : books.google.com/books?id=FNRLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA503&l... Note, that the Aerial Age story states that Charles L. Lawrance of the "citizens' committee which bought the seaplane," was also present. Lawrance is the very same person who would design the Lawrance J-1 radial engine, the direct predecessor to the Wright Whirlwind engine which would power countless historically significant flights, including that of Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis from New York to Paris. See a photo of Lawrance below standing to the right side of the frame, next to Lindbergh at Curtiss Field prior to Lindbergh's solo transatlantic flight in 1927: More about Lawrance: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lawrance

Interesting that the article specifically states that Vincent Astor was in his Naval uniform. I wonder if he kept a spare sailor suit on his yacht?

Seuss. Good question, as Astor is still in his civilian clothes (with his back to the camera) in this other photo of the event.

Definitely looks like Lawrance there.