Our studio was specifically made to be comfy and inviting. It’s a place that we hope you find relaxing and enjoyable both as parents and students, and we’re really proud of how we get it all dressed up for holidays during the year. Of course, this space wasn’t always our studio, and we’ve found out that this area of Freeman Avenue hasn’t even always been, well, an Avenue at all!

Way back in the day, specifically in 1928, just a few years after The Great Gatsby was published, Freeman Avenue was located in an area that had been developed for Islip’s first airport. The 25 acre field had only 2 runways that were 2,000 feet long and made of…grass! That’s right grass runways! The airport was founded by Charles Lawrence who designed the Wright radial engine, and was such a big event that the dedication of the airport was presided over by none other than Amelia Earhart herself and was visited by Charles Lindbergh! The first airmail flight off Long Island occurred from there in 1938. Long Island has always had a history with aviation and flight technology including with NASA and it’s amazing that some of that history occurred right in our backyard! The airport was in operation until 1947 and due to the lack of growth for the airport was sold to developers.

Those developers would turn Islip’s first airport into Islip’s first Speedway! The Speedway’s construction was complete in 1947. It was a .2 mile long oval track that hosted 6 Nascar races that included racing greats like Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison, and the great Richard Petty. It was the smallest track to have the distinction of hosting NASCAR races. In the 60’s they added a figure-eight to the track and the owner, Larry Mendelsohn convinced ABC’s Wide World of Sports to cover the first figure-eight world championship, and then they continued to broadcast it for 20 years. Mr. Mendelsohn is also credited with the first ever demolition derby held at the speedway in 1958. Wide World of Sports often broadcast the demolition derby as well.

The speedway eventually closed in 1984, making way for the industrial park that became our happy home in December of 2011. Up until now we had no idea what an amazing history this area had and it makes us appreciate the studio even more!

70SKID, Long Island 70’s Kid. ( 2010, June 9). Islip Speedway. 

speedwayandroadracehistory. New York (USA). 

eastislip.org. Islip Airport & Speedway.

Photo Credit: “Long Islands Airports” by Joshua Stoff (Curator, Cradle of Aviation Museum) Arcadia Publishing