BY Karen Gadiel
On what is currently a vacant lot at 109-111 N. Franklin St., the new International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC) will—hopefully—rise and open its doors in 2028, which is also the 80th anniversary of the Grand Prix in Watkins Glen. Two million dollars toward the project was awarded last November as part of the “Restore New York Communities Initiative,” but more grant funding is needed before ground can be broken for the project.
“We’re in the process of applying for an Upstate Revitalization Initiative grant, and we also will have to secure matching funds,” explains Margaret Lawrence, executive director of the IMRRC. “The main driver is we are out of space with our archives collection. We currently have archives in three different locations, and we need to consolidate them in one modern, climate-controlled facility.”
The process is a marathon, not a sprint, but then, many motor sports enthusiasts are well aware that racing in Watkins Glen is itself a testament to the tenacity and perseverance of several, notably Cameron Argetsinger, after the end of the Second World War. Building on what Argetsinger began, the enthusiasm, determination and creativity of many impacted the surrounding community and its economy in countless positive ways. The new IMRRC hopes to take this legacy to the next level.
The design for the 25,500 square foot project is complete, and the village of Watkins Glen Planning Board approved the site plan.
Having the lion’s share of the archives—11,500 square feet of them—under one roof and accessible to researchers will be one major aspect of the new facility, and the spacious interior will also be a place where special events and programming can happen. “We have a substantial collection, we’re great at preserving and managing it, working hard at being able to share it,” Lawrence says. This means making it available to in-person visitors as well as “online platforms to share our collection globally.”
Currently, the IMRRC hosts about 4,000 visitors annually, but the current Decatur Street space is not as central as the planned downtown location near the Harbor Hotel. The new building would also offer display space for up to six vintage race cars at a time, and allow for significantly more visitors.
Helping bring the racing center’s collection to life is racing scholar and historian Bill Green, with an encyclopedic recollection of races, drivers, courses and winning cars. When the first vintage race began in 1948, Green’s mother worked at the Howgay Tavern on South Franklin Street, where Mr. Chicken was and is currently a parking lot for the state park. The tavern had a screened porch for warm-weather dining and there an 8-year-old Green had a front-row seat for those first races. That Saturday he sat, fascinated, from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. The spectacle of noise and speed and unusual cars was exhilarating, he says. And they still are, Lawrence agrees. His only sorrow was the knowledge he’d have to wait a full year before the time for road-racing weekend rolled around again.
Since that time, he’s watched every race he could, in the U.S. and Europe. He only missed two years of racing in Watkins Glen—when he was in the Navy in the early 1960s and stationed in Europe. Even then, he became friends with drivers, well-acquainted with legendary cars, even with the body-language of flamboyant starters, learning to anticipate the starting gun, as did some savvy drivers, by watching the starter’s pants leg for a particular flourish that signaled the moment to let out the clutch.
“The best part,” he recalls, was “beginning in 1949 (the second year of the race) going to Smalley’s Garage to watch the technical inspections.” By 1959, when he was 18, Green was one of those inspecting race cars professionally. He also recalls the road races held here involved the whole village, from businesses offering a sneak peek at the trophies that would be awarded, building excitement for weeks in advance of the races, to individuals renting parking spaces, setting up food stands, selling souvenirs, working to facilitate the races.
Green has co-authored several books about racing in Watkins Glen. They’ve earned five-star reviews, and are highly-prized collectors’ items. Lawrence says at the IMRRC, a digital archive of Green’s recollections is being created, recording new material several times a week. And his occasional talks on the early history of racing in Watkins Glen give a behind-the-scenes look at the very human giants of racing history. “To be able to race,” he says, “you have to be calm and practice. Some drivers are all knotted up until the green flag goes down [and then get calm].” Lawrence, who also grew up attending races here—but in the more modern era—is as riveted by the excitement, and likes seeing the IMRRC awaken this in others. “Visitors come in for a variety of reasons,” she says. “We show them a brief film about bringing the Grand Prix to the US, and if they weren’t a motorsports fan when they came in, they are by the time they leave.”
Eventually, the world’s racing fans will have an opportunity to contribute to the new center. “We have to work in phases,” Lawrence says. “We will reach out to the public and have a public side to the campaign. We’re hopeful. We have work to do!”
On what is currently a vacant lot at 109-111 N. Franklin St., the new International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC) will—hopefully—rise and open its doors in 2028, which is also the 80th anniversary of the Grand Prix in Watkins Glen. Two million dollars toward the project was awarded last November as part of the “Restore New York Communities Initiative,” but more grant funding is needed before ground can be broken for the project.
“We’re in the process of applying for an Upstate Revitalization Initiative grant, and we also will have to secure matching funds,” explains Margaret Lawrence, executive director of the IMRRC. “The main driver is we are out of space with our archives collection. We currently have archives in three different locations, and we need to consolidate them in one modern, climate-controlled facility.”
The process is a marathon, not a sprint, but then, many motor sports enthusiasts are well aware that racing in Watkins Glen is itself a testament to the tenacity and perseverance of several, notably Cameron Argetsinger, after the end of the Second World War. Building on what Argetsinger began, the enthusiasm, determination and creativity of many impacted the surrounding community and its economy in countless positive ways. The new IMRRC hopes to take this legacy to the next level.
The design for the 25,500 square foot project is complete, and the village of Watkins Glen Planning Board approved the site plan.
Having the lion’s share of the archives—11,500 square feet of them—under one roof and accessible to researchers will be one major aspect of the new facility, and the spacious interior will also be a place where special events and programming can happen. “We have a substantial collection, we’re great at preserving and managing it, working hard at being able to share it,” Lawrence says. This means making it available to in-person visitors as well as “online platforms to share our collection globally.”
Currently, the IMRRC hosts about 4,000 visitors annually, but the current Decatur Street space is not as central as the planned downtown location near the Harbor Hotel. The new building would also offer display space for up to six vintage race cars at a time, and allow for significantly more visitors.
Helping bring the racing center’s collection to life is racing scholar and historian Bill Green, with an encyclopedic recollection of races, drivers, courses and winning cars. When the first vintage race began in 1948, Green’s mother worked at the Howgay Tavern on South Franklin Street, where Mr. Chicken was and is currently a parking lot for the state park. The tavern had a screened porch for warm-weather dining and there an 8-year-old Green had a front-row seat for those first races. That Saturday he sat, fascinated, from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. The spectacle of noise and speed and unusual cars was exhilarating, he says. And they still are, Lawrence agrees. His only sorrow was the knowledge he’d have to wait a full year before the time for road-racing weekend rolled around again.
Since that time, he’s watched every race he could, in the U.S. and Europe. He only missed two years of racing in Watkins Glen—when he was in the Navy in the early 1960s and stationed in Europe. Even then, he became friends with drivers, well-acquainted with legendary cars, even with the body-language of flamboyant starters, learning to anticipate the starting gun, as did some savvy drivers, by watching the starter’s pants leg for a particular flourish that signaled the moment to let out the clutch.
“The best part,” he recalls, was “beginning in 1949 (the second year of the race) going to Smalley’s Garage to watch the technical inspections.” By 1959, when he was 18, Green was one of those inspecting race cars professionally. He also recalls the road races held here involved the whole village, from businesses offering a sneak peek at the trophies that would be awarded, building excitement for weeks in advance of the races, to individuals renting parking spaces, setting up food stands, selling souvenirs, working to facilitate the races.
Green has co-authored several books about racing in Watkins Glen. They’ve earned five-star reviews, and are highly-prized collectors’ items. Lawrence says at the IMRRC, a digital archive of Green’s recollections is being created, recording new material several times a week. And his occasional talks on the early history of racing in Watkins Glen give a behind-the-scenes look at the very human giants of racing history. “To be able to race,” he says, “you have to be calm and practice. Some drivers are all knotted up until the green flag goes down [and then get calm].” Lawrence, who also grew up attending races here—but in the more modern era—is as riveted by the excitement, and likes seeing the IMRRC awaken this in others. “Visitors come in for a variety of reasons,” she says. “We show them a brief film about bringing the Grand Prix to the US, and if they weren’t a motorsports fan when they came in, they are by the time they leave.”
Eventually, the world’s racing fans will have an opportunity to contribute to the new center. “We have to work in phases,” Lawrence says. “We will reach out to the public and have a public side to the campaign. We’re hopeful. We have work to do!”
