John Golden, "Mr. Bayside"

John Golden - "Mr. Bayside"

In 1920 Golden purchased the Nicholl house from Pearl White. Immediately Golden opened the gates of his estate to the community, to allow them to enjoy the land. People flocked to the Golden estate. They would enjoy picnics, strolls, and baseball games on the diamonds that Golden built for the local children. As you can see from the aerial photos from 1931, there were stables and a guardhouse to the north of the estate. Golden received numerous requests to rent the guardhouse, as it overlooks a beautiful ground is its location in Bayside highly sought after.


In 1955, when John Golden died, he bequeathed his property to the NYC Government for use as a park. The Opening Day Pamphlet shows the outpouring of love and admiration for Golden.


"New York World's Fair - National Advisory Committees - John Golden Entertainment Committee1 935 - 1945"

John Golden, front row center, at the Golden Estate in 1920. Source: The Lambs’ Archives, Courtesy of The Lambs’ Foundation.

 In 1920 Golden purchased the Nicholl house from Pearl White. Golden immediately opened the gates of his estate to the community. People flocked to the Golden estate, they would enjoy picnics, strolls, and baseball games on the diamonds that Golden built for the local children. 

John Golden left his mark on Bayside, the effects of his advocacy supported the creation of a community in Bayside and provided long standing gifts to residents. Golden's an annual event, Bayside a Harmonious Town began in 1950, coordinating with local church choirs and the Bayside Glee Club. Golden also used his persuasive prose to advocate for his community. Although he lost the battle against the Cross Island Parkway, he did manage to keep Bayside from being the location for LaGuardia's Airport. 

According to the meeting minutes for John Golden Memorial Day, where they recommended to that the Mayor should proclaim John Golden Day every year on June 27th,  to"keep alive the memory of a man who was always clean in thought and in action." Eleanor Roosevelt was in attendance at the meeting while Bernard Baruch wrote a letter, saying that: "My mother did look upon him as a fifth son."

John Golden died in 1955, bequeathing his property to"for the use and enjoyment by the young people of the community of all races and creeds in a manner similar to that in which I made this property available for recreation and community acts during my lifetime."
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