Baisley Pond Park

Who is this monument dedicated to?

This monument honors those from the community surrounding Baisley Pond Park who died in World War I. The international conflict, also known as the Great War, occurred between 1914 and 1918.  By the end of the war, nearly 370,000 people from New York State served in the armed forces, and 14,000 people from the state had lost their lives. Neighborhoods around New York City erected over a hundred memorials in their local parks honoring those from their communities who died in the war. 

How was this created? 

This engraved granite stele was sponsored by the citizens of South Jamaica, Queens. An initial memorial proposal was submitted to the Art Commission (now the Public Design Commission) in 1919. The application was submitted just two months after New York City’s Victory Parade, which occurred almost a year after the armistice and once combat troops had returned home.  The design, by notable memorial company J.W. Fiske Iron Works, included a Milford pink granite column with a bronze sundial on top and a bronze tablet; however, the Art Commission rejected the submission. 

An updated proposal was submitted in 1921 for this stately, light gray Concord granite stele, along with new walkways and a surrounding plaza. The memorial was dedicated on September 5, 1921. In 2003, the monument was restored during the reconstruction of the surrounding paths and seating areas.