This infamous NYC hangout for gangsters like Boss Tweed and escaped inmates is now a certified public ‘tree museum’
This Queens park has gone from the mob to the mulch.
Crocheron and John Golden Park was once a seedy hotspot for gangsters and escaped inmates who used to hang out at a long-closed bar at the site, but today it’s a thriving arboretum — the only public one in the borough.
The 64-acre park in Bayside touts more than 30 different species of trees — including an imposing ginkgo with a connection to Boss Tweed that scored a spot on the city’s 2024 “Great Trees” list.
“I like to think of Crocheron as a destination park,” Jessica Burke, the founder and president of the Friends of Crocheron and John Golden Park, told The Post.
“You really get a feel for the community in a lot of ways when you go to different parks, either through the people that you see there or the different art installations that they may have.”
Burke, 35, a Bayside native and longtime admirer of the park, was instrumental in obtaining an ArbNet Accreditation for the beloved greenspace last year after finding inspiration in St. Louis’ Tower Grove Park.
The global tree professional organization deemed the two lots — which operate as one sprawling park — a Level 1 arboreta in 2023, meaning it has at least 25 species of woody plants, at least one employee, a governing body and an arboretum plan.
“I think of it as a tree museum, almost — where there’s a thoughtful plan for being able to bring in new trees, there’s open events every year, and there’s a thoughtful curation of what’s here. There’s a plan for the future as well,” explained Burke.
Although the lowest of the four levels, the status makes the combined greenspace colloquially known as Crocheron Park the only public park in Queens — and one of the rare few in the city — to tout any such accreditation.
The only other certified greenspaces in the borough can be found in the privately-run Queens Botanical Garden and the exclusive Forest Hills Gardens, a luxe greenspace in the wealthy neighborhood.
The privately-operated Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Greenwood Cemetary in Brooklyn and Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx also boast accreditations — making Madison Square Park the only other Parks Department-run greenspace to have an ArbNet Accreditation, and like Crocheron, is a Level 1.
Crocheron and John Golden Park has at least 30 different types of trees throughout its 64 acres, including the Japanese pagoda, Amur cork, Sweetgum and Maidenhair — commonly known as the ginkgo.
“The ginkgo tree is one of the great trees of New York City parks,” said Burke, pointing to the 82-foot-tall giant.
The tree — standing tall behind the baseball fields — was once on the grounds of the Crocheron Hotel, an infamous waterfront watering hole and hangout spot for mobsters and corrupt politicians.
“I call it a witness tree,” Burke continued. “I think it still can be a witness tree, even though it didn’t witness the Gettysburg Battle or anything else like that. But it was here when Boss Tweed allegedly did the Great Escape.”
William Magear “Boss” Tweed, the notorious Tammany Hall leader, used the hotel in 1875 as a hideout spot after breaking free from the Ludlow Street Jail following accusations he stole millions in taxpayer money.
Tweed boarded a schooner at the waterfront hotel and made his escape to Spain, where he worked as a common seaman for one year before he was recognized by a political cartoonist and dragged back to the US.
The tale goes that hotelier Joseph Crocheron kept his friend’s room in the condition in which he left it until the building burnt down in 1907.
The city of New York bought the land where the hotel once stood in 1924 and transformed it into the sprawling public fields it is today. The public space grew another 19 acres in 1955 when Broadway legend John Golden bequeathed his adjoining property to the community.
In spite of his rich and storied history, the park has become somewhat of a hidden treasure — but Burke hopes its accreditations will put it back on the map.
With an accreditation under its belt, Crocheron has already made strides. It became the first city park to implement multilingual identification tags for the 30 identified species that helped garner the Level 1 status.
Plus, Burke hopes the attention will help secure the Parks Department a heavier slice of city spending.
As it stands, Parks is set to receive just 0.5% of the roughly $110 billion budget — meaning the department has to divide $582 million between nearly 30,000 acres of parkland in the five boroughs.
“NYC Parks is always proud to celebrate the beautiful and diverse trees throughout our city, and are supportive of the work of our partner organizations and community groups as they find new ways to increase stewardship and celebrate our greenspaces,” Parks Department spokesperson Judd Faulkner said in a statement.
Friends group members say they have no plans of slowing down — obtaining a Level II accreditation is part of a five-year plan.
The greenspace stewards are constantly planting new trees where possible, and are planning to introduce a White Oak on Tree Appreciation Day Nov. 9.
