Vintage Postcards of Bayside, New York
Bayside Tennis Club
The Bayside Tennis Club was located just north of the Long Island Railroad at 41st Avenue with the club house situated at 219th Street (then known as Seventh Street) and eight tennis courts running east toward 220th Street. The Club was originally formed by three tennis enthusiasts who rented the property from the Long Island Rail Road for a nominal yearly fee. The neighbors, Harry and Bess Dunkerton of 40-27 220th Street, together with Frank and Gustava Sieverman and the Roberts’ founded the club in response to their friends and neighbors perpetually asking to use their private courts adjacent to their homes.
The small club house was used to post announcements and store the tennis court nets. Children were usually in charge of removing the nets and taking them inside each night as they were made of cotton twine and deteriorated quickly if not stored properly.
In later years the club published a monthly magazine entitled Service Ace featuring articles about matches and tournaments as well as social events, gossip and other activities of the club and its members. Some years after forming, the club moved to its second location at 32-28 214th Place, opposite P.S. 41. According to the September 1934 issue of Service Ace, T.G. Clarke bought the southern portion of property and presented it to the club as a gift. Eventually the name was changed from the Bayside Tennis Club to the North Shore Tennis & Racquet Club. The club was sold in 2019 and the building has since been demolished.
This postcard was written by Mrs. Bess Dunkerton to her son, Harry and is dated 1915.