Kingsland Homestead, New York

About Kingsland Homestead

”Kingsland Homestead, located in Murray Hill, Queens is a New York City landmark and member of the Historic House Trust. It is the home of the remains of a landmarked, weeping beech tree, believed planted in 1847 and located near the 17th Century Bowne House, the location of the first Quaker meeting place in New Amsterdam. The homestead houses and is operated by the Queens Historical Society and is open to the public as a museum.About the houseKingsland was built by Charles Doughty in approximately 1785 and the name "Kingsland" is believed to derive from Doughty's son-in-law, British sea captain Joseph King, who bought the home in 1801. The house was moved for the first time in 1923 when a proposed subway extension put it in danger and it was moved to the site of a stable, also built by King. The house was threatened again in 1965, by the construction of the Murray Hill Shopping Center, but the community was able to save the house and in that same year it was one of the first buildings in the City to be declared a landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. When further construction threatened the house in 1968, the then three-year-old Kingsland Preservation Committee (now the Queens Historical Society) arranged for the transfer of the house to its present location. After significant delays, the Homestead was officially dedicated as a museum in March 1973. In October 1996 a $330,000 renovation that completely restored the house and included the addition of track lighting and a sprinkler system to protect the house was completed. Further structural work was required in 1999. Read more

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