King Manor Museum

Location: 150-03 Jamaica Avenue
Phone: (718) 206-0545
Description: King Manor is the centerpiece of an 11-acre historic park in Jamaica, Queens. The 18th- and 19th-century house takes its name from Rufus King, a signer of the United States Constitution. In 1805, Rufus King bought an existing farm that included an 18th-century Dutch-style house with an attached Long Island-style "half house." A year after moving in, King added a kitchen to the rear of the Dutch house. He further expanded the structure four years later to its stylish Georgian grandeur by adding a Federal dining room and two bedrooms. After King's death in 1827, his son John lived in the house and added the Greek Revival exterior details, such as the classical portico and entranceway. The house was purchased by the Village of Jamaica in 1896, and two years later, it was transferred to the City. King Manor Museum reopened to the public in 1994.