King Manor facts for kids
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King Manor
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| Location | 150-03 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, Queens, New York |
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| Area | 11.5 acres (4.7 ha) (park) |
| Built | c. 1730, 1755, 1805–1810 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001295 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 2, 1974 |
| Designated NHL | December 2, 1974 |
King Manor, also known as the Rufus King House, is a historic home in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. It stands at 150th Street and Jamaica Avenue. This two-story house is the main building in Rufus King Park. This public park covers about 11.5 acres. It keeps part of the old land owned by Rufus King. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the U.S.
The house was built around 1730. It was made bigger in 1755 and again in the early 1800s. Its design mixes styles like Federal, Georgian, and Greek Revival. King Manor is a special place called a National Historic Landmark. The house, its inside, and the park are all protected as New York City landmarks.
The Colgan and Smith families lived in the house in the late 1700s. Rufus King bought the house and land in 1805. He made it into a large 17-room mansion. He lived there until he passed away in 1827. His family stayed in the house until 1896. Then, Rufus's granddaughter Cornelia King died. In 1897, the house and remaining land were sold to the village of Jamaica. It became a public park. When Jamaica joined New York City in 1898, the New York City Parks Department took over.
The King Manor Association fixed up the mansion in 1900. It then opened as a meeting place for local groups. King Park changed several times in the 1900s. There were many ideas to tear down the mansion or use it for other things, but these never happened. The house was fixed after a big fire in 1964. Both the house and park were made new again in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Smaller updates to the house and park happened in the early 2000s.
King Manor today has several parts. They are arranged in an "L" shape. The front of the house is a little uneven. It has wooden shingles and a Dutch-style front porch. The roof is a special type called a gambrel roof. Most of the rooms look like they did when Rufus King updated the house in the early 1800s. The first floor has a fancy parlor, a library, and a dining room. Bedrooms are on the second and third floors.
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation owns and takes care of King Manor. The King Manor Association looks after the furniture inside. The house has items from the 1700s and 1800s. It has also hosted many events and exhibits over the years. People have talked about the museum's displays and the house's simple look.
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Exploring King Manor Park
King Manor is at 150-03 Jamaica Avenue in the Jamaica area of Queens, New York City. It is inside Rufus King Park. The park is on the north side of Jamaica Avenue. It sits between 150th and 153rd Streets.
Rufus King Park's Features
The house is the main part of Rufus King Park. The park covers a city block. It is bordered by Jamaica Avenue to the south, 150th Street to the west, 89th Avenue to the north, and 153rd Street to the east. The park is 11.5 acres big. It saves a piece of the land once owned by Rufus King. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
The park has many fun things to do. At the north end, there is a gazebo, a soccer field, and basketball courts. There is a play area on the east side of the park. This is near 153rd Street and 90th Avenue. The south end of Rufus King Park has the mansion and public restrooms. Also in the park, about 100 feet north of the mansion, is the grave of a 19th-century enslaved person named Duke.
Early History of the Land
Before Europeans came to Long Island in the 1600s, Native Americans lived there. But there is no sign they lived exactly where the house is now. The park site was between hills called Woody Heights to the north. A trail called Mechawanienck Trail was to the south. This trail later became Jamaica Avenue.
The first building recorded near King Manor was a quartering house. It showed up on a map in 1666. This building might have been used by the British military. A leathermaker named John Owlffield bought the land in 1664. His family, the Oldfields, later owned land that became part of King Manor.
There might have been other small buildings around King Manor. Their exact spots are not all known. Some could have been a cistern (for water), a well, or farm buildings. After the King family moved in, more buildings were added. By 1813, there were two buildings north of the house. There was also a stone building to the east. This might have been a dairy house or smokehouse. In the 1900s, this building was a milk house.
King Manor as a Home
The 1700s
No one knows for sure when the oldest part of the house was built. Some research says a small cottage was there by 1730. This cottage was likely moved and is now the house's original kitchen. Other sources say King Manor dates to 1750. The original part of the house was used as a farmhouse, an inn, and a church rectory in the 1700s.
Two pastors from Grace Episcopal Church lived on the land. Thomas Poyer lived there until 1732. Thomas Colgan bought Poyer's farm and lived there until 1755. Colgan might have built the western half of what became King Manor. He also likely made Poyer's original building bigger to the north. The Colgan house was said to have "eight rooms on a floor" in the mid-1700s. It had windows looking over Beaver Pond. This pond is now filled in.
The house then went to Colgan's son-in-law, Christopher Smith. There is a common story that George Washington slept in the house, but he never did. However, Washington did visit a nearby tavern. The Colgan and Smith families may have owned enslaved people on the estate. Christopher Smith died in 1805.
Rufus King's Time at the Manor
Rufus King was the next owner of the house. He was a Continental Congress delegate and a U.S. Senator. He also served as the United States Minister to the United Kingdom. King and his wife Mary moved to New York City in 1788. But by the early 1800s, he wanted to live in the countryside. He chose Jamaica on Long Island.
King bought Christopher Smith's house and 90 acres of land in 1805. He paid $12,000. The land stretched north to what is now the Grand Central Parkway. King moved into the house in early 1806. Soon after, he started making it into a mansion. He added a circular walkway in front of the house. He also planted fir and pine trees. He planted a row of linden trees behind the house.
King built the eastern part of the main house. The inside was redesigned in the Federal and Georgian styles. By 1810, the dining room was bigger, and a new kitchen was done. The first cottage was moved behind the main house. This created the "L" shape we see today.
Rufus King was an abolitionist. This means he was against slavery. He paid his workers, unlike many others in the area who used enslaved labor. In 1810, records show he had an enslaved woman named Margaret. He freed her two years later. Some stories say he bought her to free her from a friend's estate. Others say he wanted to reunite her with her free husband, Moses. King's servants likely worked in the kitchen area and in the fields. King served as a U.S. senator again from 1813 to 1825. He continued to own the house.
Later King Family Members
Rufus King died at the mansion on April 29, 1827. He was buried nearby. His oldest son, John Alsop King, inherited the manor. John later became a state legislator, a U.S. Representative, and then the governor of New York. The land was still a working farm in the mid-1800s. By 1842, several small buildings were around the main house. John King died at the mansion in 1867. His wife continued to live there.
The farm slowly became smaller in the late 1800s. Cornelia King, John King's youngest daughter, was the last King family member to live in King Manor. The land around it was sold off in the 1880s. By 1897, almost all the other buildings were gone. Cornelia lived at the estate until she died in 1896.
After Cornelia's death, her brother John A. King was offered a lot of money for the house. But he said no. The village was growing fast, but some old estates remained. King Manor's old gardens were still there. Some of the King family's items were given to the New-York Historical Society. Local newspapers wanted the King estate to be sold to the village of Jamaica. They wanted it to become a public park. One paper said the house was "famous and interesting from its historical associations."
King Manor as a Park and Museum
Becoming a Park
By 1897, people in Jamaica wanted to buy the rest of the King estate. John A. King offered the land to the village for $50,000. This was a lower price than its true value. Residents voted to buy the land on June 29, 1897. The village bought the land on July 9 and opened it to the public. They also hired a police officer to live in the house as a caretaker. The park was officially named Jamaica Park in October 1897. It was a town park for a short time. Saving the house was special for that time.
Jamaica became part of New York City in 1898. It joined the borough of Queens. The New York City Parks Department took over the house and land. The park was renamed King Park. In 1898, there were ideas to use the mansion as offices for city groups. These included a police station or offices for school officials. But by 1899, the house was empty except for a janitor. City officials planned to fix up the mansion and grounds. People were worried the house might be torn down.
A Clubhouse and Early 1900s
Local women, led by Mary E. Craigie, wanted to turn King's mansion into a clubhouse. This was for local groups by early 1900. The King Manor Association (KMA) was formed in February 1900. They started committees to manage the house. Groups like the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) planned to fix up the first-floor rooms. The KMA signed a lease for the house in June. They planned to make it a home for local clubs. They asked for "furniture, pictures, books, and what not" to fill the house. They also planned to open the house to the public one day a week.
The first social meeting in the house happened in October 1900. The renovated first floor had a green-and-white hallway. It also had a tan-and-white drawing room and a dark-red library. The dining room was the biggest room. It was used for meetings. Several clubs moved into the mansion. The KMA was officially formed in December 1900. It had over 200 members. A caretaker lived in the back of the house. Water and sewer pipes were put in starting in 1902. An old building was made into a restroom by 1903. The KMA also wanted to fix the house's inside, roof, and porches. This work was done by 1903.
New York City thought about building a library at King Manor in 1902. But local people were against it. The city also thought about adding a part to the house for the library. But these plans were voted down in 1903. The same year, the Daughters of the Revolution fixed the house's parlor. In 1904, the KMA agreed to take care of the house's inside. NYC Parks agreed to take care of the park. The house was open to the public on Mondays. It had 1,300 visitors in 1904 and 2,000 by 1906. Clubs met on the first and second floors. There was also a display of furniture and old items.
The 1910s and 1920s
In 1911, the Queens park commissioner wanted to make the house a main office for NYC Parks. But the KMA protested, and the office was moved. The KMA started fixing the house that same year. A fence was put around King Park. NYC Parks set aside money for a new bathroom in the park. The KMA started letting visitors into the house three days a week in late 1914. Also in 1914, money was given for a bandstand and restroom. The bandstand opened in June 1915. The restroom was also fixed up. More clubs used the house in the late 1910s.
Two cedar trees from former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt's home were planted in front of the house in 1919. In 1920, the Queens Borough Public Library wanted to move its Jamaica branch into King Manor. Many groups were against this idea. The library dropped its plan in 1921. When a children's shelter was suggested for the house in 1921, groups strongly objected. Artisans made three gavels from an old oak tree on the grounds. They gave them to historical societies.
Free concerts were held in King Park through the 1920s. They were very popular. One of King Manor's rooms was refurnished for the Jamaica Village Society in 1923 or 1924. This room showed old documents and items from 19th-century Jamaica. King Manor was one of the few old mansions left in Jamaica by the 1920s. NYC Parks tried to get bids for a new bathroom in the park starting in 1927. This process took a long time.
From the 1930s to the 1970s
A civic center was suggested for King Park in 1930. A local businessman wanted to build four government buildings around King Manor. The KMA strongly opposed this plan. NYC Parks started putting in electric lights, heating, and plumbing in the house in 1931. A new bathroom was finished in 1935. Officials quickly said no to building a courthouse in the park. At that time, the park had a cannon, flagpole, bandstand, and the new restroom. The Jamaica Women's Society decided to move into the house in 1936. New York City planted tulips at King Park in 1939.
The mansion was updated again in the early 1940s. This was part of a plan to restore historical sites. In 1943, the house had 1,000 visitors every month. When open, KMA members showed visitors around. The house stayed open three days a week in the 1950s and 1960s. A playground and basketball court were built east of King Manor in 1957. By the early 1960s, the house's roof was being fixed. Floodlights were put in the park.
A fire badly damaged the house in March 1964. It started on the first floor, likely from bad wiring. Two rooms were destroyed. There was smoke and water damage everywhere. Fixing the mansion was finished in 1966. Money came from many donations.
Teenagers set fire to the house's porch in 1973. But people passing by saw it quickly, so no major damage happened. The house was open on Thursdays in the late 1970s. The KMA had fixed up the inside even more by then. The park was popular with students from York College. In 1979, the King Manor Association started a fund for the mansion.
The 1980s and 1990s
Architects checked the house in 1980. They found it was mostly in good shape. But some parts of the outside were getting old. Women's groups asked the city to fix the house. The house and park also had problems with vandalism and crime. One person said "King Park, for all its beauty, has become Junk Park."
City officials asked for money to fix the house in 1983. The city gave $500,000 for design plans in 1984. They later added more money for the park. Designs for the renovation were done by the end of the year. The KMA also got money for new furniture and exhibits. Workers found old items in the house and park during a dig in 1985.
In March 1987, New York City started renovating King Manor. This project included new systems for heating, electricity, and security. It also involved repainting and fixing decorations. The mansion's rooms were repainted their original colors. The park also got a new bandstand and bathroom. The house was closed for tours. Homeless people sometimes broke into the house. The renovation of King Manor was one of several big projects in downtown Jamaica.
King Manor was one of the first members of the Historic House Trust in 1989. The city gave money for programs at the mansion. Roy Fox became the house's caretaker in 1989. He and his wife Mary moved into the third floor. They gave unofficial tours of the house. In 1990, work started on the park itself. Researchers also began studying the manor site. The work included moving the bandstand and adding new benches, paths, and fences. The museum got a grant for its programs in 1991.
City officials officially reopened the house on June 21, 1994. The King Manor Museum cost $2 million to fix. The park cost $4 million. Roy Fox often gave talks and performances. The number of visitors to King Manor grew a lot between 1995 and 1999. This was partly because of a campaign to attract local people. A new fence was built around the park in 1997.
From 2000s to Today
A $300,000 renovation was announced in May 2002. This project included new doors, windows, and repairs to the porch. It also involved repainting the outside and upgrading the air conditioning and fire detectors. The museum stayed open during the work. By 2004, researchers had found 4,000 old items in the park. In 2005, the house was added to the state's Underground Railroad Heritage Trail. This was because the Kings were against slavery.
King Manor and Park were updated again in a $1.7 million project finished in 2008. This included drainage updates, drinking fountains, a turf field, and a concert space in the park. It also added new trees and a driveway. Another $2.2 million renovation of King Park was announced in 2015. This involved updates to the gazebo, paths, and plants. NYC Parks announced new entrances for the park in 2017. They replaced the mansion's roof in 2018. A new space for temporary exhibits opened in December 2019.
The mansion closed for a short time in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. Roy Fox, the caretaker for 30 years, kept taking care of the property. The same year, the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation gave the museum a grant for an exhibition catalog. A Parks Enforcement Patrol office was finished in the park in 2021. The house's heating and cooling system was fixed that year.
However, King Manor officials said in 2023 that the house was not being taken care of. Its outside had not been repainted in 20 years. The dining room was partly closed because plaster was falling. Also, museum officials said that after the Wi-Fi stopped working in late 2020, NYC Parks did not fix it. This made event organizers avoid the house.
House Design
No one knows who designed King Manor. The house's design has parts of the Federal, Georgian, and Greek Revival styles. King Manor is made of several sections. They are generally arranged in an "L" shape. The main house is in the middle. The kitchen is in a part that sticks out north of the main house.
Outside Look
The western part of the main house was built when Colgan lived there in the mid-1700s. It is two stories high with a half-story attic. The eastern part was added during the Kings' renovation in the 1800s. The outside is mostly made of white wooden shingles. The two parts look similar, but the eastern part's features are wider. This makes the front a little uneven. Both parts have a gambrel roof with two chimneys.
The main entrance is through a portico to the south. It has columns that support it. Inside the portico is a Dutch door. There are small windows on each side of the door. A window is also above the door. The portico has a decorative border. A special window with three parts is right above the portico.
The back part of the house, which extends from Poyer's original house, might be the oldest part. It includes the Colgan and Smith families' kitchen. It also has another kitchen and a lean-to added by the Kings. This back part has one- and two-story sections. They have gable roofs and brick chimneys. The southern section of this back part has a porch with columns.
Inside the House
The inside rooms mostly look like they did when Rufus King fixed up the house in the early 1800s. King Manor had 17 rooms after King finished his work. By the 1990s, it had 29 rooms. The rooms had fancy marble fireplace decorations.
First Floor
The first floor generally has a balanced layout. A central hallway cuts through it. But the main entrance door is not exactly in the middle of the hallway. The main hallway is about 12 by 40 feet. The walls are made of plaster. They have a baseboard and a chair rail on the lower half. There are four doors leading off the hallway. Above the walls is a decorative border. A staircase to the second floor is at the back of the eastern wall. The stairs have a railing with square spindles and a handrail.
The western half of the first floor has a parlor and a library. Both rooms are 24 feet wide. The parlor is 16 feet deep, and the library is 22 feet deep. The parlor, in the southwest corner, has a gray-and-white marble fireplace. This was added in the late 1820s. The parlor also has a paneled door, plaster walls, and windows. In the back of the western wing is a library. It has three built-in bookcases that go from floor to ceiling. These came from England. They once held over 5,000 books. When King lived there, the library had many books, mostly about the Americas. The fireplace has white-and-blue Dutch tiles. The library walls are painted to look like wood panels.
The dining room is in the southeast corner of the first floor. It is 22 by 34 feet. It has a Federal-style fireplace and a curved wall at one end. The fireplace has columns that support a shelf. Above the fireplace is a decorative part. The room has gold walls, red window curtains, and a black-and-white floor covering. Behind the dining room and stairway are the kitchens. A serving pantry connects the kitchens and the dining room.
Second Floor
The second floor generally has a similar layout to the first floor. In 1898, an article said the second floor had four large rooms and three smaller ones. The main house's second floor has a sitting room, bedrooms, and a children's playroom. The staircase from the first floor leads to a wide central hall on the second floor. At the eastern end, steps lead down to the former children's playroom. This room was also used by servants. Next to the playroom, stairs connect to the attic.
To the southwest is a sitting room. It still has most of its 18th-century details. The sitting room has a marble fireplace frame. It also has a fancy fireplace mantel. This room was once used by a musical society. It has built-in closets next to the fireplace.
The bedroom in the northwest corner was Rufus King's. It has decorative baseboards and cornices on the walls. There is a fireplace on its south wall. It is surrounded by wooden panels. This room was once used as a meeting room by a musical society. Another bedroom in the northeast corner had small closets. It had many pieces of furniture in the early 1900s.
Other Floors
The third floor had smaller rooms than the floors below. An article from 1898 said the third floor had five rooms and a large attic. The third floor is where the caretaker's apartment is. It has two bedrooms under the gambrel roof. Some of the upper rooms were usually closed to the public in the 2000s. There is also a cellar under the whole house. The wooden parts in the cellar's ceiling were made by hand.
How King Manor Works Today
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation owns and takes care of King Manor. The King Manor Association looks after the furniture inside. The KMA was started in 1900 to care for the house and collect old items. The museum joined the Historic House Trust in 1989. It also joined Cultural Collaborative Jamaica in the 1990s. The house has been called King Mansion. Some people in 1909 said "Manor" was not the right name.
Collections and Displays
Until the museum closed for renovation in 1987, it mostly showed furniture and items from the 1700s and 1800s. When the house opened in 1900, it had a piano, a mahogany bed, an old desk, and a rare painting of the Washington family. The kitchen had a stove and big brick ovens. The second-floor hall showed a spinning wheel. The KMA asked people to lend or give old items. Over the years, they got artwork, furniture, and other items. They also received items that belonged to the Kings, like a letter and silverware.
After the renovations in the 1980s and 1990s, copies of original furnishings were put in. This included the carpet in the parlor and the 5,000 books in the library. The house also has original items. These include an 18th-century piano from England. There is also an old leather sofa that belonged to Rufus King. The library has a plaster statue of Rufus King.
Programs and Events
The house was used for club meetings and events starting in October 1900. These events happened only during the day until 1909. Events in the early 1900s included celebrations, fundraisers, and plays. By the mid-1900s, the house also hosted gift-wrapping lessons and art contests. Tours of historical sites in Queens sometimes stopped at the house.
In the late 1900s, the house held events like King's birthday celebrations. It also had Historic House Festivals and fall festivals. By the end of the century, the house and park often hosted cultural events. In the 2000s, the mansion's events included citizenship ceremonies, poetry readings, and holiday concerts.
The museum gave tours in both English and Spanish by the late 1900s. In 2001, the King Manor Museum started an archaeology program with local schools. As of 2023, the museum's programs teach about the Revolutionary War and King's work against slavery. Guided tours are offered from February to December.
Exhibitions
In King Manor's early years as a museum, one room on the second floor showed furniture and old items. The house hosted exhibits of antiques, samplers, metals, and textiles. By the mid-1900s, exhibits showed family heirlooms and the house's history. One news article in 1957 called the house a "treasure-trove of 18th century lore." It had furniture, books, and pictures from the 1700s.
After the 1990s renovation, the museum put up signs in two languages. It also hosted events in English and Spanish to attract visitors. The parlor showed a video about King Manor's history. People could explore many rooms, which were not roped off like in other museums. In the 2000s, the King Manor Museum continues to show exhibits about the King family. Since 2019, the second floor has been used for temporary multimedia exhibits. Some of these exhibits are also put online after they are shown.
What People Think of King Manor
In the late 1800s, when the Kings still owned the mansion, one newspaper wrote about the house's old architecture and "charming" furniture. Another paper said the house had "few traces of the many winters it has weathered." It praised its strong construction. In 1903, the New York Times said the house was as interesting as the Van Cortlandt House. But the Times noted that Van Cortlandt House had more old items. In 1907, a newspaper said King Manor was "one of the show places of Jamaica."
Later, people still liked the house. In 1997, one writer called the house "a rewarding destination for families curious about Long Island's prestigious past." Another writer said in 1998 that the house was "user-friendly" with a "high-spirited staff." Mimi Sheraton of the Times said in 2001 that King Manor was "the most rewarding historic site I visited in Queens." She said the decorations hinted at the King family's life. However, in 2009, the Daily News said the house was "far down the list of the city's favorite tourist sites." This was because King's roles as a senator and diplomat were not well known.
King Manor has also appeared in media. Dorothy and Richard Platt included pictures of the mansion in a 1950s guidebook. The house was shown in a mural at the New York City Subway's 111th Street station in 1977. It was also in a TV series in 1996.
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) decided to make King Manor a city landmark in 1966. The outside of the building and the park grounds were protected. The house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1974. The LPC also protected parts of the first- and second-floor interiors in 1976. The Queens Chamber of Commerce gave the mansion an award in the 1980s.
Images for kids
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Rufus King home
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The intersection of 150th Street and Jamaica Avenue as seen from Rufus King Park
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Jamaica Avenue entrance to the park and house
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Interior of the house's study
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Library room in King Manor
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Western entrance to the park
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King Manor as seen from behind King Park's fence
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Parlor room in King Manor
See also
