Lewis H. Latimer House facts for kids
The Lewis H. Latimer House is a special historic home in Flushing, Queens, New York City. It was built between 1887 and 1889 in the beautiful Queen Anne style. This house was once the home of Lewis Howard Latimer, a brilliant African-American inventor. He lived here from 1903 until 1928.
Today, the Latimer House is a museum. It teaches visitors about Lewis Latimer's amazing inventions and his life. The museum also shares the stories of other important Black scientists. The Latimer family owned the house until 1963. Now, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation owns it. The Lewis H. Latimer Fund, Inc. helps run the museum.
History of the Latimer House
Lewis Latimer's Home Life
Lewis Latimer bought this house in 1902. It was in a neighborhood in Flushing, Queens, where most people were white. Latimer believed in people of all backgrounds working together. He helped start a local chapter of the Unitarian Church in the community.
Latimer was an inventor, and he even had drawings in his home from before 1885. On these drawings, he proudly wrote his name as "inventor." The house itself was a two-and-a-half-story wooden home. It was quite old when Latimer bought it.
Latimer made some changes to the house while he lived there. He added a small studio on the southeast side. In 1912, he made the attic bigger by adding dormers, which are windows that stick out from the roof. After Latimer passed away, the front porch was enclosed. When the house was later moved, his studio was not kept because people didn't know it was his.
In February 1986, a city councilman named Morton Povman honored Latimer's granddaughter, Winifred Norman. He said that Lewis Latimer had achieved so much in many different areas. Artist Tom Lloyd also pointed out that very few homes connected to Black people were recognized as landmarks in New York City.
Saving the Latimer House
The Latimer House was originally on Holly Avenue. In 1988, it was in danger of being torn down. A group of people formed the Committee to Save the Latimer House. They worked hard to protect this important historic building. Latimer's grandchildren, Gerald Latimer Norman and Winifred Latimer Norman, were part of this group.
Tom Lloyd and Rev. Mitchell quickly started the Committee to Save Latimer House. They became co-chairmen. This happened after a librarian, William Asadorian, reported that the house was going to be destroyed. The General Electric Foundation helped a lot. They gave $25,000 of the $36,000 needed to move the house.
The house was moved to Leavitt Field, which is a city-owned area. This location was chosen because it was across the street from Latimer Gardens. These gardens were also named after Lewis H. Latimer.
The Lewis H. Latimer Fund, Inc. became a non-profit organization in 1990. They have been working to make the house look like it did between 1912 and 1928. This included removing the enclosed front porch and rebuilding Latimer's studio. They also restored the original layout of the rooms inside. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission officially named the house a landmark in 1995. The house received a grant of $750,000 for improvements in 2022. A big renovation was finished in June 2024, making the museum even better for visitors.
See also
In Spanish: Casa Lewis H. Latimer para niños
