Store Front Museum facts for kids
The Store Front Museum was a special place in Queens, New York. It was a community museum that served as a cultural center. This museum was important for the Black community in Queens.
Artist Tom Lloyd started the museum in 1971. It was first located on Liberty Avenue. The building used to be a tire shop! Tom Lloyd was a well-known artist. He wanted to create a place to share and celebrate African-American culture. He called it the "Store Front Museum" because it felt like part of the community. Over the years, the museum hosted many things. These included art shows, concerts, plays, karate classes, dance lessons, and festivals. Many of the items in the museum were given as gifts.
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Exciting Events and Collections
The museum's first big art show was in 1972. It was called Paintings and Drawings by Richard Mayhew. This show was a team effort with The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It helped the museum become more widely known.
The museum also gathered its own collection. This included artworks, books, photos, and important papers. One very popular show was in 1985. It was called “Early Photographs and Documents of African-Americans in Queens County, New York.” This exhibit showed the lives of enslaved people and freed people from 1683 to 1941. This project came from a big research effort. It was led by Tom Lloyd and Professor James Rose. They hoped to publish a book about it.
The museum's permanent collection grew over time. It included art, books, and historical items. One unique item was a fishing canoe from Ghana. It was given to the museum by the Mystic Seaport Museum. In 1993, the Store Front Museum gave this canoe to the Smithsonian Institution. The collection also featured art by Romare Bearden. Plus, there was the Daisy Jones Collection of Black Literature.
The Paul Robeson Theatre
In 1972, the museum opened the Paul Robeson Theatre. This theater had 300 seats! It hosted many plays and performances. Famous people taught classes there. Playwright Ed Bullins and actor Roscoe Orman taught workshops. They were both from the New Lafayette Theater in Harlem. Drumming classes were taught by Milford Graves. He was a famous "free" drummer who lived nearby.
African Festival
Another important event was the African Festival. It started in 1971 and lasted two days. The festival took place in the museum's outdoor space. It featured live performances and displays of African arts and crafts. Many New York City groups took part. The goal was to share different African cultures. Thousands of people came to this festival every year.
Community Programs
The museum also held special programs and meetings. These events helped the community learn and grow. They included workshops on Black history and seminars on housing, education, and health. There was also a blood drive for Sickle Cell Anemia. Local business groups also met there. The museum worked hard to help the communities in Queens.
Why the Museum Closed
In January 1985, the museum received bad news. It got an eviction notice. This meant they had to leave their building. The city needed the space for York College to expand. For about a year and a half, Tom Lloyd tried to find a new home for the museum.
On September 2, 1986, the museum moved to a temporary spot. It had been open for fifteen years! Tom Lloyd found another good building. He was trying to get a long-term lease from the city. But in 1988, the city said no. They decided to sell the property instead.
After this long struggle, the museum could not get the property. In 1988, the Store Front Museum closed for good.
Saving the Latimer House
Even though the museum closed, Tom Lloyd kept working for the community. In 1988, he teamed up with Rev. Dr. Timothy P. Mitchell. They worked to save the Lewis Howard Latimer house. This historic house was at 137-53 Holly Avenue in Flushing, New York. Tom Lloyd learned the house was in danger of being torn down.
He and Rev. Mitchell quickly formed a group. It was called The Committee to Save Latimer House. They got support from many important people. This included Claire Shulman, who was the Borough President of Queens. They asked the Landmarks Preservation Commission to make the house a landmark. This would protect it.
On June 30, 1988, the committee signed a contract to move the house. Sadly, in July, the Landmarks Preservation Commission did not approve landmark status. But the committee did not give up! They received large donations to help pay for the move. These came from the General Electric Foundation, the land developer, and the city.
On December 13, 1988, the house was moved to Leavitt’s Athletic Field. In 1989, they formed the Lewis H. Latimer Fund, Inc. This group would continue to protect the house. In 1995, after many years of effort, the Landmarks Preservation Commission finally made the house a New York City Landmark! That same year, Tom Lloyd gave his papers about these efforts to Queens Library Archives.
Images for kids
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The Store Front Museum building.
- Black History, Culture Highlight of Store Museum. Jeff Forgoston, Long Island Press, June 12, 1971
- Blacks’ contributions to boro on show. Claire Serant, New York Daily News, October 6, 1985
- Book on Queens blacks. New York Daily News, April 12, 1984
