Driving-Tour of Queens Museums Selected by Public History Students of St. John's University - Clio

Entries on This Tour

1. King Manor Museum

The King Manor Museum is a National Historical landmark that is a picturesque yet typical Georgian eighteenth-century home on an 11-acre square block with spacious walkways surrounding it. The property was once owned by Rufus King, an American founding father, abolitionist, and ambassador to Great Britain. Guided tours are scheduled regularly in addition to specific activities tailored towards adults and children.

2. Queens Museum

The Queens Museum was established in 1972 and is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in a building constructed for the 1939 World’s Fair. This same building hosted the United Nations General Assembly at its inception in 1946 and served this capacity until 1950. The museum's permanent collection consists of around 10,000 items, over 6000 of which are documents and objects related to the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. The most popular part of the museum is the "Panorama of the City of New York", which was built between 1961 and 1964 and was one of the highlights of the 1964 World’s Fair. A celebration of the City’s municipal infrastructure, this 9,335-square-foot architectural model includes every single building constructed in all five boroughs (895,000 individual structures). The museum is also famous for the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany glass. A major 2013 restoration project helped expand Queens Museum's available space and offerings.

3. John Bowne House

The John Bowne House in Queens, New York, is a historic home which is now the location of The Bowne Historical Society. It is one of the best examples of an Anglo-Dutch vernacular residence in the country. The house features 5,000 objects, documents, correspondences, and records of the Bowne family, who arrived in Boston from the Netherlands in 1649. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It is also a New York City Landmark.

4. Lewis Latimer House Museum

The Lewis H. Latimer House is a Queen Anne-style, wood-frame suburban residence constructed between 1887 and 1889 by the Sexton family. Lewis Howard Latimer lived in the house from 1903 until his death in 1928. Lewis Howard Latimer was an African-American inventor, electrical pioneer, and a son of fugitive slaves. Latimer taught himself mechanical drawing while in the Union Navy, and eventually became a chief draftsman, patent expert, and inventor. Latimer played a critical role in the development of the telephone, and invented the carbon filament, a significant improvement in the production of the incandescent light bulb. Outside his professional career, Latimer developed a passion for visual art, creative writing, and music. Some products of his artistic endeavors can be viewed at the Lewis Latimer House Museum. The house remained in the Latimer family until 1963. Threatened with demolition, the house was moved from Holly Avenue to its present location in 1988. The Lewis H. Latimer House is owned by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, operated by the Lewis H. Latimer Fund, Inc., and is a member of the Historic House Trust.

5. Louis Armstrong House and Museum

Though he was born in New Orleans and is often associated with the Big Easy, Louis Armstrong lived for a number of years in Queens. He lived in a modest home in Corona that his wife Lucille purchased with her earnings she’d saved while working at the Cotton Club. The couple moved into the home in 1943 and Armstrong still lived there at the time of his death in 1971. The interior of the house is still decorated in the bright colors that Lucille favored, and while there are touches of luxury here and there, the home is remarkably middle-class considering Armstrong’s worldwide acclaim and success. It was designated a New York City Landmark in 1988 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

6. Kaufman Astoria Studios

Kaufman Astoria Studios was opened in 1920 as the production facilities of Paramount Pictures on the East Coast. It was opened by Adolph Zukor, the film director who started Paramount Studios. The Army Pictorial Center took over the facilities at the beginning of World War II, and they used it to produce training videos, along with other military-related footage. After the Army Pictorial Studios left, the building was taken over by the Federal Government who kept control until giving the title to the City of New York in 1982. In 1982, George Kaufman, a real estate developer, was put in charge of renovating and expanding the complex. The project was completed by Kaufman, and today, the studio is used for producing both small and big-budget projects. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

7. Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI)

The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) is the only museum dedicated to the art, history, technique, and technology of the moving image in the world. By embracing the moving in all its forms, and by providing this knowledge to the public, the museum is able to provide a deeper appreciation and understanding of the moving image. MoMI is a one-of-a-kind destination for audiences of all ages and interests, from connoisseurs of classic cinema to children and families to avid gamers. At the Museum, visitors will find exhibitions, screenings, educational camps, and other group programs. Permanent exhibitions include "Behind the Screen," which showcases the creative process involved in creating moving images, and a gallery devoted to the life and work of Jim Henson. MoMI's offerings are enhanced by its location in the historic Paramount Studios Complex.

8. Noguchi Museum

Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi established this museum of art and culture in 1985. The museum is in a former industrial building which has been converted to include open-air sculpture gardens and galleries that provide a reflective space to experience Noguchi's body of artistic work. The museum also includes an archive of over 17,000 photographs and documents related to Noguchi's career and life. Visitors will find a variety of programs at the museum, ranging from tours to educational activities for schools and families. The New York Council on the Arts has recognized the Noguchi Museum as having exceptional educational and community outreach programming.

MoMA PS1 is one of the oldest and largest nonprofit contemporary art institutions in America. The institution was founded in 1971 by Alanna Heiss as part of the Institute for Art and Urban Resources. The Institute was devoted to organizing exhibitions in underutilized and abandoned spaces across New York City. MoMA PS1 was built inside an abandoned public school that had become a warehouse owned by the City of New York. The Romanesque Revival Building was built in 1885 as the first school in Long Island City, and closed in 1963 due to low enrollment. Heiss and the Institute strove to establish a place in New York for site specific art, and opened the first exhibit, Rooms in 1971. MoMA PS1 does not have a permanent collection, rather it began through the transformation of the existing school rooms into long term site specific installations. In the subsequent years, it served as a studio, performance, and exhibition space. In 1997, the Institute became the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center following a three-year renovation that increased the exhibition space of the museum, including a large outdoor gallery. In 2000, P.S. 1 became an affiliate of MoMA and in 2010 was renamed MoMA PS1 to solidify the merger. The Institution continues to specialize in site specific exhibits, and a commitment to experimental art.

This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.

Driving-Tour of Queens Museums Selected by Public History Students of St. John's University

Created by Ryan McDonnell on September 14th 2020, 7:10:44 pm.

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Description

People all over the world come to NYC to visit its museums and cultural sites. Most understandably devote their time to the institutions in Manhattan, overlooking the outer boroughs. Students in U.S. History Museums and Historic Sites, a core course in the St. John’s University Public History curriculum, studied the origins and current mission of museums in Queens. The students were instructed to select a favorite site and compile helpful information for prospective visitors. While many of the entries in this tour were created by other users on TheClio.com, the Lewis Latimer House Museum and MoMA PS1 were created based on information submitted by the students in the course during the Spring 2020 semester. Each semester the course is held, more sites will be incorporated into the tour. We encourage users to leave any comments or feedback that might be helpful in creating an ideal site tour of Queens. The tour currently features two house museums related to African American history, the Queens Museum which includes art and history of the World's Fairs of 1939 (including the Panorama) and 1964-65, art museums with a wide range of collections, and other fascinating cultural institutions which make Queens a must visit. We hope you enjoy this tour of several wonderful institutions found in the borough of Queens.

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