King Manor, King Park
150th Street & Jamaica Avenue
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.
King was born in 1755, the eldest son of a prosperous merchant rom Maine. Graduating from Harvard in 1777, he studied law before serving in the American Revolution.
After the war, King embarked on a brilliant career in public service, becoming a member of the Continental Congress, a framer and signer of the Constitution, one of the first two ambassadors to Great Britain, under presidents Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. King made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency, the last Federalist to run, losing to James Monroe in 1816. His eldest son, John Also King, also had a career in public life, serving as a congressman and Governor of New York.
King lived in the manor with his wife, Mary, and five children, keeping the estate as a working farm. After his 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 remained with Rufus King's heir until 1896, when it was purchased by the Village of Jamaica. Two years later it was transferred to the City.
Following major restoration, reinterpretation and museum installation, King Manor Museum repopened to the public in 1994. New interactive exhibits tell the story of Jamaica Village and its people in the early 1800s. Historically accurate period room settings provide gracious spaces for public programs and community events.