King Manor

King Manor, also known as the Rufus King House, is a historic house at 150th Street and Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. The two-story house is the main structure in Rufus King Park, an 11.5-acre (4.7 ha) public park that preserves part of the former estate of Rufus King, a U.S. Founding Father. Built c. 1730 and expanded in 1755 and the 1800s, the house is designed with elements of the Federal, Georgian, and Greek Revival styles. The house is designated as a National Historic Landmark, and the house, its interior spaces, and the park are all New York City designated landmarks.

The house was occupied by the Colgan and Smith families in the late 18th century. King acquired the house and surrounding land in 1805 and expanded it into a 17-room mansion, which he occupied until his death in 1827. King's family lived in the house until 1896 when Rufus's granddaughter Cornelia King died. The house and the remnants of King's land were sold in 1897 to the then-independent village of Jamaica and converted into a public park; when Jamaica became part of New York City the next year, the New York City Parks Department (NYC Parks) took over the property. The King Manor Association renovated the mansion in 1900 and reopened it as a clubhouse for various local civic groups. King Park underwent several alterations in the early and mid-20th century, and there were numerous unexecuted plans to demolish the mansion or convert it to other uses. The house itself was renovated after a major fire in 1964, and the house and park were again restored in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Additional, smaller renovations of the house and park took place in the early 21st century.

What is now King Manor is composed of several sections, arranged roughly in an "L" shape. The facade is slightly asymmetrical, with frame shingles and a Dutch portico, and is topped by a gambrel roof. The rooms largely date to when Rufus King renovated and expanded the house in the early 19th century. The first floor includes an ornate parlor, library, and dining room, while the second and third floors include bedrooms. King Manor is owned and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and its interior furnishings are supervised by the King Manor Association. The house's collection includes objects from the 18th and 19th centuries, and it has hosted various programs, events, and exhibits over the years. There has been commentary about both the museum's exhibits and the house's plain architecture.

King Manor is located at 150-03 Jamaica Avenue (originally Fulton Street), within Rufus King Park, in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in New York City. It is on the north side of the avenue between 150th and 153rd Streets.

The house is the main attraction of Rufus King Park, which occupies a city block bounded by Jamaica Avenue to the south, 150th Street to the west, 89th Avenue to the north, and 153rd Street to the east. The park covers 11.5 acres (4.7 ha) and preserves a portion of the former estate of Rufus King, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. It has been cited as measuring 552 by 892 feet (168 by 272 m) across. The park has numerous recreational facilities. At the north end of the park is a gazebo, a soccer field, and basketball courts. There is a play area on the eastern end of the park near 153rd Street and 90th Avenue. The south end of Rufus King Park includes the mansion itself and public restrooms. Also within the park, about 100 feet (30 m) north of the mansion, is the gravesite of a 19th-century slave known as Duke.

Prior to the European colonization of Long Island in the 17th century, the island was occupied by Native Americans, though there exists no evidence of Native American settlement on the house's site. The current park site was located between a group of hills named the Woody Heights to the north and Mechawanienck Trail (which later became Jamaica Avenue) to the south. The first documented structure on or near King Manor's site was a quartering house, which appeared in a 1666 map. According to researcher Jo Ann Cotz, the presence of a chimney and large foundation indicate that this structure may have been used by the British military, but researcher Joel Grossman writes that the nearby huts used by British soldiers were different in design from the quartering house. A leathermaker named John Owlffield bought the land in 1664; the grounds may contain remnants of trenches that he used to soak animal hides. Though it is unknown whether Owlffield's holdings included the King Manor site itself, his descendants, the Oldfield family, did own property that became part of King Manor.

There may have been several outbuildings associated with King Manor, although the locations of the outbuildings are not all known. A structure east of the main house, dating from the early 19th century, may have been used as a bathroom. Nothing is known about older outbuildings from as early as the 17th century. Among the buildings that might have existed were a cistern; a well; an outhouse building or privy vault; and structures related to farming. After the King family moved to the site in the 19th century, several structures are known to have been built near the house. By 1813, these included a pair of parallel 50-by-75-foot (15 by 23 m) buildings north of the house, as well as a third structure that was built near Grove Street (now a walkway at 90th Avenue). In addition, there was a stone edifice known as building K to the east of the manor's rear wing, which may have been used as a barracks, dairy house, or smokehouse. In the 1900s, building K was a milk house, connected to the main house with latticework.

It is not known when the oldest section of the house was built. According to research by Robert W. Venables in 1989, there was already a small cottage on the grounds by 1730. The cottage's original location has also not been determined, but that residence was likely moved at some point and is preserved as the current house's original kitchen. Other sources date King Manor to 1750, although the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) cites the western half of the house as having been built at that time. In any case, the original section of the house served as a farmhouse, inn, and rectory in the 18th century. One writer, Richard Panchyk, credits Ames Smith as having built the house.