Kingsland Homestead is an 18th-century house located inFlushing,Queens,New York City. It is the home of the remains ofThe Weeping Beech, a landmark weepingbeech tree, believed to have been planted in 1847. The homestead is also close to the 17th-centuryBowne House, the location of the firstQuaker meeting place inNew Amsterdam. The homestead is operated by theQueens Historical Society, whose quarters are inside; the homestead is open to the public as amuseum. The Kingsland Homestead is a member of theHistoric House Trust, and is both aNew York City designated landmark and aNational Register of Historic Places listing.

Kingsland Homestead
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New York City Landmark No. 0005
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Location	37th Ave. and Parsons Blvd.,New York, New York
Coordinates	40°45′49″N73°49′27″W / 40.76361°N 73.82417°W /40.76361; -73.82417
Area	less than one acre
Built	1774
Architectural style	Colonial
Website	queenshistoricalsociety.org/visit/kingsland-homestead/
NRHP reference No.	72000905[1]
NYCL No.	0005
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 31, 1972
Designated NYCL	October 14, 1965[2]

Kingsland was built by Charles Doughty in approximately 1785 and the name "Kingsland" is believed to derive from Doughty's son-in-law,Britishsea captain Joseph King, who bought the home in 1801.^[3] Due to encroaching development from the proposed extension of theNew York City Subway'sFlushing Line in 1923, it was moved to the site of astable, also built by King. The house was threatened again in 1965, by the construction of the Murray Hill Shopping Center, but the community was able to save the house and in that same year it was one of the first buildings in the city to be declared a landmark by theLandmarks Preservation Commission.^[4][5][2]

When further construction threatened the house in 1968, the then three-year-old Kingsland Preservation Committee (now the Queens Historical Society) arranged for the transfer of the house to its present location.^[3][5] After significant delays, the Homestead was officially dedicated as a museum in March 1973.^[6] In October 1996 a $330,000renovation that completely restored the house and included the addition of track lighting and a sprinkler system to protect the house was completed.^[5] Further structural work was required in 1999.^[7]

The Homestead has been interpreted to theVictorian era,^[8] although it has included a wide range of exhibits since its dedication as a museum. AWorld War II exhibit focused on events in Queens during the war, including newspaper clippings and advertisements.^[5] There was also an exhibit onslavery and its impact in Queens and onLong Island.^[9]

Within the main park that houses the Homestead is the 2-acre (8,100 m²) Weeping Beech Park,^[10] once dominated by a 60-foot (18 m)weeping beech tree. Thebeech tree, designated as a city landmark in 1966,^[11] was one of only two living landmarks in New York City.^[12] It is believed to have originated inBelgium, transported to the U.S. by horticulturalistSamuel Parsons, and is also believed to be the source of all weeping beeches in the United States.^[3][12]

The tree survived for 151 years before succumbing in 1997.^[11] Afuneral was held for the tree in December 1998.^[12] The remains of the tree were given to artists to use for sculptures and benches along a heritage trail in downtown Flushing,^[13] save for a ten-foot section that would remain in the park as a memorial,^[12] Seven directdescendants remain in the park, shadowing the Homestead.^[14]

• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Queens

• Official website
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. NY-6296, "Kingsland, Weeping Beach Park, 143-35 Thirty Seventh Avenue, Flushing, Queens County, NY", 5 measured drawings