Voelker Orth Museum

Last updated

Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary, and Victorian Garden
Voelker Orth 01.JPG
Voelker Orth house from 38th Avenue
USA New York City location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within New York City
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Voelker Orth Museum (New York)
Location Queens, New York, United States
Nearest city New York City
Coordinates 40°45′53″N73°48′58″W / 40.764618°N 73.816114°W / 40.764618; -73.816114 Coordinates: 40°45′53″N73°48′58″W / 40.764618°N 73.816114°W / 40.764618; -73.816114
Width74 km (46 mi)
Establishedc.1891
Website www.vomuseum.org

The Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden is a museum located in Murray Hill, Queens, New York City. In addition to preserving a German immigrant family's 1890s home and garden, the Voelker Orth Museum engages audiences through the arts, education, nature, horticulture and local history by offering house tours, temporary exhibitions, concerts, lectures and workshops, cultural festivals, and family and school programs. Its mission is to "preserve and interpret the cultural and horticultural heritage of Flushing, Queens and adjacent communities to engage their ever-changing populations, through the experience of an immigrant family’s 1890s home." [1] The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. [2]

Contents

Description

The museum occupies a two-story house that was constructed in 1891 by a local businessman, James Bouton. It was built as an investment two years after the Long Island Rail Road opened the Murray Hill railway station nearby. The house was then purchased in 1899 by a German immigrant named Conrad Voelcker, who moved in with his wife Elizabeth and infant daughter Theresa. After Voelcker's death in 1930, the house became the home of his daughter, Theresa Voelker (later generations spelled the name without the 'c') and her husband, Dr. Rudolph Orth. [3] Their daughter, Elisabetha Orth, who lived in the house most of her life, established the organization which now runs the museum in her will. [4] When the Museum was incorporated, extensive restoration of the property was undertaken prior to opening in 2003. Photographs of the house from the early 1900s provided a reference for Graf & Lewent, the restoration architects. [5] Period rooms incorporated the Orth family furnishings from the 1930s. The property was designated a New York City Landmark in 2007. [6]

Victorian garden

A distinguishing feature of the museum is the Victorian garden, which is maintained using eighteenth century propagation methods and gardening techniques, such as hand pruning and the use of natural fertilizers and pesticides. Serving as a bird sanctuary, the garden's many varieties of berry bushes and trees attract wild birds, most commonly sparrows, mockingbirds, and robins, cardinals, and blue jays. The museum also operates a bee hive, from which honey is harvested to use in educational programs and sell in their gift shop. [7] In 2005, the Voelker Orth Museum Garden won the Long Island Nurserymen's and Landscapers Association's 2005 Gold Award. [8]

Family history

Conrad Voelcker was born in Edenkoben, Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1881, when he was nineteen years old. [9] :37 He established a printing business and German language newspaper, Der Pfälzer in Amerika, in 1884. [9] :52 After living in Manhattan, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, Conrad eventually moved to the Murray Hill area of Flushing, Queens, where he purchased a house. A few years prior, Conrad had married Elizabeth Maibach. Their first and only daughter, Theresa, was about a year old at the time of the move. [10] :5 In moving to Flushing, Conrad Voelcker was bringing his family to what was then an attractive suburb of Manhattan with a relatively short commute to work. [3] Voelcker continued selling his newspaper Der Pfalzer in Amerika until around the time the United States entered World War I in 1917, probably due to Anti-German sentiment. [3] :6 Voelcker retired from the printing business in 1925, and his nephew Carl S. Voelcker became the president and treasurer of the company. [9] :106–108

Conrad's daughter Theresa married Dr. Rudolph Orth, a graduate of Cornell University Medical School and World War I veteran. Their first daughter, Elisabetha “Betty” Orth, was born in 1926. In 1935 they adopted a nine-year-old girl, whom they renamed Barbara. [3] :6 Elisabetha Orth graduated from New York University in 1948, majoring in English Literature. She then attended the University of Texas, where she received a master's degree in Theater. Elisabetha lived with her mother in the family home for many years after her father's death in 1948. Barbara married Thomas Lipera and moved to Long Island; she now lives in Florida. Theresa Orth died in 1992, and Elisabetha died three years later in 1995 of injuries resulting from an automobile accident. In her will, Elisabetha Orth bequeathed the establishment of the Voelker Orth Museum as an educational resource. [3] :7

Related Research Articles

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park Large public park in Queens, New York

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, often referred to as Flushing Meadows Park, or simply Flushing Meadows, is a public park in the northern part of Queens, New York City. It is bounded by I-678 on the east, Grand Central Parkway on the west, Flushing Bay on the north, and Union Turnpike on the south. Flushing Meadows–Corona Park is the fourth-largest public park in New York City, with a total area of 897 acres (363 ha).

Unisphere Steel sculpture in Queens, New York

The Unisphere is a spherical stainless steel representation of the Earth in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the New York City borough of Queens. The sphere, which measures 140 feet (43 m) high and 120 feet (37 m) in diameter, was designed by Gilmore D. Clarke as part of his plan for the 1964 New York World's Fair.

Flushing, Queens Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing, a major commercial and retail area centered around the intersection of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue, is the third-busiest intersection in New York City, behind Times Square and Herald Square.

Flushing Remonstrance Demand for religious liberty made to Peter Stuyvesant in 1657

The Flushing Remonstrance was a 1657 petition to Director-General of New Netherland Peter Stuyvesant, in which some thirty residents of the small settlement at Flushing requested an exemption to his ban on Quaker worship. It is considered a precursor to the United States Constitution's provision on freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights. According to Kenneth T. Jackson, the Flushing Remonstrance was remarkable for four reasons:

John Bowne House United States historic place

The John Bowne House is a house in Flushing, Queens, New York City, that is known for its role in establishing religious tolerance in the United States.

Queens Botanical Garden Botanical garden in New York City

Queens Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 43-50 Main Street in Flushing, Queens, New York City. The 39-acre (16 ha) site features rose, bee, herb, wedding, and perennial gardens; an arboretum; an art gallery; and a LEED-certified Visitor & Administration Building. Queens Botanical Garden is located on property owned by the City of New York, and is funded from several public and private sources. It is operated by Queens Botanical Garden Society, Inc.

Kew Gardens Hills, Queens Neighborhood in Queens, New York City

Kew Gardens Hills is a middle-class neighborhood in the middle of the New York City borough of Queens. The borders are Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to the west, the Long Island Expressway to the north, Union Turnpike to the south, and Parsons Boulevard to the east.

College Point, Queens Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

College Point is a working-middle-class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is bounded to the south by Whitestone Expressway and Flushing; to the east by 138th Street and Malba/Whitestone; to the north by the East River; and to the west by Flushing Bay. College Point is a mostly residential ethnically diverse community with some industrial areas. The neighborhood is served by several parks and contains two yacht clubs.

New Yorks 6th congressional district U.S. House District in Queens, NY

New York's 6th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City, located entirely within Queens. It is represented by Democrat Grace Meng.

Louis Armstrong House United States historic place

The Louis Armstrong House, formally known as 34-56 107th Street, is a historic house museum in Corona, Queens, New York City. It was the home of Louis Armstrong and his wife Lucille Wilson from 1943 until his death in 1971. Lucille gave ownership of it to the city of New York in order to create a museum focused on her husband.

Old Quaker Meeting House (Queens) United States historic place

The Old Quaker Meeting House is a historic Quaker house of worship located at 137-16 Northern Boulevard, in Flushing, Queens, New York. The site, built in 1694, is the oldest house of worship in New York City, one of the three oldest continuously active sites of religious activity in North America, and the second oldest Quaker meeting house in the nation. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1967 and a New York City designated landmark in 1970. Today, it still serves as a Quaker Meeting, with meetings for worship taking place every Sunday.

Lewis H. Latimer House technology museum

The Lewis H. Latimer House, also called the Latimer House or the Lewis Latimer House, is a historic house located at 34-41 137th Street in Flushing, Queens, New York City. It was constructed in the Queen Anne style of architecture between 1887 and 1889 by the Sexton family. It served as the home of the African-American inventor Lewis Howard Latimer from 1903 to 1928, and is now operated as a museum dedicated to the inventor's work. In addition, this museum-house also illuminated the life and achievements of other black scientists. The house remained property of the Latimer family until 1963. Currently, the Lewis H. Latimer House is owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, operated by the Lewis H. Latimer Fund, Inc., and is a member of the Historic House Trust.

Kingsland Homestead United States historic place

Kingsland Homestead is an 18th-century house located in Flushing, Queens, New York City. It is the home of the remains of The Weeping Beech, a landmark weeping beech tree, believed to have been planted in 1847. The homestead is also close to the 17th-century Bowne House, the location of the first Quaker meeting place in New Amsterdam. The homestead is operated by the Queens Historical Society, whose quarters are inside; the homestead is open to the public as a museum. The Kingsland Homestead is a member of the Historic House Trust, and is both a New York City designated landmark and a National Register of Historic Places listing.

Grace Meng American politician representing New Yorks 6th district

Grace Meng is an American lawyer and politician serving as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing New York's 6th congressional district in the New York City borough of Queens, which includes Bayside, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, and Rego Park. Previously, she served as a member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 22nd assembly district in Flushing, Queens. She is the first Asian American to be elected to Congress from New York.

Free Synagogue of Flushing United States historic place

The Free Synagogue of Flushing is a historic synagogue located at 41-60 Kissena Boulevard in Flushing, Queens, New York City. It was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 2009. Its establishment is based on the free synagogue movement, started by Stephen Samuel Wise.

Kissena Creek Buried stream in Queens, New York

Kissena Creek is a buried stream located in the neighborhoods of Flushing, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, and Kew Gardens Hills in the New York City borough of Queens. Kissena Creek originates in a now-filled swamp within Kew Gardens Hills and Pomonok in central Queens, flowing east to Hillcrest. The creek then travels mostly north and west, largely flowing beneath Kissena Park Golf Course, Kissena Park, Kissena Corridor Park, and Queens Botanical Garden, before merging with the Flushing River in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.

The following is a timeline of the history of the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, USA.

Playground Seventy Five is a public park located on 160th Street and 75th Avenue in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Queens, New York. It was acquired by the New York City government in 1929 as part of land condemnations for the construction of Public School 154. The undeveloped section of the block was reserved as a schoolyard and developed as a playground in 1954.

Weeping Beech (Queens) United States historic place

The Weeping Beech was a historic tree located at Weeping Beech Park in Flushing, Queens, New York City. It was the mother of all European weeping beeches in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ "Voelker Orth Museum: Who We Are". Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Weekly listing". National Park Service.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Driscoll, James (2003). The History of Murray Hill & The Voelker Orth House. Voelker Orth Museum.
  4. ↑ "Commending the Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden upon the occasion of celebrating its 10th Anniversary on July 28, 2013". New York Senate Open Legislation. February 23, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Voelker-Orth House Museum Restoration". Graf & Lewent Architects, LLP. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Voelker-Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden in Queens Given New York City Landmark Status" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. October 30, 2007. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ Rhoades, Liz (September 3, 2009). "A bee-utiful project harvests 40 lbs. of honey". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  8. ↑ Duke, Nathan (March 2, 2006). "Victorian House in Flushing Wins Gold Award for Garden". The New York Post.
  9. 1 2 3 Hartkopf, Herbert (2007). Die Voelcker Brothers: Edenkoben--New York und "Der Pfälzer in Amerika". Ludwigshafen am Rhein: pro MESSAGE oHG. ISBN   9783934845374.
  10. ↑ Kurshan, Virginia. "Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden" (PDF). New York City: Landmarks Preservation Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.