Flushing Town Hall
Also known as: Flushing Municipal Courthouse
Why it's listed
Flushing Town Hall, also known as the Flushing Municipal Courthouse, is a two-story brick building with a basement and attic on Northern Boulevard in Queens. Built in 1862, it has painted cream walls with dark brown trim, arched paired windows, thin buttresses between the bays, and a triple-arched portico above a raised platform at the front entrance. A small cell block was added at the rear in 1938, and pressed metal ceilings were installed before 1900. The building is regarded as a representative example of the picturesque small town hall of the years just before the Civil War. From 1862 to 1900 it hosted community meetings, fancy dress balls, and small opera productions, and Tom Thumb performed there. Flushing's volunteer artillery unit, later the 34th Independent N.Y. Battery, was housed there during the Civil War. It later served as a courthouse, municipal offices, and a police precinct during the 1964-65 World's Fair. The City owns it, and it was temporarily unoccupied at the time of listing.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a representative example of the small American town hall in the picturesque style popular just before the Civil War, with its exterior ornamental details retained. It was also the focal point of town functions from 1862 to 1900 and housed Civil War volunteer units.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 72000904, listed March 16, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 137-35 Northern Blvd., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Queens |
| Listed | March 16, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000904 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific date 1862) |
| Architectural style | Picturesque architecture popular just prior to the Civil War |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the City of New York and described as temporarily unoccupied; condition marked excellent. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.76387, -73.82997 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 72000904.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8564089
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.