THE Klein Farm, 73rd Avenue and 195th Street, sold produce for years in a roadside stand until 2003, when the family sold it to a realtor. The farm had been in operation here since 1895. Since the farmhouse (which is still standing) and property have never been landmarked, they are now under the gun from developers.
The Kleins once owned approximately 200 acres in the area; some of it was sold in the 1940s to NY Life Insurance, which in turn built Fresh Meadows Houses. The late Parks Commissioner Henry Stern recognized the Kleins’ farm legacy by naming the adjacent playground for it in 1999.
There is one remaining large working farm in Queens: the Queens Farm Museum, located on Little Neck Parkway north of Union Turnpike. In the fall, I’ve attended their “tavern nights” when a meal in the style of the American Revolutionary-era is served by candlelight. In the summer, events include Native American powwows.
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For more plunderings in Fresh Meadows and mid-Queens, see this FNY page.
12/10/22
4 comments
I hope this farm can be preserved. Helene Schleider was married to Peter Klein. MyGGGrandgathers farm was at the site of Utopia Park.
John Schleider
My old neighborhood. We lived on 193rd Street between 73rd and 75th Avenues from 1954 until I moved, in 1971. I remember the farm very well. We went to PS 26, which was next door to the farm.
I used to buy pies from the Klein farm market when I lived on 73rd Avenue in Windsor Park. I also gave many tours of the 1772 Jacob Adriance farmhouse at The Queens County Farm Museum when I was an Urban Park Ranger. I miss both of these wonderful places now that I am a Staten Islander. I will plan a visit soon.
The Klein Farm and property have never been landmarked unfortunately, however the property is part of a Special Preservation District and as such, has a certain amount of protection.