Queens County Farm Museum Plans $14 Million Education Center

FLORAL PARK, QUEENS — The Queens County Farm Museum is raising money for a $14 million education center that would the first new construction on the 47-acre farm since the 1920s.

The new education center would include the farm's first set of indoor classrooms, an archival and exhibit space, an auditorium and a cafeteria, according to spokesperson Sarah Meyer.

"The education center will help the farm expand its capacity and programming menu and serve new audiences, especially during the off-season when outdoor programming is affected by the weather," Meyer said.

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz is devoting $1.5 million of her $65 million 2019-2020 budget to the farm museum's project, she announced Tuesday.

"When deciding where to invest precious resources, we know that if it's good for families, it's good for Queens," Katz said in a statement.

The farm museum hopes to secure the rest of the needed funds by July 2020 and break ground on the 12,368-square-foot building in 2022, according to Meyer.

The Queens County Farm Museum, located on Little Neck Parkway, dates back to 1697 and is the longest continuously-farmed site in the state. The farm grows over 80 types of vegetables.