Voelker Orth Museum

Through the experience of an immigrant family’s 1890s home, the Voelker Orth Museum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden preserves and interprets the cultural and horticultural heritage of Flushing, Queens and adjacent communities to engage their ever-changing populations.

The Voelker Orth Museum (VOM) offers programs in the arts, horticulture, and local history, often in a multi-disciplinary manner.   Opening in 2003, the Museum occupies the former home of a German immigrant family who came to Flushing in the 1890s. One hundred years later, the property was transformed into a place to discover some of the differences as well as the similarities to homes and lives of New Yorkers today by offering a glimpse into the domestic space and lifestyle of a middle class family. The house and grounds are restored to their 1890s -1930 appearance, where period rooms double as space for performances, lectures and exhibitions. A Victorian-style garden welcomes and educates visitors and provides a habitat for backyard birds and wildlife. VOM became a NYC Landmark in 2007.

We currently present 8-12 performances & lectures, 3-5 exhibitions, 8-10 family programs, and 100+ education workshops per year. We offer gallery hours and tours three afternoons a week. The effort to engage diverse audiences is met with increasing success. Oktoberfest Flushing Style: Kimchi and Sauerkraut is indicative of the relationship building in our programming.