Lefferts Farm Cottage

86-20 115th Street
c. early 19th century

This modest house is the oldest and arguably one of the most historically significant in Richmond Hill, dating from the period when the surrounding area was still occupied by working farms. It originally stood around the corner on Jamaica Avenue and was moved to its present location in the early 20th century. It was built by the Lefferts family, whose farm was one of five purchased by Albon Platt Man in 1868 for his suburban development. By the early 1870s, Man’s agent, Oliver B. Fowler, was living in the “Farm Cottage” and using it as a real estate office for the Richmond Hill Estate. In the late 19th century, it was owned by Clara Riis Fiske, daughter of Jacob Riis.

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