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Lewis Latimer's 178th Birthday Celebration event image
Flushing, Queens

Lewis Latimer's 178th Birthday Celebration

The Lewis Latimer House Museum throws its annual free birthday party for the Black inventor and draftsman, with dance, STEAM stations and partner institutions from across Queens.

Wikimedia Commons image; Public domain; attribution: Detroit Publishing Co. (w) , publisher.; source page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NYC_Mulberry_Street_3g04637u.jpg

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Free

Latimer is the most consequential American inventor most people have never heard of, and his actual house is still standing in Flushing, run by people who care intensely about it. The birthday party is the one day a year the whole thing opens up - dance, circuits, collage, half the cultural institutions in Queens on the lawn. It is free and genuinely for kids.

What to expect

A compact outdoor-and-indoor family afternoon at a small historic house: activity tables staffed by partner museums, a live dance performance, and hands-on STEAM stations aimed squarely at elementary and middle-school ages. Expect a neighborhood crowd rather than a tourist one, and a house tour you can slot in between activities.

Good to know

  • The museum is at 34-41 137th Street in Flushing - take the 7 to Main Street and walk, or the Q20/Q44 bus
  • The house itself is small; the celebration spills into the surrounding grounds, so dress for outdoors
  • Activities are pitched at elementary and middle-school ages, with partner institutions running each station
  • No registration is required - it is free and open to all comers
  • Flushing's Main Street food is a ten-minute walk away and worth building into the trip
  • The historic house has stairs and narrow rooms; check with the museum in advance about accessibility

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Common questions

Who was Lewis Latimer?

A Black inventor, draftsman and engineer who drew the plans for Alexander Graham Bell's telephone patent and patented a durable carbon filament that made electric lighting commercially viable. He lived in this Flushing house from 1903 until his death in 1928.

Is it free?

Yes. The birthday celebration is free and open to all, with no registration required.

Is it suitable for young children?

Yes. The programming is built around family STEAM activities, games and a performance, aimed primarily at elementary and middle-school ages.

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