The Ghost Legends of Flushing Town Hall

While I have never actually seen ghosts at Flushing Town Hall, I am certain they are there. Flushing Town Hall, a NYC landmark in Queens, celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. One hundred and fifty years and a fascinating past! Built in 1862, this historic building is a stunning example of early Romanesque Revival architecture. The building opened in 1864 and has played several roles through out the years including a public assembly hall, medical offices and the first branch of the Queens County Savings Bank.

Flushing Town Hall served as the gathering place for thousands of soldiers joining the Union Army during the Civil War. As with any old building, the rumors of other worldly events and haunting spirits started to spread after the war. Spooky stories of the Flushing Town Hall ghosts range from sightings of soldiers in Civil War uniforms in the 1970s, to mysterious music heard by construction workers to radios and other electronic devices that turn themselves on and off. I heard from one longtime local about a repair man working in the basement in the 1990's who had his screwdriver handed to him. He was alone. (Yikes!)

Perhaps the creepiest story is the legend of the impresario of the opera house who is said to return to the Flushing Town Hall stage every now and again. The Queens Tribune has the full details.

The building is now a cultural center, managed by Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts, with a 308-seat theater, two visual arts galleries, a classroom and a gift shop. In 1902, a municipal courthouse was housed at Flushing Town Hall and with it came the addition of a jail. Flushing Town Hall was used as the police headquarters (jail cells and all) for the World's Fair in 1939 and 1964, which were sited in the nearby Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Two of these jail cells are now used as backstage dressing rooms. The iron bar doorway is my favorite part!

Many visitors to Flushing Town Hall ask me if I believe in the ghost stories. "I've never seen one," I tell them, "but my colleague, Kevin, has heard the upstairs piano playing when the theater has been empty." I, personally, have not experienced any paranormal activity at Flushing Town Hall. Then again, I make sure never to be in the building alone...