Flushing Town Hall, located at 137-35 Northern Blvd, in Flushing was built in 1862. It is considered a New York City landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places as of 1972. It is designed in the early Romanesque Revival architectural style. It opened in 1864 and was used for different purposes, e.g., as a site for Union soldiers, a public assembly hall, a bank, a grand ballroom, and even as a jail. It served as a courthouse from 1902 to 1960’s. Following this period, it was in a dilapidated state and not used for any purposes until 1990, when Mrs. Jo-Ann Jones (who founded Flushing Council on Cultural and the Arts in1979) took interest and along with the support of Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, submitted a proposal for its use as a multicultural arts center. Flushing Council on Cultural and the Arts (FCCA) were awarded a long term lease by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

The NYC Department of Design and Construction hired architectural firm of Platt and Byard and other contractors to restore the landmark using 8 million dollars to do so. The first floor galleries opened in 1993, and the second floor theater opened to the public in 1999. The council at the Flushing Town Hall received interest from different sources, both from the public and from the artist, as well as from funding sources and government officials. In 1996, Queens Borough President Shulman was able to get approval from Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to include Flushing Town Hall as a member of the “City’s Cultural Institution Group,” and thus entitled it to receive funding for the general operating costs.

In 2003, Jo-Ann Jones retired, and Harvey Seifter, a classical trained musician, took her position as the Executive and Artistic Director of Flushing Council. Under his direction the Flushing Council became an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in 2004. As of 2006, it has a budget of 2.2millon dollars and it supports various cultural and art programs. The affiliation of Flushing Town Hall with the Smithsonian Institute provides several benefits. The public is able to view art and artifacts from the Smithsonian Institute that are exhibited at the Town Hall, and FCCA members automatically become members of the Smithsonian that provides benefits, such as, international and domestic travel programs, shopping discounts, and subscriptions to Smithsonian magazine. This partnership also enables Flushing Council to explore other areas and include multicultural activates. Examples of these are: Arts and cultural activities by different immigrant ethnic groups that include Korean, Chinese, Mexicans, Asian Indians, South Americans and other Asian groups. Flushing Council at the Town Hall also explores history of Jazz in Queens and has a Town Hall Trolley that takes you on Queens Jazz Trail tour to the neighborhoods where Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and John Coltrane lived, and also includes a visit to the Louis Armstrong house.

Flushing Town Hall offers a variety of fascinating cultural and Art programs that `are available to both families and to individuals, whether they are visitors or performers.