Quaker Meeting House needs help

Repairs at the Quaker Meeting House in Flushing have hit another snag.

More than two years after the city provided $500,000 and the state gave $100,000 to make vital repairs to the 313-year-old building, located at 137-16 Northern Blvd., the work has still not begun.

Another Hurdle Stalls Quaker House Repairs

Quaker representative Gerald Pollack said he had hoped the project would be done this fall, but it was delayed because the contractor’s estimate “significantly exceeds our budget.”

In addition to the $600,000 of combined government money, the group has raised nearly $60,000 to replace the building’s roof, install a modern fire alarm and sprinkler system and repair the porch.

Pollack said the city is negotiating with the contractor on the group’s behalf, and if necessary, the porch and alarm system can be cut from the plan. The roof and sprinklers are the highest priorities, because the building already has an older alarm system.

Pollack considers the sprinklers vital to the building’s future. “This is the oldest religious structure in continuous use in New York City,” he said, “and it’s because all the others have burned down.”