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Louis Armstrong House

Coordinates: 40°45′20″N 73°51′43″W / 40.75556°N 73.86194°W / 40.75556; -73.86194
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Louis Armstrong House
Louis Armstrong House, 2012
Map
Location34-56 107th Street, Queens, New York
Coordinates40°45′20″N 73°51′43″W / 40.75556°N 73.86194°W / 40.75556; -73.86194
Built1910[1]
ArchitectRobert W. Johnson[1]
NRHP reference No.76001265
NYCL No.1555
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 11, 1976[2]
Designated NHLMay 11, 1976[3]
Designated NYCLDecember 13, 1988

The Louis Armstrong House is a historic house museum at 34-56 107th Street in the Corona neighborhood of Queens in New York City.[3][4] It was the home of Louis Armstrong and his wife Lucille Wilson from 1943 until his death in 1971. Lucille gave ownership of it to the city of New York in order to create a museum focused on her husband.

The house was designated a New York City Landmark in 1988[1] and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

The home is part of The Louis Armstrong House Museum, a non-profit organization and 3-building campus encompassing The Historic Home, the Armstrong Center and Selma's Place.[5]The museum presents concerts, educational programs, community programs, and makes its archival collection of writings, books, recordings and memorabilia available to the public for research. The Louis Armstrong House Museum is a winner of the 2024 National Medal for Museums and Library Service from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.[6]

Background

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The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation gave the house to the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs after Lucille Armstrong died in 1983. New York City designated the City University of New York, Queens College to help administer the building. The building is operated and programmed by the nonprofit organization The Louis Armstrong House Museum.[5]

The brick house was designed by architect Robert W. Johnson and built by Thomas Daly in 1910.[7] Some changes were made to the exterior and interior of the house when the Armstrongs moved in. The porch that was once in the front of the house was taken down and the space was added to the living room. For the exterior of the house the garden was assembled and the garage was constructed by the Armstrongs.[8]

In addition the interior of the house was renovated to their taste.[9] Ornate bathrooms, and the kitchen was not originally part of the house. Paintings and souvenirs were given to Louis Armstrong on tour from Asia, Europe to Africa. These gifts[10] have found a home of their own on dressers, night stands, shelves and walls.

Landmark designation

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National Historic Landmark plaque on the Louis Armstrong House

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing in November 1985 about whether to designated the Louis Armstrong House as a Landmark. At the hearing, a letter and a statement were read in support of the designation, and five witnesses spoke in favor.[11] The house was designated as an individual landmark on December 13, 1988.[12]

Louis Armstrong Center

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After a 2017 groundbreaking,[13] The Louis Armstrong Center[14] opened across the street from the Armstrongs' house in 2023. It represents the largest archives for a jazz musician with more than 60,000 items.[15] It also features a 75-seat performance space [16] and the multimedia exhibition Here to Stay curated by Jason Moran.[17] The Center also hosts Armstrong Now, an artist residency program. Armstrong Now, multidisciplinary artists have included Esperanza Spalding, Immanuel Wilkins, and Daniel J. Watts.[18] Performers in the Armstrong Center's jazz room and garden have also included Jon Faddis, Nikki Giovanni[19], Jimmy Heath, Bria Skonberg, and Wendell Brunious.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Dolkart, Andrew S. & Postal, Matthew A.; Guide to New York City Landmarks, 3rd Edition; New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004. ISBN 0-471-36900-4; p.283.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Louis Armstrong House". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 15, 2007. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013.
  4. ^ Lynne Gomez Graves (February 3, 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Louis Armstrong House" (PDF). National Park Service. and Accompanying photos, exterior, from 1976 (1.36 MB)
  5. ^ a b "About". Louis Armstrong House Museum. January 18, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  6. ^ "2024 National Medal for Museum and Library Service". Institute of Museum and Library Services. May 21, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  7. ^ "Louis Armstrong House Museum – History". Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  8. ^ "Queens College: Louis Armstrong House" (PDF). CUNY.edu. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  9. ^ Hill, Miriam (November 2, 2003). "Louis Armstrong's house in Queens opens as museum". The Baltimore Sun.
  10. ^ Flagler, Renee (January–February 2012). "The Louis Armstrong House Museum – ProQuest". Network Journal. 1 (1): 41.
  11. ^ Landmarks Preservation Commission (December 13, 1988). "The Louis Armstrong House" (PDF).
  12. ^ "Designation Reports – LPC". www1.nyc.gov. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  13. ^ Parry, Bill (June 18, 2023). "New Louis Armstrong Center set to open to public on July 6 in Corona". QNS.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  14. ^ "The Louis Armstrong Center". Louis Armstrong House Museum. January 13, 2025. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  15. ^ Weaver, Shaye (June 15, 2023). "See photos of the super cool new Louis Armstrong Center". Time Out. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  16. ^ Glassberg, Lauren (February 21, 2022). "Music great Louis Armstrong's mark in Corona, Queens neighborhood continues to grow". ABC 7 New York. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  17. ^ Ryzik, Melena (August 3, 2023). "Satchmo's Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong Center Amplifies An Artist's Vision". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  18. ^ "Armstrong Now". Louis Armstrong House Museum. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  19. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com.
  20. ^ "Events Archive - Page 2 of 5". Louis Armstrong House Museum. August 15, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
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