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After all, he was always eager to get away from the fame and return to his modest home, where Lucille and the neighborhood kids would be waiting for him. We invite musicians, jazz fans, scholars from around the world–and our closest neighbors here in Corona, Queens–to discover Louis and Lucille Armstrong’s story from a new perspective. 2023 marked the opening of the newly constructed Armstrong Center and our the landmark multimedia exhibition, Here to Stay, curated by award-winning pianist, composer and Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz, Jason Moran.
New Center Team
The longtime residence of the famed jazz trumpeter, singer and bandleader, it is a midcentury interior design treasure hidden behind a modest brick exterior. Some modifications were functional, like the “stair chair,” a wheelchair lift installed after Louis suffered a third heart attack at the Waldorf Astoria; some were pure fancy, like the silver-walled walk-in closet where a Pucci dress owned by Lucille still hangs. Mostly, though, it was a regular-folks respite for the internationally revered performer. The Louis Armstrong Center was a brainchild of Michael Cogswell, the founding Executive Director of the House Museum, who died in 2020.
Satchmo’s Wonderful World: Louis Armstrong Center Amplifies An Artist’s Vision
“Louis Armstrong is the greatest of all American virtuosos,” states Wynton Marsalis, President of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. “With his trumpet and voice, Armstrong redefined what it meant to be modern by testifying to the range and depth of humanity from the vantage point of the bottom social strata in post-Reconstruction America. He was able to evoke deep blues and spiritual feeling, to dance notes with extreme rhythmic sophistication, and to improvise meaningful melodies on the spot with absolute harmonic accuracy. “There are airplanes in the background sometimes, and Louis commenting about being on the flight path.
Permits Filed for 27 Brighton 11th Street in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn
In 1983, his widow Lucille willed the building and its contents to New York City for the creation of a museum and study center devoted to Armstrong’s career and the history of jazz. Louis Armstrong was one of the most recognizable entertainers in the world when he chose the working-class neighborhood of Corona, Queens to be his home in 1943. We preserve Louis and Lucille’s home, now a historic site and world-class museum. We also provide access to Mr. Armstrong’s extensive archives, develop programs for the public that educate and inspire and host performances with multi-disciplinary artists from around the world. Also included at the Center is the new exhibition curated by Jason Moran, Here To Stay will look at Louis Armstrong’s five-decade career as an innovative musician, rigorous archivist, consummate collaborator, and community builder.
In addition the interior of the house was renovated to their taste.[7] 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[8] have found a home of their own on dressers, night stands, shelves and walls.
The Louis Armstrong Archive, the world's largest for any single jazz musician, was established at Queens College in 1991. A dozen years later, the brick-faced home, already a registered landmark, opened to the public as the Louis Armstrong House Museum — a lovingly tended time capsule, and a humble but hallowed site of pilgrimage for fans from around the world. The Center, 25 years in development, includes exhibition, research and education areas, and, for events, a 75-seat performance space whose blond wood and intimacy recall Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, the Jazz at Lincoln Center venue. The new building also houses a 75-seat venue that will host performances, lectures, films, and educational experiences.
About The Landmark
To have these things for an African American musician of such stature is rare and will be celebrated forever." The jazz musician’s impeccably maintained home in a modest New York City neighborhood is a testament to his — and midcentury design’s — legacy. Before Lucille Armstrong died in 1983, she deeded the property to the city of New York with the intent of creating a lasting legacy for her husband.
“In Here to Stay, we amplify Louis Armstrong’s ability to connect with communities locally and globally. His star shines bright worldwide, but especially here at his home in Corona, Queens. I consider this one of the ‘wonders’ of the world, meaning, we have Lucille and Louis’ magnificent home, and now a museum dedicated to his life and archive,” said Moran. The Center and the historic house will be open to the public Thursdays through Saturdays. Advance purchase is highly recommended as tours of the Center and the historic house have limited capacity.
The museum, a version of the house preserved much as it was when Lucille and Louis were alive, is administered by Queens College. The Center is the permanent home for the 60,000-piece archive of Louis and Lucille Armstrong, and it houses a 75-seat venue offering performances, lectures, films, and educational experiences. The Armstrong Center (which includes the welcome desk, museum store, exhibit area, restroom, and performance space) and the Garden of the Museum are wheelchair-accessible.
Louis Armstrong House Museum Celebrates 80 Years With New Building Opening in July - NYSMusic
Louis Armstrong House Museum Celebrates 80 Years With New Building Opening in July.
Posted: Fri, 16 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Check out our home page for more information on this event and SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER to be notified about future events. For details on availability and pricing, please visit our Group Tour Page and click on the form. Don’t miss this opportunity to witness the fusion of cultures and rhythms as Arturo O’Farrill and ALJE ignite the stage with their passion and artistry, all in celebration of International Jazz Day.
The 20th century produced no shortage of legendary instrumentalists and vocalists but Louis Armstrong is the only figure who completely changed the way people played music on their instruments and he completely changed the way people sang. Perfecting the concept of the improvised solo, popularizing the use of scat singing, defining the concept of swing–those are just some of the ways Louis Armstrong changed jazz, and American popular music–during his lifetime. Please arrive 15 minutes early to secure your seat, as admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Moran titled the exhibition "Here to Stay," borrowing a lyric from one of the George and Ira Gershwin songs that Armstrong redrew with his interpretation. The phrase is plain-spoken but powerful, like Armstrong's music — and on his block in Corona in 2023, it carries a ring of truth. Regina Bain, executive director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, leads a ribbon-cutting for the brand-new Louis Armstrong Center on June 29 in Queens, New York. We strongly advise visitors take mass transit or rideshare to visit the Museum. Be sure to select “other dates” and “other times” on the tickets link to find an available date.
Today, the house serves as a historic museum that presents concerts and educational programs. An archive of writings, recordings and memorabilia is also available to the public for research, bringing the history of jazz to life. Armstrong was both down-home and revolutionary and this building reflects that breadth. Caples Jefferson kept the building at the scale of the modest neighborhood that he loved, while creating an urban precinct for his music that welcomes in all visitors. One of the world’s most renowned jazz musicians and entertainers; Louis Armstrong lived in this modest Queens home from 1943 until his death in 1971.
Accompanied by the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble (ALJE), Arturo leads an octet of jazz virtuosos, paying homage to Latin jazz pioneers while pushing the boundaries of the genre with contemporary compositions. Their electrifying performances have garnered international acclaim, from prestigious festivals to iconic venues worldwide. Faith Logue is a current junior at SUNY Oneonta, and majors in media studies. Her passion is all things music, and at age 15 she joined her first magazine. The Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens announced it is celebrating its 80th anniversary and officially opening its new state-of-the-art building on July 6.
His wife, Lucille, continued to live in their home on 107th Street in Corona, Queens, working to ensure that it became a National and New York Historic Landmark. Lucille expressed the desire for the home and archives to become a museum honoring her husband. They established the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation (LAEF) which helped to facilitate this process and continues to work today as a force for jazz education. After Lucille’s passing in 1983, she willed the home and its contents to the city of New York which designated the City University of New York, Queens College to shepherd the process. It took decades, but the archives became accessible in the 90’s, and the historic house opened for public tours in 2003. The Louis Armstrong House Museum (LAHM) became its own entity, with its expanded programs and official 501c3 non-profit status in 2008.
