Despite his international fame and acclaim, jazz legend Louis Armstrong retired to an unpretentious home in a quiet Queens neighborhood, which is now a museum dedicated to the musician.
The Louis Armstrong House still stands in Corona, Queens, in much the same condition as when Armstrong and his wife Lucille lived there. No one has lived in the home since the Armstrongs and the interior of the house has been restored and maintained in period style. Many of the original furnishings remain and the artist’s music is piped throughout the home as visitors make their way along the tour. There are also recordings of Armstrong talking to friends and practicing trumpet so it’s almost as if the jazz great is still haunting his former abode, although the experience is more educational than supernatural.
In addition to the preserved rooms, the house features an exhibition cataloguing Louis Armstrong’s life and achievements and an ever growing collection of objects related to the musician, donated by family and friends. Even Armstrong’s compendious record collection is preserved at the site. The Louis Armstrong House may have been a home to the jazz musician, but now it is a living, talking record.
Take the 7 train to 103 St-Corona Plaza. Choose the exit on the north side of Roosevelt Avenue, and then take the stairs on your left. Make a right (north) onto 103rd Street. Walk two blocks and make a right onto 37th Avenue. Walk 4 short blocks and make a left onto 107th Street. The Museum is on the left side, 1/2 block north of 37th Avenue.
