Louis Armstrong’s Queens home not only served as the iconic jazz trumpeter’s residence but also became a National Historic Landmark in 1977, six years after his death, and, decades later, a museum.
Now considered one of New York City’s hidden cultural treasures, the home offers a glimpse into the legendary musician’s personal and professional life through its preserved interiors, personal belongings and archival collections.
Located at 34-56 107th Street in the Corona section of Queens, it served as the “What a Wonderful World” hitmaker’s longtime home after he married his fourth wife, Lucille Wilson, in 1942.
Apart from his successful music career, one of his goals was to build a peaceful home with Lucille where they could enjoy married life.
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“I must set Lucille down,” the musician said, as cited by Syncopated Times. “Not just to be a housewife or anything like that. I figured if we want the comfortable happiness that I see with that girl, she must stay home. And keep our Citadel (I call it) with that Wall-to-Wall bed Fresh’n’Ready to go at all times.”
While he was on tour, his new bride went house-hunting and fell in love with the two-story frame house, built in 1910.
She bought it for $8,000, using her savings for the down payment before secretly moving in and furnishing the house herself.
It was only after Armstrong finished the tour that he saw the house for the first time.
The 3,000-square-foot property featured standout burgundy brick, cream-colored ornate roof borders, two bedrooms and a living room that showcased touches of European and modern influences, as cited by Rethinking the Future.
The couple lived at their Corona home for 28 years until his death.
According to Armstrong biographerTerry Teachout, the author describes Armstrong’s Queens home as “a residence of a poor boy who cast down his bucket and pulled it up overflowing…it is impossible not to be touched with the aspiration visible wherever you look…This, it is clear, was the home of a working man, bursting with a pride that came not from what he had but what he did.”
It was his wife who wanted to preserve Armstrong’s legacy by having their home recognized as a National Historic Landmark.
Lucille worked to secure the designation, which was completed in 1977.
After her passing in 1983, she left the house to the City of New York, intending for it to become a public museum dedicated to the iconic jazz musician, a.k.a. “Satchmo.”
In 2003, after a multi-million-dollar restoration, the property, now called the Louis Armstrong House Museum, officially opened its doors to the public for guided tours.
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