Just the mention of the name Louis Armstrong can make one hear jazz music begin to play in their head–and Queens’ new Louis Armstrong Center plays on more of your senses than just sound.
The Louis Armstrong House Museum’s celebrated their 80th anniversary with the brand new $26 million Louis Armstrong Center which opened this past Thursday, July 6th in Corona, Queens. The state-of-the-art building preserves and expands the legacy and ideals of America’s first Black popular music icon.
“This is a landmark moment for the Louis Armstrong House Museum,” said Executive Director Regina Bain. “Standing on the shoulders of the jazz and community greats who have come before us, the new Louis Armstrong Center invites today’s musicians, neighbors, and global fans to discover Louis and Lucille Armstrong’s story from a new perspective.”
First and foremost, the center celebrates Armstrong’s distinctive role in African-Diaspora history and vitality.
Visitors will be treated to year-round exhibitions, performances, readings, lectures, and screenings, as well as experiences for K-12 students, including trumpet lessons, inspired by the donation of Ken Karnofsky (the same family who helped Louis buy his 1st trumpet).
Along with the opening of the center is the opening of its first exhibition Here To Stay, curated by award-winning jazz pianist & Artistic Director for Jazz at The Kennedy Center Jason Moran. The exhibit will look at Louis Armstrong’s five-decade career as an innovative musician, rigorous archivist, consummate collaborator, and community builder.
The Armstrong Center will also house the 60,000-piece Louis Armstrong Archive–the world’s largest for a jazz musician.
“Louis Armstrong is the greatest of all American virtuosos,” said Wynton Marsalis, President of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
His genius and charisma influenced generations of musicians from all over the world. His generosity and unique personality have made him an international icon. Louis Armstrong’s trumpet is the sound of freedom and with it, he left the world so much richer than how he found it.
The 14,000-square-foot Armstrong Center is located at 34-56 107th Street in Queens.
More information about all of the museum’s events and programs can be found here.