Louis Armstrong House Museum, Queens

We visited this black centric establishment on Friday, August 12, 2022. I purchased tickets online in advance prior to. This business is located in the Queens borough of New York. There was a life-size standing figure of Louis Armstrong right outside of the museum. Upon early arrival, we checked in and verified a reservation with the staff. We had to show our proof of vaccination, which was sufficient. In the front, they do have a gift shop area where they sell various items pertaining to Louis Armstrong. It was a bit early when we arrived, so we were allowed to view the exhibit in the back room. The exhibit featured photos of Louis Armstrong with his wife and other celebrities. Also there was actual clothing of Louis Armstrong including his famous bathrobe. Also they had his actual trumpet that he played on display. Outside of the museum, there’s a beautiful sprawling garden which is full of greenery and flowers. There is also a small fountain with a patio area. We learned the garden is now utilized for musical and community events. All of the staff was nice, professional, and welcoming. Once the tour began, we entered Louis Armstrong‘s house which has a really nice brick stoop. We were not allowed to take photographs inside of the home. Therefore, I don’t have any photos to post of the interior out of respect for the museum and Louis Armstrong. All of the furnishings in the home were simply beautiful. There were many priceless Louis Armstrong artifacts in the home he collected and was bestowed. Some of the pieces were even timeless and would be relevant to this day. The house was not very big, but it did have a lot of treasures. The bottom floor had a sprawling den with beautiful beige and neutral furnishings. It included hints of glam with opulent chandeliers. The bathroom downstairs was fully mirrored and had touches of gold. There’s also a picture of Louis Armstrong in his famous bathrobe in this bathroom. The tour guide stated that he could see his smile from everywhere in the room. The tour guide was very professional and knowledgeable. She provided us fun facts on Louis Armstrong. In several of the rooms we were able to hear recordings of Louis Armstrong and his wife Lucille. They stayed together until his death in the 1970s. The kitchen was also very beautiful! It had blue laminate wood cabinets, a 6 burner gas stove, and mini special touches. Also they had wonderful unique custom-made things. This included a custom-made stove and refrigerator. The dining room area had an Asian inspired theme. It also featured a lot of mirrored elements. It was well put together and maintained. The tour guide stated the Armstrongs loved to entertain and have people in their home. They also had a small breakfast nook on this floor. A lot of their rooms had matching elements and themes. The tour guide did show us the stair chair that Louis Armstrong used to get up and down the stairs. She stated this was due to him having had a pretty serious heart attack after several prior to. Once we entered upstairs, the master bedroom was very nice and featured a prayer area for Lucille. The restroom up here was also very sprawling and nice. It had touches of glamorous elements. This included nice chandeliers, nice wallpaper, and other elements. The best room in the house was definitely Luis‘s den. He did a lot of his recordings and organized archives of his music in here. We also heard recordings of Louis Armstrong playing the trumpet in his room and speaking about his catalog of archives. He stressed the importance of being open to embracing different types of music and people. The tour guide stated that Louis Armstrong fully embraced his community, the people, and the place that is Corona Queens. He was a man of his neighborhood and enjoyed touring the world and spreading his music. He seemed to always have a smile on his face with a joyous bright personality. I would recommend this museum to everyone in New York that would like to visit. The museum will be opening an education center across the street with a jazz venue in Fall 2022.

The Louis Armstrong House Museum is an absolute superb museum that celebrates and honors the amazing life and legacy of jazz entertainer, Louis Armstrong. In celebration of Black History, I brought and treated myself and my wife for a guided tour of the Louis Armstrong House Museum in February of 2018. During our tour, both my wife and I learned that the museum was formerly the home of Louise Armstrong and that he resided there along with his wife, Lucille from 1943 until his death in 1971. We were also able to view the many of the home’s rooms, extensive furnishings, memorabilia of the Armstrongs. What my wife and I found most enjoyable were the voice recordings of Louis Armstrong. In these recordings, Armstrong shares his thoughts on his house, his neighborhood and of course, his wonderful music. Both my wife and I highly enjoyed our guided tour definitely recommend for others to visit and tour this wonderful National Historic Landmark!!!