Louis Armstrong House Museum

Organizational Background:

Louis Armstrong is a founding figure of jazz —a uniquely American art form – and one of the first great celebrities of the twentieth century. Armstrong entertained millions, from heads of state and royalty to the kids on his stoop in the multi-racial, working class neighborhood of Corona, Queens where he resided for three decades. That home is now a National and New York Historical Landmark and the crown jewel of The Louis Armstrong House Museum, a 3-building campus in the heart of the block. Since 2003, Armstrong’s rich legacy, as well as his wife Lucille’s, has been preserved and shared through LAHM’s 60,000-piece archives – the largest of any jazz musician and through a robust slate of programs that embody the Armstrong values of artistic excellence, education and community. The House partners with innovative musicians, multidisciplinary artists, and contemporary thinkers in order to activate the Armstrong Archives in the creation of musical compositions, dance performances, film, and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Expansion:

In 2023 The Louis Armstrong House Museum initiated a dramatic physical and programmatic expansion with the opening of the new Louis Armstrong Center, a 14,000 square-foot state-of-the-art building across the street from the Armstrongs’ historic home. The Center houses a 75-seat performance space, a multimedia exhibition, and the extensive Armstrong Archives. With new space comes new vision. The Center allows us to continue to preserve the legacy of Louis and Lucille Armstrong and to live the Armstrong values of Artistic Excellence, Education and Community. In 2024 the museum was awarded the National Medal for Museums from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In 2025 the museum became a member of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group – 39 cultural institutions in formal partnership with the city.