New Louis Armstrong Center set to open to public on July 6 in Corona

The new Louis Armstrong Center in Corona will officially open to the public on July 6.

Photo by Albert Vercerka/Esto

The Louis Armstrong House Museum (LAHM) in Corona announced it will officially open its new state-of-the-art building, preserving and expanding the legacy and ideals of America’s first Black popular music icon.

The Louis Armstrong Center will open to the public on Thursday, July 6, as the new permanent home for the 60,000-piece Louis Armstrong Archive, the world’s largest for a jazz musician, and a 75-seat venue offering performances, lectures, films and other educational experiences.

“This is a landmark moment for the Louis Armstrong House Museum,” said LAHM 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. We will bring the Armstrongs’ unique archives alive through new interactive events. And we will ensure that music once again rings out on 107th Street through groundbreaking programs in collaboration with emerging artists and contemporary icons.”

The Louis Armstrong Center will become a new international destination celebrating Armstrong’s distinctive role in African-Diaspora history and vitality, offering year-round exhibitions, performances, readings, lectures, and screenings through an array of public programs for all ages. With longstanding partners Queens College and the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, and with a growing list of members, supporters and programmatic collaborators, the museum and center will become a Queens-based hub for inspiration and learning, economic development and tourism – from New Yorkers to the world.

“Louis Armstrong is the greatest of all American virtuosos,” said jazz great Wynton Marsalis, president of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation and…