The recently opened Louis Armstrong Center in Corona, Queens, was conceived to 'continue to preserve and expand the legacy of America’s most-enduring Black popular music icon'. Its architects, the New York studio founded by principals Sara Caples and Everardo Jefferson, a firm committed to designing at least 50 per cent of its work in underserved communities, was a perfect fit for the commission. Their important goals did not mean compromising on design quality or looks – as the curvaceous structure, which shines like a beacon for culture at night, when lit from within, attests.
Louis Armstrong Center: a hub for culture and education in Queens
'In a neighborhood comprised of modest two-storey houses, we wanted to keep the building in the scale of its surroundings, while creating an urban precinct that notes the singular work of the man whose music underlies so much of what we listen to today,' explain Caples and Jefferson. 'The centre simultaneously fits in and stands out – a paradox that reflects Armstrong’s life and work.'
The building was composed as a contemporary place for education, entertainment, and research, containing the 60,000-piece Louis Armstrong Archive (the world's largest for any jazz musician) and a 75-seat venue for performances and other events.
Rooted in its neighbourhood and site, the new 4,000 sq ft building forms part of a larger campus, set next to Armstrong's own home and garden – in an effort to be anchored in the community the musician lived in and service and support its growth and development.
'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, neighbours, 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 programmes in collaboration with emerging artists and contemporary icons.'
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