Second in a special series of stories spotlighting historic mid century homes across America that are open to visitors.
Louis Armstrong’s home — with an interior that combines both “modern” and “modest” — is now open to visitors and looks to be well worth a visit. The house, built by Thomas Daly in 1910, is located in North Corona in Queens, New York. In 1943, Lucille Armstrong bought the house for her husband as a surprise – at an excellent price of $3500. Although Lucille got a bargain on the house, she and Louis had big $ ideas for the house. First, she bought the home next door and tore it down so she could create a her giant Japanese garden. Louis had his own ideas as well, like the outdoor bar & grill that is still there today.
They added a large cornice that sits atop the second floor of their home, then eventually a third floor.
The interior of the home was lavishly decorated with items the Armstrongs had collected from all over the world. Some of the more notable items are a crucifix made by Salvador Dali, which sits in a special religious built- in, and a portrait of Louis by Tony Bennett. There are only two bathrooms in the house. However, they are no exception to the elegant theme — one was featured on an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous in 1994..
These beautiful steel cabinets were custom made by Kingsway, a firm in Brooklyn. The Armstrongs had all the new technology installed as well, including an unheard of combo stove-oven (brand: Crown) and innovate built-in appliances like a Nutone food processor, to name a few..
Check out the built in shelving under the cabinets and the acrylic shelf in front of the window. Do you think the window trim was painted to match the cabinets or are they steel covers? Either way it is a nice touch. Off the kitchen is the den where Louis frequently used to record his music and hang out with his famous friends. In 1971, Louis passed away while sleeping in the master bedroom. Lucille happily lived in the home for 42 years until she died while attending a ceremony in his honor.
After doing all this research, I wish I would have tried to visit the Louis Armstrong House Museum while I was in Massachusetts with Aunt Pam. It sounds like a lot of fun.
Many thanks to the Museum, and especially to Lesley, who really helped out with the images. And, thanks to Reader Jason, who first alerted us to this house based on the article on AT: The Kitchn.
Read all our stories about historic mid century homes you can visit here.
NOTE: These photos are for use only in RetroRenovation.com’s blog post about the Louis Armstrong House Museum and may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, or distributed for any other purpose without written permission from the Louis Armstrong House Museum.
CindyD says
Just as bright and vibrant as he was! I love the double doors in the living room – is that a window treatment or fretwork? Whatever it is I love it!
Lynn-O-Matic says
It’s definitely worth clicking through to The Kitchn and looking at the whole slideshow. Amazing. Wish we could see the rest of the house.
Pam, did you read that Lucille was a huge fan of wallpaper?
Lisa says
We had the Nutone blender in our pink kitchen. Made great milkshakes.
Maryanna says
LOVE that blue! Absolutely fabulous. 🙂
nancy says
I love it all!! What a treat! Lots of great details to study!
Thanks!
MaryE says
Is it appropriate to lust after a stove? The kitchen is absolutely amazing, and the beautiful armless sofas are to die for.
MbS says
African violets on the clear shelf…if you don’t grow geraniums, that would be the no.2 MCM kitchen pet.
MbS says
Are the shelves and counter shallow? i often think about this option, which is not easy with standard equipment.
Gavin Hastings says
The sink area seems pretty standard, but I think the food processor area is shallow. Remember these were custom-built.
In the 70’s my mother had her non-work area base cabinets cut down to 12′ in depth. The room became much larger…and no more crawling into the cabinet to wrestle with saucepans….
mary hershelman says
What a great idea. I’m almost ready to make a false back…have stuff back there that could be gone because I never use it…it’s forgotten.
Stacey says
Wow…that kitchen is awesome! Thank you for sharing this.
Maryann Roy says
Love this post! The colors in Louis Armstrong’s home are fantastic. What a treat!