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.'
-
Ethiopia’s Africa Hall, a lesser-known modernist gem, has been restored to its former gloryAfrica Hall, a modernist monument in Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa, has been restored by Architectus Conrad Gargett and the UN
-
Louis Vuitton drafts contemporary artists to use the house’s silk ‘carré’ scarf as a colourful canvasIn a tradition which dates back to the 1980s, Louis Vuitton has asked five artists to reimagine its silk carré scarf using floral motifs
-
'It’s not so much about art, it's more about the process': Tim Burton at the Design Museum'The World of Tim Burton' is now open at the Design Museum.
-
A bridge in Buffalo heralds a new era for the city's LaSalle ParkA new Buffalo bridge offers pedestrian access over busy traffic for the local community, courtesy of schlaich bergermann partner
-
Tour this Bel Vista house by Albert Frey, restored to its former glory in Palm SpringsAn Albert Frey Bel Vista house has been restored and praised for its revival - just in time for the 2025 Palm Springs Modernism Week Preview
-
First look: step inside 144 Vanderbilt, Tankhouse and SO-IL’s new Brooklyn projectThe first finished duplex inside Tankhouse and SO-IL’s 144 Vanderbilt in Fort Greene is a hyper-local design gallery curated by Brooklyn studio General Assembly
-
Tour Ray's Seagram Building HQ, an ode to art and modernism in New York CityReal estate venture Ray’s Seagram Building HQ in New York is a homage to corporate modernism
-
Populus by Studio Gang, the ‘first carbon positive hotel in the US’ takes root in DenverPopulus by Studio Gang opens in Denver, offering a hotel with a distinctive, organic façade and strong sustainability credentials
-
This Californian home offers the unexpected through ‘deconstructed’ desert livingGardens & Villas, a home in La Quinta, California, brings contemporary luxury to its desert setting through a collaboration between architects Andrew McClure and Christopher McLean
-
First look inside 62 Reade Street, a clock factory turned family home62 Reade Street, a boutique New York residential project by architects ODA, unveils its first apartment interior, styled courtesy of Hovey Design
-
Paul Rudolph at The Met: ‘from Christmas lights to megastructures’‘Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph’ opens at the Met in New York, exploring the modernist master's work through a feast of an exhibition
