Louis Armstrong House Museum

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Kara Zuaro

Joined 10 years ago

This home, frozen in '70s glitz, offers insight into the personal life of an unsurpassed trumpet virtuoso.. The History
Nicknamed by Melody Maker editor Percy Brooks "Satchmo," and known to neighborhood kids as "Pops," Armstrong wasn't just a jazz great--he was a great neighbor. The house that he bought with his wife, Lucille, in 1943 remains virtually unchanged from the time of his death in 1977. Well-versed tour guides spin anecdotes and play intimate home recordings that bring the spirit, and the distinctively raspy voice of this legendary musician, back to life.

The Features
Lucille Armstrong's worldly design ideas--mirrored bathrooms with gold-plated fixtures and elegant paintings of ancient Chinese musicians--are rivaled by her mind-blowing devotion to wallpaper. Whether it's formal and textured, shiny and silver or busy and kitschy, not an inch of space is left bare--even inside drawers and over the baseboard heating vent. Don't miss the terrace off Mr. Armstrong's office, from which the call of his trumpet once drew the local children to come over for ice cream.