More than 50 years after his passing, the sound of Louis Armstrong’s trumpet and his gravelly, warm voice still echoes throughout Corona.

At the Louis Armstrong Center, directly across from his historic home, images show the entertainer’s nurturing relationship with his youngest neighbors.

What You Need To Know

Famous jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong lived at 34-56 107th St. in Corona, Queens, from 1943 until he died in 1971

Musician Dizzy Gillespie lived just a few blocks from Armstrong’s home

The Armstrong home is preserved, featuring the original kitchen, bathrooms, and decor he collected from around the world

The Louis Armstrong House Museum was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976

To the children who befriended the man they called Uncle Satchmo, or Pops, Armstrong wasn’t a larger-than-life star. He was just their neighbor.

James Blake lived right next door.

“He treated us as if we were on the same level as he was. I had no idea this was the internationally renowned Louis Armstrong,” he said. 

Blake said to the kids on the block, fame never entered the picture. He added that Armstrong was simply a smiling, generous man whose kindness was felt long before his music ever was.

“All I knew was he was Pops. And he was always grinning. And he was always friendly. And he was always warm. And he was always giving. I just knew him as a guy that sent the cakes over to the house,” Blake said.

Far from the bright lights of Hollywood and concert halls, the modest, tree-lined street was home sweet home for Armstrong and his wife, Lucille.

The couple moved to Queens in 1943, along with many Black entertainers who wanted a taste of suburban life just minutes from Manhattan.

“Queens is jazz, and there were people who were coming here from the South. They were looking for a little piece of home. And Queens, because of the houses, because of the space, sometimes gave a little piece of home. And once one musician comes, the others follow,” Regina Bain, the executive director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, said. 

Inside 34-56 107th St. is a home frozen in time. A white upright piano still sits as a centerpiece in the Armstrong living room.

The kitchen has custom-made turquoise blue lacquered cabinets with built-in appliances. The home also features a marble bathroom with gold-plated fixtures.

“Lucille bought this home, because she said, ‘I don’t know if this road life is for me. I think we need a house.’ And he said, ‘No, no, no, no, we don’t need a house. We’re fine. We’re going to be traveling. We don’t need all of that.’ And she said, ‘O.K.’ And she bought this house with her own money and then told him eight months later, ‘Come here, this is where we live now,'” Bain said.

Growing up, Denise Pease was welcomed inside Louie Armstrong’s home, and Lucille Armstrong became her mentor.

“She was a no-nonsense lady! But she had a lot of love,” Pease, a former neighbor, said.

The Louis Armstrong House Museum was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. Those who knew the star said the simple warmth that embodied Armstrong’s music hit all the right notes for those lucky enough to call Satchmo, a neighbor.