Once everything has been carefully packed, catalogued and removed from the home, conservation and restoration work will begin. Cogswell noted that there was a question of whether changes Lucille Armstrong made after her husband’s death should be undone. But after much discussion with a curatorial consultant and much soul searching on the part of the Archives, it was decided that only Louie’s den would be restored to the way he left it . . . a process that will call for only minor changes. An entire third story on the house, added without the proper permits in the later years of Lucille Armstrong’s life as a living quarters should she need an assistant or nurse, will also be removed from the home. Cogswell explained that because the floor violates code regulations – in addition to having caused leakage and other problems – it had to be removed before a certificate of occupancy would be granted by the City for a museum. However the sparse furnishings on the floor ... which include a now vintage microwave and a kitchen area hidden away in wood cabineting ... will be saved as part of the Archives collection.

Otherwise, the house will remain as Lucille Armstrong left it, including her renovations to the dining room and the placement of her religious statues in the bedroom. Cogswell pointed to wallpaper on the ceiling that is beginning to sag and the worn corners of a day bed cover and explained that people touring the home have often commented that it seems ready to open without renovation. However, it’s the little details and repairs that will begin once the home is emptied out and the third floor removed.

The garage of the home will also be transformed into a visitors area for purchasing tour tickets, complete with a garage door simulation covering that will be in place when the glass-fronted area is closed for the day.

The Armstrong house was outfitted with the latest technology and was also spotlessly clean and ready to fire up a meal. Custom-made, built in cabinets were designed to hold swing out shelf compartments, a “sub-zero” refrigerator is “still the best” according to Cogswell, and he noted that the food processor was built into the kitchen counter. The blender bowl would plug into a recessed port in the counter and a recessed control next to it would control the speed. On the stove is the a small metal plaque declaring, “custom made by Crown for Mr. & Mrs. Louis Armstrong,” but otherwise you’d never know that this functional and carefully cared-for kitchen which Cogswell described as “1960s state of the art” helped to host the legends of jazz.

In a back corner of the home just off the kitchen is what was once a bedroom, but the Armstrongs converted it to a cozy and simple breakfast nook just the right size for breakfast and the paper or conversation and coffee. It is complete with a still-life painting by Bass player Bob Haggart, which, Cogswell admits, he is still trying to determine how it came into the Armstrong collection.

There are other bathrooms in the Armstrong house, but at the end of the entrance hallway is the one to tell stories about.

Gold plated swans adorn the sink and the shower, glittering gold, reflects in a patchwork room of mirrors. From every wall, your image bounces back to greet you with a mixture of bright light and gold touches. The gold plated light fixtures are complete with crystal droplets. And though the room is not ideal for the weight conscious, it is the perfect reflection of the touches of showbiz glitz and glamour that the Armstrongs enjoyed in their simple Queens home.

The desk seems too small to be the place where the large warmth and personality of Louis Armstrong corresponded to his fans and colleagues. But it is easy to imagine Satchmo fiddling with the reel-to-reel built into the cabineting behind his desk or adjusting the turntable that pumped sound through a speaker built into the ceiling of the den and connected to speakers in the upstairs bathroom.

Also part of the Armstrong Archives is the specially outfitted steamer trunk that Louis used as a “1950s walkman” to allow him to record conversations and music while on the road, Cogswell said. He noted that when the museum opens it will include a “hidden audio system” so that visitor will hear music and the sounds of life in the Armstrong house as they move through it. In the den, visitors will hear recordings Louis made of conversations with friends and musicians in that room.

Cogswell noted that there are hundreds of hours of reel-to-reel recordings in the Armstrong collection and at times Louis would just let the recorder run. In one such recording, Lucille can be heard saying goodnight, and then Louis goes to the bar in the den, puts some ice in a glass, then sits down in the quiet. “Never have I felt like such a voyeur,” Cogswell said as when listening to these quiet, personal moments Louis Armstrong recorded from his life.

Before leaving the den, Cogswell pointed out a portrait of Louis Armstrong by artist Anthony Benedetto of Astoria . . . known to the rest of the world as Tony Bennet.

White and silver were the theme for the Armstrong bedroom, which was complete with insets in the wall for a color television and air conditioning. Louis Armstrong passed away in his sleep in this bedroom just after celebrating his 71st birthday and putting in a call gathering the band together so that they could play the next day.

From the bedroom and through the master bathroom was the entrance to an expansive walk-in closet. Empty hangers hang from high rods now, each with a pole-like handle reaching down from the center to accommodate Louis (who was just 5’6” Cogswell reports) and his wife. When the museum opens, “We want the house to look lived in” Cogswell said, explaining that there will be tuxedoes, white handkerchiefs and furs hanging in the closet. He added that a neighbor has said Lucille Armstrong always had her perfumes on the mirrored shelf by the window of the closet, and period perfume bottles will be found to stand in that place.

Cogswell has learned the hard way not to announce specific dates when projects will be completed. But he cautiously told the PRESS that construction will begin in March and should take a year to about 15 months. Then there will be two or three months of training and hiring necessary before the home opens as a museum. His current target opening date is in the Fall of 2003.

With the money secured for the renovations ($1.2 million), Cogswell added that the project at hand now is to raise the operating funds which will allow guides to be hired and staffing for the museum. To the ends, they are searching for public support and have begun a “Penny’s From Heaven” fundraising project which can be found on their new website launched last week.

To keep Satchmo fans up to date on the latest developments at the house as work progresses and to help support both the archives and operational funding for the museum, www.satchmo.net went live and in full color on the internet last week.