Roots & Rhythms: A Walking Tour of Black East Elmhurst & Corona

GROUND3D partnered with the Office of Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry, the Louis Armstrong House Museum, and community partners to develop Roots & Rhythms, a place-based walking tour celebrating the history, culture, and legacy of Black East Elmhurst and Corona. The project connects residents and visitors to the musicians, institutions, faith communities, and civic leaders that helped shape one of New York City's most influential Black neighborhoods.

Working alongside historians, cultural organizations, and neighborhood stakeholders, we combined archival research, field documentation, digital mapping, and interpretive storytelling to create an accessible public history experience. The tour highlights sites associated with jazz legends including Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Shavers, and Jimmy Rushing, alongside churches, schools, community organizations, and cooperative housing developments that reflect the neighborhood's broader social and cultural history.

The project produced an integrated suite of engagement tools, including an interactive web map, self-guided mobile tour, custom cartography, interpretive narratives, printed walking maps, and event materials. Together, these resources make local history more accessible while demonstrating how digital mapping and place-based storytelling can strengthen cultural preservation, community identity, and public engagement.