Rock and Roll Hall of Fame expansion: Groundbreaking ceremony

CLEVELAND — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame entered a new era Thursday as a groundbreaking ceremony was held for their $135 million expansion project.

Among the special guests at the ceremony were Sam Moore of Sam & Dave, a 1992 Rock Hall inductee who took part in the original Rock Hall groundbreaking. Also attending Thursday’s groundbreaking will be 1995 Rock Hall inductee Martha Reeves of Martha & the Vandellas, 1998 inductee Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas, and 2021 inductees Charlotte Caffey and Gina Schock of The Go-Go’s.

Several local and state leaders attended the groundbreaking, including Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne, and Speaker of the Ohio House Jason Stephens.

You can watch Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony in the player below:

The project is highlighted by a 50,000 square-foot addition to the existing pyramid structure that was originally designed by architect I.M. Pei and completed in 1995. The addition was designed by Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) under the leadership of Vishaan Chakrabarti, “taking cues from the visual language of Pei’s original 1995 signature glass pyramid while preserving its distinct identity as a Cleveland landmark and activating the surrounding streetscape and lakefront.”

Where the two structures converge, a large publicly accessible interior atrium welcomes visitors, drawing in passersby with circulation pathways that connect the street to an exterior lake promenade. 

The new addition on the west side of the building will allow for more programming spaces, which can be used for the following: 

• An additional 10,000 square feet for large-scale traveling exhibits 
• A 6,000 square-foot multipurpose venue for indoor performances, community gatherings and private rentals 
• Relocation of the administrative offices from the lower level
• A new entrance lobby that will improve the flow of visitors
• A state-of-the-art education center
• On-site archives for visitors to access the Rock Hall’s unique collection

In addition, the expansion project also creates a “museum campus” alongside the neighboring Great Lakes Science Center, with greenspace that will allow the public to engage with the lakefront. 

The project has an estimated completion date of sometime in the middle of 2026. You can see renderings in the gallery below and follow the progress of the expansion here.