Ohio - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Shaped

Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame and Museum
Cleveland, Ohio

Designed by architect I.M. Pei, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a spectacular, sculptural building that expresses rock's raw power.  It is the ideal home for the museum's dynamic presentation of the living heritage of rock and roll and its enduring impact on global culture.
2011

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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was created April 20, 1983. However, it had no home. The search committee considered several cities, including Memphis (home of Sun Studios and Stax Records), Cincinnati (home of King Records), New York City, and Cleveland. Cleveland lobbied hard to be chosen, citing that Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed is widely credited with promoting the new genre (and the term) of "rock and roll", and that Cleveland was the location of the first rock and roll concert. Civic leaders in Cleveland pledged $65 million in public money to fund the construction. A petition drive was signed by 600,000 fans favoring Cleveland over Memphis, and a USA Today poll which Cleveland won by 100,000 votes. The hall of fame board voted to build the 150,000 square foot museum in Cleveland.