Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In 1985, when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was deciding where to open its physical museum, Cleveland threw its hat into the ring for consideration. Because of public support and a $65 million commitment from city officials, the Foundation chose Cleveland as the winning location, over locales such as New York, San Francisco, Memphis and Chicago.

On June 7, 1993, the Who’s Pete Townshend, Chuck Berry, Billy Joel, Sam Phillips, and Ruth Brown, among others, attended the Cleveland groundbreaking ceremony, while Jerry Lee Lewis performed a year later when the building was finished off with the placement of one last steel beam.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opened its doors on September 2, 1995, and celebrated with a blockbuster benefit concert at nearby Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The marathon show featured once-in-a-lifetime pairings such as Chuck Berry’s mischievous onstage collaboration with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, along with performances by greats such as James Brown, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and Booker T. and the M.G.s. Besides the Municipal Stadium concert, the Rock Hall’s festive opening weekend featured a downtown Cleveland parade and a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Little Richard and Yoko Ono.