Motown Museum’s New $10M Music, Research Spaces to Honor Founder
In its 40th anniversary year, the Motown Museum is preparing to debut a new $10 million facility dedicated to an individual whose vision created this Detroit cultural attraction. The Esther…
DETROIT – JUNE 25: Fans pay their respects to pop star Michael Jackson at the Motown Historical Museum “Hitsville U.S.A” June 25, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. Jackson, 50, the iconic pop star, died after going into cardiac arrest in a hospital today in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
In its 40th anniversary year, the Motown Museum is preparing to debut a new $10 million facility dedicated to an individual whose vision created this Detroit cultural attraction.
The Esther Gordy Edwards Centre for Excellence — on West Grand Boulevard a few blocks from Hitsville, U.S.A. — will be named in honor of museum founder Edwards, the late sister of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy.
Edwards was a business executive who turned Hitsville into an official public attraction in 1985. Under her leadership, Hitsville began offering tours of the historic site, including Studio A, which has a retro aesthetic preserved from the peak of Motown's Detroit success.
This 38,000-square-foot complex serves a dual purpose. The first floor houses rehearsal space and music mentorship for the museum's robust block of community programming. Upstairs, space permits curatorial staff and Motown researchers to work together in a pleasant setting.
Additionally, the new facility contains parking space for Motown Museum visitors, who will be transported to the main Motown Museum campus via shuttles sponsored by the Ford Motor Co.
The Motown Museum will hold a "first-look" event for the Esther Gordy Edwards Centre for Excellence later this month, inviting Motown alumni and museum partners to explore it.
“This is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the essence of Esther Gordy Edwards, her spirit of excellence, and the things she did to pour excellence into the next generation,” said Robin Terry, the Motown Museum's chairwoman and CEO, in a statement shared with the Detroit Free Press. “It worked out perfectly for our 40th anniversary celebration.”
Terry, the granddaughter of Edwards, said the Esther Gordy Edwards Centre for Excellence "captures the soul of a woman who — 'at 4-foot-10 in stilettos' — was all about presenting excellence, down to her impeccable dress and presentation," according to the Detroit Free Press.
The Motown Museum itself is also undergoing expansion and renovation. A new 40,000-square-foot addition will feature new exhibit spaces, a theater, and more visitor-focused features.
