About the Building

A stunning piece of daring architecture designed by internationally renowned architect I. M. Pei, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum contains equally remarkable interactive exhibits, films, videos and priceless and poignant artifacts, and serves as host of the permanent Hall of Fame exhibit. In addition to its permanent exhibits, the Museum stages a number of temporary exhibits throughout the year, including large-scale exhibits that occupy the top two levels of the building. The Museum also produces educational programs for the public that include concerts, lectures, panel discussions, film series, teacher education and other events.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.

The Museum’s collection is regarded as among the most important rock and roll holdings in the world.  It is the most critical tool we have to educate our audiences about the history and significance of the art form; while programs and events are extremely important to interpret and discuss rock and roll, the collection is the visual medium that forms the basis of the Museum’s mission.  The collection continues to grow due to the generosity of rock and roll musicians, their families and private collectors.  Museum staff constantly collects new artifacts and nurtures relationships within the industry to ensure that the number of pieces under our care continues to increase and encompass more segments of rock history.

Rock and roll music is one the most pervasive – and accessible – art forms in Western Culture.  In fact, when NASA launched the Voyager space shuttle in 1977, they included music from Chuck Berry on it in the event that intelligent life found the vessel.  Like any art form, rock music reflects and defines our history and culture.

Rock and roll has been a key tool in giving a voice to people who have otherwise been pushed to the margins of our society.  In the civil rights movements, in war protests, in ending communist rule in Eastern European countries, even in our elections, rock and roll music – and the musicians and fans that make it what it is – is truly a significant cultural force.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is at the forefront of bringing popular culture into the classroom. Our educational programs and exhibits reach hundreds of thousands of students of all ages and teaches them how music has played a role in some of the most important social, cultural and political issues in modern history.

Through our educational programs, the Rock Hall is exploring how music has intersected with our culture, changed our political landscape and given a voice to those on the margins of mainstream society. This effort to bring pop culture into the academic world is crucial, as critical dialogues in our world are increasingly happening through—and with—modern music.

The Rock Hall is situated on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, within 500 miles of 43 percent of the U.S. population and less than a day’s drive or an hour’s flight from many major cities in the U.S. and Canada. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, which services 680 flights daily, is a twenty-minute drive to downtown, or an easy trip on public transportation. The Amtrak station is a short walk from the Museum.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a nonprofit institution, supported by public investment, corporate sponsors, private donors, its membership program and the revenues it generates at the Museum, including ticket sales and the Museum Store by FYE.

About the Building

• Overview
• The Building
• Architect Ieoh Ming Pei
• Public Spaces
• The City
• History of the Museum