Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
A Pei-designed glass pyramid on the Cleveland lakefront, holding instruments, costume and the archives of the inducted.
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Cleveland won the museum partly on the claim that the disc jockey Alan Freed popularised the term rock and roll here in the early 1950s, and partly on a petition campaign and money the city put up. I. M. Pei designed the building - a glass tent leaning against a tower on the lakefront - and it opened in 1995. The collection is object-heavy: instruments, handwritten lyrics, stage clothes, and dedicated installations on individual acts that rotate. The inductee signature wall and the archive on the upper floors sit above a chronological ground-floor run through the music's roots in blues, gospel and country. Induction ceremonies alternate between cities and are not always held here.
What you actually see
- Pei's glass tent of 1995 - leaning against a tower on the lake.
- Instruments, lyrics and stage clothes - the collection is object-led.
- Roots exhibitions - blues, gospel and country on the ground floor.
- Rotating installations - on individual inducted acts.
When to go
Year round. Three to four hours.
Honest expectations
Photography is restricted in parts of the collection. Displays rotate, so a favourite act may not be represented. Summer and school holidays are crowded. Induction ceremonies are not always in Cleveland.
Nearby
The Great Lakes Science Center is next door; downtown Cleveland is south.
What to pack for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
