The Motown Museum in Detroit has announced that it will resume museum tours during its ongoing construction project on Feb. 22.
The museum, which was founded by Ester Gordy Edwards, the Mother of Motown and late sister of Motown Records founder, Berry Gordy, has been undergoing a $65 million expansion project since breaking ground in 2019.
When the expansion is complete, the museum will have grown to have a 50,000-sqaure-foot campus that features historic exhibits including the actual apartment Berry Gordy lived in during his label’s earliest days, original recording equipment, and the legendary Studio A, in which some of the biggest names in Motown recorded their greatest songs.
It will also include a professional recording studio, expanded retail space, a state-of-the-art theater, and a café.
The interactive tours will take guests through the museum as the third and final phase of the project nears completion to experience all the work that has been done so far. The first two phases of the project were completed by August of 2022.
“Welcoming guests back into Motown Museum is like welcoming family back home,” Robin Terry, a Motown Museum Chairwoman and the CEO said in a press release. “We know this year will be unlike anything we’ve experienced before as we continue to make progress on the expansion. We appreciate the support of the community and Motown fans around the world as we continue to build a lasting legacy.”
Since its founding in 1985, the Motown Museum has been committed to preserving, protecting, and sharing the history of Motown through “authentic, inspirational, and educational experiences.”
The project was originally announced in late 2016 with a fundraising goal of $55 million and has received support from celebrities, artists, civic leaders, community leaders, and many others.
In December of last year, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, who was a close friend of Esther Gordy Edwards, made good on a promise and secured $10 million for the project.
It was the single largest contribution to the project and pushed it past the museum’s original goal, but it came in just before the museum announced it was increasing its goal to $65 million to account for inflation in construction costs.
For more information on the Motown Museum and the expansion project visit then online at MotownMuseum.org. Find even more development news in metro Detroit at HourDetroit.com.
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