Cleveland lobbied for the museum,
citing that WJW disc jockey Alan Freed both coined the term "rock and roll"
and heavily promoted the new genre—and
that Cleveland was the location of Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball,
the first major rock and roll concert.
In addition, Cleveland cited radio station WMMS,
which played a key role in breaking several major acts
in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s,
including David Bowie,
who began his first U.S. tour in the city, Bruce Springsteen, Roxy Music,
and Rush among many others.
Cleveland was also one of the premier tour stops for most rock bands.
Civic leaders in Cleveland pledged $65 million in public money
to fund the construction.
A petition drive was signed
by 600,000 fans favoring Cleveland over Memphis,
and Cleveland ranked first in a 1986 USA Today poll asking
where the Hall of Fame should be located.
On May 5, 1986, the Hall of Fame Foundation chose Cleveland
as the permanent home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
and Museum.
Sam Phillips of Sun Studios fame
and many others were stunned and disappointed
that it ended up in Cleveland.
"The hall of fame should've been in Memphis, certainly,"
wrote Peter Guralnick,
author of an acclaimed two-volume Elvis Presley biography.
Cleveland may also have been chosen as the organization's site
because the city offered the best financial package.
As The Plain Dealer music critic Michael Norman noted,
"It was $65 million... Cleveland wanted it here and put up the money."
Co-founder Jann Wenner later said,
"One of the small sad things is we didn't do it in New York in the first place,"
but then added,
"I am absolutely delighted that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is in Cleveland."
During early discussions on where to build the Hall of Fame and Museum,
the Foundation's board considered the Cuyahoga River.
Ultimately,
the chosen location was along East Ninth Street
in downtown Cleveland by Lake Erie,
east of Cleveland Stadium.
At one point in the planning phase,
when a financing gap existed,
planners proposed locating the Rock Hall
in the then-vacant May Company Building,
but finally decided to commission architect I. M. Pei
to design a new building.
Initial CEO Dr. Larry R. Thompson facilitated I. M. Pei
in designs for the site.
Pei came up with the idea of a tower
with a glass pyramid protruding from it.
The museum tower was initially planned to stand 200 ft (61 m) high,
but had to be cut down to 162 ft (49 m)
due to its proximity to Burke Lakefront Airport.
The building's base is approximately 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2).
The groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 7, 1993.
Pete Townshend,
Chuck Berry,
Billy Joel,
Sam Phillips,
Ruth Brown,
Sam Moore of Sam and Dave,
Carl Gardner of the Coasters
and Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum all appeared at the groundbreaking.
The museum was dedicated on September 1, 1995,
with the ribbon being cut by an ensemble
that included Yoko Ono and Little Richard,
among others,
before a crowd of more than 10,000 people.
The following night an all-star concert was held at the stadium.
It featured Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Al Green, Jerry Lee Lewis,
Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Iggy Pop, John Fogerty,
John Mellencamp, and many others.
In addition to the Hall of Fame inductees,
the museum documents the entire history of rock and roll,
regardless of induction status.
Hall of Fame inductees are honored in a special exhibit
located in a wing that juts out over Lake Erie.
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